Equitable Development Initiative

What's Happening Now?

We are launching a citywide community visioning and strategic planning process to shape the next five years for our Equitable Development Initiative (EDI). In partnership with community members, the EDI Advisory Board, and key stakeholders, this process will create an actionable roadmap that strengthens EDI’s mission: ensuring Seattle grows as a city where everyone across race, culture, and income can thrive.

Building on nearly a decade of community-driven investment and 75 funded projects, this next phase of EDI will:

• Identify shared goals, strategies, and measures of success to advance racial equity
• Prevent displacement
• Expand access to opportunity

The outcome will be a comprehensive five-year strategic plan grounded in community priorities, complete with clear goals, metrics, and an accountability framework to guide implementation and ensure continuous learning and improvement. 

Learn more about EDI’s Request for Proposals for the Strategic Plan. Apply by November 17.

AiPACE (Aging in Pace Washington)
At the to be acquired AiPACE senior day center and clinic, low-income, nursing-home-eligible Asian and Pacific Islander elders will receive culturally relevant wraparound services delivered through the evidence-based, nationally recognized Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), a nursing-home-alternative health care model that fosters independence and choice for elders to age at home. Visit AiPACE on Facebook.

Arte Noir
Arte Noir, a Black-led, community-based non-profit organization, will purchase 3228 sq feet of retail space at the corner of 23rd & Union within the new Midtown Square development to reinvest in Black art and culture with a permanent gallery space, a new Black culture retail space, and a small recording studio. As an anchor owner in the development, this project will establish generational control and generate equity gains that will be used to expand investment in Black artists and culture makers in the Central District, once the center of Black life in Seattle.Visit Arte Noir on Facebook.

Black and Tan Hall
Finish construction of physical location of Black and Tan Hall in Hillman City that includes a cooperatively-owned restaurant, performing arts venue, and community gathering space. Build internal capacity of organization by hiring management team to develop systems and programs to sustain community-oriented and cooperative business model. Black and Tan Hall on: Facebook and Instagram. 

Black, Indigenous People of Color Sustainable Tiny Art House Community (BIPOC STAHC)
BIPOC STAHC's vision is to create a model that integrates affordable homeownership for low-income artists in order to prevent and reverse displacement of BIPOC artist within Seattle.

Byrd Barr Place
Byrd Barr Place in the Central Area will renovate the 100+ year old historic Firehouse with inclusive, accessible design to add 1000+ SF of community gathering space. The project will retain the building as a cultural asset for Seattle’s Black community and expand its services, which include energy assistance and home heating, housing assistance and eviction prevention, and food bank and home delivery. Byrd Barr Place on: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Casa Latina
Casa Latina will use capacity building funding to support a capital project feasibility assessment for affordable senior housing and a senior center in the Central District, catered toward the Latino community.

Central Area Youth Association (CAYA)
CAYA's new mixed use community center in the Central Area will accommodate growing programming needs as well as providing affordable homeownership opportunities to mitigate displacement of our community. 

Central Area Senior Center
In 2020, after years of negotiations with the City, the Central Area Senior Center took ownership of the building where they serve as an African American institution and neighborhood gathering place for everyone in the Central District. They’re using EDI funds to provide long-needed renovations to their property that will expand access to their programs. Visit Central Area Senior Center on Facebook.

Cham Refugees Community
Construction of an upgraded, 12,000 square foot community center at their existing location in southeast Seattle. Development will be sharia-compliant and expand programming for youth, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Follow the Cham Refugees Community on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. 

Chief Seattle Club
Chief Seattle Club's ʔálʔal is a mixed-use project in Pioneer Square that will create more than 80 affordable apartment homes in addition to a health clinic, non-profit office space, and a cafe/gallery space. The project will focus on serving the homeless American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) population in Seattle. Chief Seattle Club on: Facebook and Instagram.

Community-Owned Resource Development
EDI funds will loan up to $1.2 million dollars to black developers at a 1-3% interest rate until the project is completed. The purpose of this fund is to increase access to funding for black developers who often face challenges accessing traditional sources of capital. The idea of creating a loan fund for black developers was born out of a need to address the lack of access to capital faced by black developers.

