New Partnership Grants To Battle Poverty Awarded To Seven Non-Profits in Everett

Just got word from Neil Parekh at United Way of Snohomish County that seven non-profit groups in Everett were among twenty in Snohomish County to be given grants to fight poverty…

Another example of how the money you earmark to help people in Everett, really does stay here in Everett.

Seven nonprofits based in Everett, including Everett Recovery Café, Greater Trinity Academy, Hand in Hand, Housing Consortium of Everett and Snohomish County, Interfaith Association of Northwest Washington, Mari’s Place and Snohomish County Legal Services have received capacity-building grants to help address intergenerational poverty.

The grants will be used to strengthen infrastructure, train staff and purchase equipment:

• Everett Recovery Café will use their $5,448 grant to make it possible for the Café to open its doors and begin operations by hiring a floor manager.

• Greater Trinity Academy will use their $10,000 grant to contract with a grant writer, upgrade their computer lab, expand their STEM curriculum and offer computer access and training.

• Hand in Hand will use their grant $10,000 to fund a staff person who will manage volunteers and work with local service providers.

• Housing Consortium of Everett and Snohomish County will use their $7,768 grant to purchase computer hardware and software and work with a professional grant writer.

• Interfaith Association of Northwest Washington will use their $10,000 grant to conduct an internal evaluation to determine more efficient, sustainable and creative ways to serve homeless and low-income families.

• Mari’s Place will use their $9,200 grant to purchase computers, software and contract for accounting services and grant writing.

• Snohomish County Legal Services will use their $10,000 grant to hire a part-time Development Coordinator to work on private grants and individual giving and contract with a local accounting firm for quarterly reviews of their books.

A total of twenty nonprofits throughout Snohomish County are receiving $160,000 in grants from United Way of Snohomish County and Greater Everett Community Foundation this year.

This is the second year that United Way and Greater Everett Community Foundation have supported this work and the first time they approached the decision making through a joint process.

“Since we were doing similar work, we decided to coordinate our efforts this year,” said Dennis Smith, president and CEO of United Way of Snohomish County. “It’s been a great partnership. We are thrilled with this year’s capacity building grantees,” he added.

“These nonprofits will get the benefit of working with both of us,” said Maddy Metzger-Utt, president of the Greater Everett Community Foundation. “Our overall goal is to strengthen our community and help these nonprofits do a better job of providing services for their clients.”

The two agencies will jointly offer technical support, training and opportunities for grant recipients to collaboratively identify solutions to common problems. Funding for capacity-building projects and staff training will eventually help more Snohomish County families escape intergenerational poverty.

Decisions were based on demonstrated need and readiness for capacity building, total available dollars, and whether investment in the project was deemed the best way to achieve the greatest impact.

Details about the next round of capacity-building funding will be released later this year.

A full list of grantees is available at uwsc.org.

The Greater Everett Community Foundation works in partnership with donors and organizations to strengthen communities throughout Snohomish County. The Community Foundation promotes charitable giving and creates community impact through grantmaking. They also offer training and workshops to local nonprofits to help improve their effectiveness. To learn more about Greater Everett Community Foundation’s work in our community, visit their website at greatereverettcf.org.

United Way is a community impact organization serving Snohomish County for more than 70 years. In addition to funding 107 programs through 40 agencies with a special focus on local health and human services, United Way of Snohomish County supports a number of initiatives focusing on early learning and education, financial stability for families, a youth program, North Sound 211 and an emerging initiative in survival English. To find out more about United Way of Snohomish County, including how you can find help, how to volunteer and how United Way serves our community, visit their website at uwsc.org.