City of Seattle awards Neighborhood Matching Fund to three Ballard-specific projects

The City of Seattle is awarding $467,562 in matching funds to support 28 chosen neighborhood-initiated projects across the city. Awarded funds for the variety of events, cultural festivals and projects come from the Neighborhood Matching Fund.

“These projects are the result of neighbors working together to better their community,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “The entire city benefits from their volunteerism and talent as they create, plan and implement these projects. The Neighborhood Matching Fund is there to support their efforts, whether it is an exhibit, a documentary or a playground.”

The June 2015 Small and Simple Projects Fund awardees include three projects specific to Ballard:

• $12,000 to Low Income Housing Institute to produce a free event series that feature the people and topics relating to the Ballard neighborhood. (Community match: $6,320)
• $24,400 to Ballard Historical Society to conduct a historic inventory of the Ballard community and utilize a visual and interactive GIS mapping component to engage volunteers and the public. (Community match: $32,400)
• $15,000 to Ballard Partnership for Smart Growth to perform outreach within Ballard to garner interest in a proposed Business Improvement Area (BIA) to serve the needs of the neighborhood. (Community match: $17,820)

Among the twenty-two other community-specific projects around Seattle, three citywide projects will be backed:

• $8,927 to Seattle-Sihanoukville Sister City Association to produce an event to provide education and share stories of Cambodian refugees during the Khmer Rouge Genocide and their resettlement in the United States. (Community match: $13,365)
• $25,000 to Center for Linguistic and Cultural Democracy to produce a Seattle Caribbean Festival sharing cultural performances and cultural exchange to unite members of the diverse Caribbean community. (Community match: $20,480)
• $10,000 to Gay City Health Project to solicit public input to create a database of health care providers to ensure the LGBTQ community has access to high quality, competent healthcare. (Community match: $7,220)

The total awards range from $4,000 to $25,000, and the organizations pledge to match the City’s $467,562 investment with $600,132 of locally raised money, donated materials and volunteer labor.

“There is a reason the Neighborhood Matching Fund has existed for 27 years,” said director of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Kathy Nyland. “It’s been a valuable resource for communities to turn their visions into reality.”

Since the start of the program in 1988, more than 5,000 projects have been completed. For more information about all of the funds visit seattle.gov/neighborhoods/nmf/.