Daybreak Star Center
The United Indians of All Tribes Foundation is completing repairs and upgrades to Daybreak Star in Discovery Park to prolong the centers useful life and modernize the facilities. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. 

Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (DNDA)
DNDA is currently undergoing a capital campaign and construction project, "Elevate Youngstown," to implement needed building improvements designed to ensure sustained access for people who visit the Youngstown Cultural Art Center for work, school, performances, classes and diverse community programs. The project aims to preserve and restore Youngstown as a building listed in the National Register of Historic Places and a designated City of Seattle Historic Landmark.

Duwamish Longhouse (Duwamish Valley Tribal Services, Duwamish Valley) 
Purchase of property adjacent to the Longhouse to support the continued viability of the cultural space. The current location has significant safety issues that affect the visitors attempting to access the Longhouse. Duwamish Cultural Center on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Donate: givebigwa.org/Duwamish.

Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition
Build the capacity of the Coalition and the South Park and Georgetown communities. The coalition has developed a 3-prong anti-displacement approach – preserving existing affordable housing; developing new affordable housing; and developing a multi-purpose building that provides community gathering space, childcare and affordable spaces for local non-profits. Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition on Facebook.

Ethiopian Community in Seattle Ethiopian Village
Southeast Seattle Redevelopment of existing community center into a mixed-use project including affordable senior apartments and an expanded community center. Ethiopian Village will serve multiple generations of the Ethiopian community. Ethiopian Community in Seattle on: Facebook and Instagram. 

Empowering Youth & Family Outreach
Empowering Youth and Family Outreach will be purchasing commercial space in Bellwether Housing's Rose Street II project, providing a permanent home for their programs in Southeast Seattle.

El Centro de la Raza
El Centro de La Raza's new development in Columbia City will have affordable housing units and ground floor childcare.

The Eritrean community In Seattle and Vicinity (ECISV)
ECISV has been an operational agency for the refugees and immigrants of Eritrea and East African descents in Seattle since 1983. ECISV plans to redevelopment their 75 year old community center in the Central District. The vision for new development will be co-developed through membership and broader community engagement. Visit ECISV on Facebook.

Estelita's Library
Estelita’s Library is a social justice community library and bookstore that uplifts and serves marginalized communities. Their mission is to decolonize space and knowledge, expanding their reach in Seattle, especially in Beacon Hill. They plan to acquire a property in Beacon Hill, serving as the library's headquarters while maintaining the Tiny House space in the Central District. The Freedom Cultural Center will be a dynamic, multi-use space fostering culture, community, and knowledge for historically marginalized individuals. Their ultimate goal is to build affordable housing that uplifts the community, staying true to their vision and commitment.

Fathers and Sons Together (FAST)
FAST is building capacity and working on a feasibility study to seek to buy or build a Resource and Outreach Center in order to expand FAST’s Next Generation Level Up program, a BIPOC-centered job readiness program for South Seattle residents ages 14-24. This program promotes economic opportunity through paid job training, providing pathways to living-wage career paths, and building on local cultural assets while enhancing cultural anchors.

Filipino Community of Seattle (FCS)
Construction of FCS' Filipino Community Village Innovation Learning Center and Community Gathering Space, which will house STEAM education for youth and young adults, health and wellness programs for seniors, cultural enrichment programs, and domestic and gender-based violence counseling. The project also includes 95 affordable senior apartment homes. FCS on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

First AME Housing Association (FAME)
FAME will development a 1,875 SF Pre-K facility within the redevelopment of Bryant Manor Apartments in the Central District. This early childhood education center will specifically serve low-income children who reside in and around the project. Up to 40 kids, ages 1-5 will benefit from a unique and culturally appropriate curriculum geared to teaching children of color, children learning English, and children from low-income families in a community-based setting.

Hip Hop Is Green
Hip Hop is Green's Cherry Street Farm & Lab is building a revolution in urban farming. They have installed a hydroponic farm and are building an education lab at the heart of Seattle's Central District. They want to every city across the country, starting in areas with limited access to fresh produce, to have their own Cherry Street Farms. Visit Hip Hop is Green on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram.

Hope Academy
Established in 2002, Hope Academy in South Delridge (HAS) is the only East African community-based K-8 school accredited by the WA State Board of Education. HAS serves 120 students and more than 400 East African refugee and immigrant families through their programs. EDI funds will help secure ownership of the property. 

