King County was awarded funding support from Living Cities, a philanthropic organization comprised of 22 of the world’s largest foundations and financial institutions, to proceed with local initiatives aimed at improving health and economic opportunities for low-income people and communities in our region. King County and Seattle Foundation will use the funds to continue joint coordination of Communities of Opportunity investments in areas currently facing the greatest inequities based on health, housing, and economic data.
“We need every neighborhood in our region to be a place that reinforces a child’s progress,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “With our partners at Seattle Foundation, we are creating safer, healthier communities where our children and youth can flourish.”
The announcement means that King County advances to the implementation phase of Living Cities’ The Integration Initiative (TII). Now in its second round of funding, TII supports civic leaders who are reshaping their communities to increase opportunities for low-income people. King County, along with Albuquerque, N.M., New Orleans and San Francisco, will receive funding in the form of grants and flexible debt for up to three years to implement local efforts. King County previously received a $100,000 transformation grant from Living Cities in 2014 and formed a partnership with Seattle Foundation to launch regional planning efforts.
Earlier this year, Executive Constantine and Seattle Foundation announced more than $1.5 million in investments over the next three years to three community-based partnerships that have demonstrated success in creating opportunities in places that have the greatest inequities. They are: SeaTac and Tukwila, through the nonprofit Global to Local; the Rainier Valley in southeast Seattle through HomeSight; and the White Center/North Highline unincorporated area through the White Center Community Development Association. The experiences of these projects will inform efforts to make policy and systems changes to improve outcomes throughout the county.
In working to create Communities of Opportunity, King County and Seattle Foundation have committed to aligning efforts across sectors to maximize resources and improve health, social, racial, and economic outcomes for low-income individuals and communities. Unlike the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to programs, this allows communities to take a leadership role and address the specific needs of neighborhoods.
The Living Cities grant also supports knowledge exchanges, technical assistance, site visits, online collaboration tools and meetings with other TII sites. Communities of Opportunity continues to draw additional partners in funding community wellness and revitalization efforts in SeaTac, Tukwila, southeast Seattle, and White Center, including the Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority.
