Seattle Foundation

The Seattle Foundation began its Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) Small Grants Program in 1991 through a grant from the C.S. Mott Foundation as part of its Community Foundations and Neighborhoods Small Grants Program.

N2N has two goals: one is to support grassroots groups in low-income communities and communities of color that organize residents and build local leadership to solve neighborhood problems. The second goal is to learn from each other and from community partners about local needs and how to effectively support community building in diverse and low-income communities. Initially, N2N made grants in one neighborhood in Southeast Seattle but has since added two other neighborhoods (White Center and Kent) in response to the growing needs and disparities in South King County. For the first few years, N2N’s funding came solely from the C.S. Mott Foundation and The Seattle Foundation. At the end of the Mott initiative, The Seattle Foundation wanted to continue the work and invited other local foundations and donors to collaboratively fund and guide the work of N2N. During the process of forming the collaborative, the Foundation invited grantees to help make refinements to the program so it could build on what worked and identify areas for improvement.

There are approximately 10-12 N2N advisory committee members comprised of family foundations, individual donors and corporate funders, as well as community members from the various neighborhoods where N2N funds. All advisory members have an equal voice in the decision-making process and meet quarterly to review grant applications, as well as provide general strategic oversight. N2N also has a part-time consultant who provides technical assistance to grant applicants and helps build strategic relationships and connections across community groups and with other funders. Over the years, N2N has helped launch two key initiatives: one was to create the Nonprofit Assistance Center (NAC) which provides general technical assistance to smaller groups in King County, particularly refugee and immigrant groups. The other is an initiative aimed at systems-level change by significantly supporting a unique partnership between a grassroots empowerment group and a larger social justice policy organization.  Together, these two groups are working to ensure local leaders are trained and have access to the decision-making table so that transit development in Southeast Seattle is equitable and designed so all residents have equal access to important resources.

N2N is one of two grants programs within the Foundation’s Neighborhoods & Communities issue area.  N2N typically makes $5,000 or less in grants to organizations with budgets less than $100K.  There is also an Annual Grants program that has one grants cycle annually and is open to any King County organization with a budget of $100K or more.  As a result, the Foundation is able to provide a continuum of support to community building efforts locally.

Contact Persons:

Judy de Barros
Title: N2N Program Consultant
Email: judydebarros@comcast.net
Telephone:(206) 234-2456

Jennifer Martin
Title: Senior Program Officer
Email: j.martin@seattlefoundation.org
Telephone: (206) 515-2130