House of Mkeka
House of Mkeka is a collective of eight Black family households committed to community organizing and development through a Black, queer, womanist and anti-racist lens. The House of Mkeka Village is envisioned to be a 100% Black owned “pocket neighborhood” designed in cottage style aesthetic located on a potential site in the North end of Seattle, Madison Valley and/or Central District/Africatown.

Khmer Community of Seattle King County (KCSKC)
KCSKC is currently seeking property to establish a Khmer Community Center. The Community Center will be a cultural hub and culturally responsive teaching platform to build trusting relationships, bridge intergenerational gaps, increase economic opportunity for Khmer Youth and young adults through employment and development of entrepreneurial skills. Having been displaced from their home in 2016, KCSKC hopes that the Khmer Community Center will help support SW Seattle and White Center as an epicenter for the Khmer Community. KCSKC on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.

Kwanza Prep Academy (KPA)
KPA was founded in 2019 as an early learning, tutoring, and stepped up to address digital inequties during the COVID-19 pandemic, acting as a bridge between immigrant and refugee families and schools. KPA has been working towards a vision for a childcare center in the Rainier Valley to address education equity. The organization purchased a single family home in Rainier Beach with plans to renovate into a childcare center. KPA on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Lake City Collective
Lake City Collective uses a community ambassador model to increase the ability for local communities to become self-determining. LCC seeks to establish a location in Seattle’s Little Brook neighborhood that would allow them to expand services and establish partnerships that would preserve existing affordable housing sites in the neighborhood and improve living conditions. Lake City Collective on Facebook. 

L.E.M.S. Life Enrichment Bookstore
L.E.M.S. Bookstore is the longest standing cultural hub and community gathering space for the African diaspora in the Seattle Metropolitan Area. This project will sustain the community work LEMS has committed to supporting reparative strategies that invest directly in communities of color. LEMS is located on a historical landmark and has been serving the Seattle community for nearly over 30 years and is at a high risk of displacement being in an area of the city that has, is, and is likely to experience more significant displacement pressure for any BIPOC owned businesses. The vision for this project is to prevent commercial and community displacement of LEMS so that an organization with such a strong reputation and history can stay in the neighborhood.

Little Saigon Landmark Project (Friends of Little Saigon, Chinatown-International District) 
A gathering place for the regional Vietnamese community in the Little Saigon business district. It will bring together the district’s cultural, shopping, and culinary aspects in a distinctive physical anchor. The mixed-use Landmark Project will include a cultural center, Southeast Asian grocery, Emerald Night Market, and restaurant. Each component of the development will reflect Vietnamese Americans’ rich culture, history, and future. The project is currently in feasibility and predevelopment. Friends of Little Saigon on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Midtown Center Africatown
Africatown Community Land Trust in the Central Area has partnered with Capitol Hill Housing and the Capitol Hill Housing Foundation to develop Africatown Plaza at Midtown – a seven-story, mixed use building with 5,000-8,000 SF of commercial space and approximately 130 apartments affordable to households earning up to 60% AMI. Africatown Seattle on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. 
 
Multicultural Community Coalition (Southeast Seattle) 
The Multicultural Community Coalition (MCC) will anchor several community organizations serving Seattle’s growing immigrant, refugee and people of color communities by creating a community-owned and operated co-working space and an essential Cultural Innovation Center (CIC). The CIC is envisioned as a vital heritage and cultural arts venue which will house year-round, cultural events and activities as well as serving as a Creative Economy space in which artists, cultural nonprofits, and creative small businesses will produce and distribute cultural goods and services that generate jobs, revenue, and quality of life. 

Muslim Housing Services (MHS)
MHS is a culturally competent organization that provides scatter site transitional and permanent housing for homeless single and two parent families with dependent children, including non-traditional and extended families, and families with underage children. MHS works directly with transitionally homeless families with children, with limited English proficiency, who are refugees and second-generation immigrants presenting multiple barriers to accessing and maintaining stable housing. MHS is working to acquire a permanent office space in the Rainier Beach neighborhood to support their ongoing work to prevent and respond to displacement of their constituency. MHS on Facebook and Instagram.

New Hope Community Development Institute
New Hope Community Development Institute is partnering with LIHI to develop affordable housing with ground floor community space in the Central Area.

North College Longhouse
Support for Chief Seattle Club to develop a longhouse and cultural center in partnership with Bellwether Housing and North Seattle Community College on surplus property owned by Seattle Colleges. 

Nurturing Roots
Funding to support Nurturing Roots in their acquisition of the community garden and the Black Power Epicenter nonprofit space. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Opportunity Center @ Othello Square
Othello Square brings together multiple non-profit partners to pool their strengths in a community-focused campus. The Opportunity Center @ Othello Square includes non-profit offices, classrooms, cultural center, and maker space; 200 affordable and workforce apartments; and a mid-block public plaza for community use.

Queer the Land (Beacon Hill)
Queer the Land seeks to fund the capacity building resources that they need to create a QT2BIPOC-owned and operated cooperative in one of Seattle's historical communities of color to include affordable transitional and semi-permanent housing, co-working space, communal space, and a community garden. Follow Queer the Land on Facebook.

Rainier Valley Midwives (RVM)
RVM works to improve maternal health and birth outcomes for women of color, while also providing economic opportunities for health providers of color in South Seattle. RVM providers, clients, and community stakeholders created a vision for a permanent birth center to anchor their community and in 2021 RVM was able to purchase two adjoining sites in Columbia City that will eventually serve as the birth center. Visit RVM on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Royal Esquire Club
The Royal Esquire Club intends to continue improving their building to enable the continue the historic footprint in the community and provide a safe and modernized the place for the community to gather for meetings, parties, dinner and family & cultural events. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube.

Refugee and Immigrant Family Center (RIFC)
RIFC mission is to provide a high quality part-time preschool experience for children ages 3-5 in a warm, nurturing, culturally relevant environment. RIFC prevented their displacement by purchasing their property, enabling the dual-language childcare program to continue to serve families and the community in Delridge. Follow RIFC on the Sound Child Care Solutions Facebook page.

Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda)
SCIDpda is a leading force for the economic health of Seattle’s Chinatown International District, implementing strategies that range from support for individual businesses to marketing the entire neighborhood’s lively retail and cultural environment. They are completing their new housing project at 13th and Fir as part of the overall Yesler Terrace Redevelopment strategy. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.

Seattle Indian Services Commission
Feasibility support to assist SISC in scoping out the redevelopment of their current facility to create a mixed-use building with cultural space and affordable housing. 

Somali Health Board
The Somali Community Cultural Innovation Hub came out of the Graham Street Vision process as a response to displacement pressure and a study conducted by the City of Seattle that found that East African communities experience high rates of discriminatory practices when accessing programs and securing safe and healthy housing. The project is partnership between Somali Health Board, Somali Community Services of Seattle and Al Noor Center of Washington. This project will provide a culturally relevant space in Southeast Seattle that serves as a multigenerational health hub, senior housing community, cultural anchor, and community center for the Somali and East African community.

STEM Paths Innovation Network (SPIN)
SPIN plans to build an Innovation Center in Southeast Seattle that will improve access to low or no cost STEM workshops and programs for the community and schools. The Center will train emerging technologists and entrepreneurs; ready young adults for family-wage jobs; engage the imagination of youth from preschool through high school; and offer culturally relevant programming.

Tubman Center for Health & Freedom
The Tubman Center for Health & Freedom is currently slated to open its doors as a community health center in 2025, offering comprehensive Integrative Family Medicine and community programs. Tubman Health is a multifaceted health care system designed specifically to meet the health needs of communities of color and other marginalized groups. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network
The Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network is planning to work on repairs/remodeling of the current and initial staffing for project implementation at House of Constance. House of Constance is a new Black, Indigenous, Trans People of Color focused house in Seattle’s historic LGBTQ neighborhood (Capitol Hill), which will provide rent free housing for 8-10 community members, as well as necessary space for community gathering and organizing.

United Indians of All Tribes Foundation
United Indians of All Tribes Foundation is completing much needed facility repairs and upgrades to the Daybreak Star Center in Discovery Park. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube.

Urban Black LLC
Urban Black LCC is developing a project to support its Legacy Program, which seeks to help preserve and grow the wealth of Black families through community-controlled real estate development.

Wa Na Wari 
Sited in a fifth-generation, Black-owned home, Wa Na Wari is an immersive community art project that reclaims Black cultural space and makes a statement about the importance of Black land ownership in gentrified communities. Creating a space for Black artists to gain income from performances and shows and support the cultural enrichment of the Central Area. Wa Na Wari will create an ownership model to convert single-family residences into cultural spaces. Follow Wa Na Wari on Facebook and Instagram.

West African Community Council
WACC partnered with EDI to purchase their community center building, allowing for greatly increased services to their community. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

William Grose Center for Cultural Innovation Africatown
Create a space that supports small businesses, creative entrepreneurs and creating pathways to the knowledge-based economy. WGCCI will address community priorities and create career pathways that support entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development located in the Central Area, which will serve Seattle's historically Black community that has been and continues to face high risk of displacement. The WGCCI will create dedicated spaces for innovation and civic tech events that can draw people in from the street and serve as a tech epicenter near existing cultural and community assets. Africatown Seattle on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. 

The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience (The Wing Luke Museum)
The Wing Luke Museum serves as a cultural anchor and economic driver for the Chinatown-International District community. In 2021, the museum purchased the Homestead Home, the most intact remaining single-family home in the Chinatown-International District (CID), constructed in 1937 despite the Chinese Exclusion Act and discriminatory barriers to single family homes in the CID. The museum will restore and upgrade the Homestead Home in order to operate the space as an immersive cultural and historical experience. The property additionally includes an 8,300 square foot parking lot that The Wing intends to develop into a mixed-use building with affordable apartments and street-level community gathering space. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.

yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives Collective
yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives Collective has acquired a parcel of land within Seattle as part of their Land Rematriation project with the plans to create a community-led arts and food programming for Indigenous and broader BIPOC populations. This land would give those with broken relationships to the earth an opportunity to experience food and water sovereignty through sustainable, repetitive contact. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

The Youth Achievement Center (YAC)
The YAC is Africatown Community Land Trust's most recent project that we are developing in coalition with Community Passageways and Creative Justice in South Seattle adjacent to the Columbia City Light Rail station. The YAC will be a mixed use development providing emergency overnight housing, permanent affordable housing, and associated wraparound supportive services for Black and brown youth.

Network of Support Roster

Access the interactive Network of Support Roster:

Enter the Portal

• Download the PDF version
• How to use this dashboard (video demonstration)
• Questions? Email Mishelle.Oun@seattle.gov.

About this Network

EDI awards capacity building and capital funding to organizations serving communities at high risk of displacement to develop and activate spaces that help their communities thrive. EDI funds may be deployed to hire organizational development consultants to strengthen their operations and fundraising. Funds can also be used to contract with real estate development consultants to support project management, feasibility, legal, or other project technical assistance.

In response to requests from our community of practice, EDI has developed a list of consultants for EDI grantees and others pursuing community real estate projects that will help you develop strong projects and organizations.

The consultants on this list have met our criteria and have an:

• Existing practice working directly with cultural organizations or cultural facilities for Seattle/King County’s historically marginalized communities
• Demonstrated ability and experience, skills, and experience in one of the core non-profit management systems or cultural space development processes
• Cultural Responsiveness and multi-lingual capabilities
• Thorough understanding of how institutional racism and other forms of institutional discrimination have limited cultural organizations’ capacity
• The ability to provide excellent, relationship-based service
• Current licensure, certification, or registration per industry standard for their trade (i.e. architects, engineers, real estate brokers) as applicable

We will periodically update the roster. If you would like to know about future opportunities to join the roster, subscribe to receive EDI updates.

The City of Seattle pursued this project in partnership with 4Culture and also sought alignment with other King County Capacity Building programs, such as Best Starts for Kids, and gives acknowledgement to them as we shaped our initial program.

How to select a consultant

EDI Grantees will use their own funds to select and contract with any consultants, including consultants on the roster. 

Program Resources (Coming Soon)

• Guide to Selecting and Hiring Consultants

We will provide additional resources soon.

Other Resources

• Communities of Opportunity Learning Community Resources
  • Fiscal Sponsorship
  • Capital Campaigns 101
  • Capital Campaign Readiness
  • Fundraising and Campaign Development
  • Asset Management Training
  • Strengthening Community Capacity Building for Community Development
• 4Culture Building For Equity Field Resources

EDI Community Storytelling Projects

We are proud to highlight our EDI partners through community videos created in partnership with local filmmakers. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch our EDI playlist, and follow us on Instagram for additional stories and updates that uplift our EDI partners' work in their respective communities and how their positive impacts will benefit future generations.

Seattle's Central District

These are a series of stories of our Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) partners and Black-owned businesses in the Central District.

A Central Vision
In 2018 we partnered with Seattle filmmaker Inye Wokoma to create "A Central Vision", a documentary about the Central District. Watch a panel discussion about the film with community and city leaders, including former OPCD director Sam Assefa.

Africatown Community Land Trust
ACLT was formed to acquire, steward and develop land assets that are necessary for the Black/African diaspora community to grow and thrive in place in the Central District as well as support other individuals and organizations in retention and development of land.

Black-Owned Businesses in the Central District
Profiles of three Black-owned businesses in the Central District.

Byrd Barr Place
Formerly known as Centerstone of Seattle, Byrd Barr Place nurtures an equitable Seattle by providing programs that enable people to live healthier, prosperous lives. They offer support for home heating assistance, housing assistance, healthy food access, and personal finance education to break the cycles of poverty. Byrd Barr Place also supports community engagement and partnerships to better understand the root causes of poverty and displacement in Seattle. The organization is named after Roberta Byrd Barr, a staunch advocate in Seattle Civil Rights movement who fought against school segregation.

Central Area Youth Association
CAYA was formed in the 1950's to organize and promote its youth football programs. In 1964, CAYA extended their services to provide education, recreation, and social development activities. Today, CAYA offers after-school tutoring, job readiness, art programs, and much more. Our EDI partnership supports CAYA's mixed use community center to accommodate growing programming needs, as well as affordable housing to mitigate displacement of our community.

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

We worked with AANHPI youth filmmakers to profile some of our EDI partners who are making a difference in AANHPI communities. These videos were made for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May.

Cham Refugees Community of Seattle
A nonprofit organization that provides Islamic educational, social, and cultural relevant services to Cham and other ethnic minorities in South Seattle and South King County for over 30 years. The organization plans to upgrade their existing location in South Seattle into a 12,000 square foot community center. The Development will be sharia-compliant and will expand programming for youth, the elderly, and disabled members of the community.

Friends of Little Saigon
Formed in 2011 to promote, plan, and advocate for their neighborhood, located in the Chinatown-International District. The Little Saigon Landmark Project seeks to address displacement amongst local businesses and development pressures due to rising rents. The facility will be a gathering place that will bring together the district's cultural, shopping, and culinary aspects in a distinctive physical anchor. The mixed-use project will include a cultural center, Southeast Asian grocery, Emerald Night Market, and restaurant. Each component of the development will reflect Vietnamese Americans' rich culture, history, and future.

About the Advisory Board

Our Advisory Board provides guidance to the City on the implementation of the EDI to ensure that the program furthers the City's Race and Social Justice Initiative goals. The board implements the accountability goals of the Equitable Development Implementation Plan, develops funding criteria, and creates recommendations for the allocation of the EDI fund.

EDI Impact Report

In January 2025 we released an addendum to our September 2024 Program and Projects Status Report, titled the EDI Impact Report. This comprehensive report provides an in-depth overview of EDI’s mission, operations, and measurable outcomes, highlighting key findings, funding strategies, and the tangible impacts of its programs at local, city, and broader regional levels. Click here to read our report.

EDI Program and Projects Status Report

On June 4, 2024, City Council requested via Council Ordinance 127036, that we submit a report to the Council President by September 24, 2024 on the EDI grant program and its funded projects. This report will contribute to EDI’s long-term reporting framework and data collection efforts and an update to the report that expands the development journey of funded organizations is anticipated in November of 2024. Click here to read our report.

Ordinance 127036 identified the following as a minimum for the September 2024 report:

• A status update on each project funded by the EDI program, including the current project stage and the completion timeline. If there is no completion timeline, the report should describe activities completed to date and next steps in the project development process.
• Results of program evaluation in progress when this ordinance becomes effective. These evaluation results should demonstrate the effectiveness of the program, identify ways to improve or modify the program and program planning, identify streamlining and efficiency opportunities to successfully complete existing projects, and determine the optimal allocation of resources for future grant awards.
• Potential future funding requests within the existing portfolio of EDI projects.
• Identification of obstacles to completion of these projects unrelated to the funding.

Equitable Development Monitoring Program

As outlined in the Equitable Development Implementation Plan, the Equitable Development Monitoring Program (EDMP) is an ongoing source of data and analysis to inform City policies, programs, and investments - and to aid work within communities - to reduce race-based disparities, advance equity, and combat displacement. The program includes:

• Community Indicators Report: Based on concerns and priorities expressed by community members. Topics include housing affordability, neighborhood livability, transportation, and education and economic opportunity.

• Heightened Displacement Risk Indicators to increase our understanding of displacement and detect heightened displacement risks.

The EDMP also includes information on Neighborhood Change so that the indicators can be viewed alongside historical context and recent shifts in racial and ethnic demographics.

EDI Implementation Materials

The Equitable Development Initiative builds on the Equitable Development Implementation Plan and Financial Investment Strategy that were adopted by City Council in 2016 as part of our Comprehensive Plan – Seattle 2035. An interim advisory board helps determine criteria and priorities for Equitable Development funding.

• The Equitable Development Implementation Plan guides how the city prioritizes its work; shapes its budgets, policies, programs, and investments; and structures the implementation of targeted strategies and equitable development projects by using clear objectives for reducing disparities and achieving equitable outcomes for marginalized populations.
  
  • Appendix A: Resolution 31577 – confirming that the City of Seattle’s core value of race and social equity is one of the foundations on which the Comprehensive Plan is built.
  • Appendix B: Mayor’s Recommended Plan
  • Appendix C: PolicyLink Fall 2015 Memo
  • Appendix D: Final Growth and Equity Analysis
  • Appendix E: DPD/OCR letter to PLUS
  • Appendix F: Growth Strategy Map
  • Appendix G: PolicyLink January 2016 Memo
  • Appendix H: Equity Indicators
  • Appendix I: Maps of Individual Equity Analysis Indicators
• Equitable Development Financial Investment Strategy

What is Equitable Development?

Equitable development means public and private investments, programs, and policies in neighborhoods that take into account past history and current conditions to meet the needs of marginalized populations and to reduce disparities so that quality of life outcomes such as access to quality education, living wage employment, healthy environment, affordable housing and transportation, are equitably distributed for the people currently living and working here, as well as for new people moving in.

The City's Equitable Development Framework involves integrating people and place to create strong communities and people as well as great places with equitable access. It also involves the following six equity drivers: 

• Advance economic mobility and opportunity 
• Prevent residential, commercial, and cultural displacement
• Build on local cultural assets
• Promote transportation mobility and connectivity
• Develop healthy and safe neighborhoods 
• Enable equitable access to all neighborhoods

Additional Background

Seattle has grown rapidly in recent years, but the benefits and burdens of growth have not been shared among our communities. Disparities persist in income, unemployment rates, homeownership and even life expectancy. Our plan for growth moving forward, Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan, envisions Seattle as a diverse city where all people can achieve their full potential regardless of race or means.

• The EDI addresses displacement and the unequal distribution of opportunities to sustain a diverse Seattle. The EDI fosters community leadership and supports organizations to promote equitable access to housing, jobs, education, parks, cultural expression, healthy food and other community needs and amenities.
• Council approved an interfund transfer loan of $16 million to be used on EDI projects in advance of the completion of the Civic Square transaction.
• In late 2016, directors and staff from multiple departments began working together to create the EDI program, including the EDI fund, and coordinate interdepartmental efforts to prevent displacement and advance mobility.
• EDI Subcabinet Directors recommended the City invest $6.5 million in the four neighborhoods where the proposed place-based projects are located (Chinatown-International District, the Central District, Othello and Rainier Beach) for capacity building, pre-development, and capital investments. The initial investment would be based on project funding criteria that are being developed.
• EDI Subcabinet Directors approved the release of an additional $5.5 million for up to seven additional projects through an open application process starting at the end of 2017.