At SEED the last year provided a time to connect with our residents, invest in our community, and plan for the next five years.
As the COVID pandemic raged and then subsided, SEED residents shared with us the need for help with healthcare, rental assistance, food security, and more. We launched a resident services program this year to help connect them to the resources they need. This growing program is part of our renewed commitment to community.
Our arts venues are fully reopened and our residents were able to again gather in the common spaces at SEED apartment buildings. We invested in community and planned for the creation of more affordable homes.
A significant undertaking in 2022 has been a strategic planning process involving board, staff, consultants, and community members. We wanted a new strategic plan informed by community, grounded in racial justice, and adaptable to the dynamic times we are in. We believe the resulting plan will keep SEED accountable to community and will guide us for the next five years and beyond.
The following report covers highlights of SEED’s work in these areas over the past year.
Michael Seiwerath, Executive Director
Damian Stack, Board President
November 2022
This year SEED began building a program to respond to the most pressing challenges of our more than 2,000 residents, including families, seniors, and those with special needs. Grounded in partnership, we developed collaborative relationships with outside services to bring robust and relevant programming to SEEDs apartment communities.
Responding to the continued need for help paying rent, SEED and our government partners deployed millions in rental assistance to help our neighbors.
Centering culturally appropriate, community-based health services at Rainier Court, we partnered with the Center for MultiCultural Health, the Mary Mahoney Professional Nursing Organization, and Dunia Medical Clinic. When SEED heard that the South End was in danger of losing its free COVID testing site, we partnered with HomeSight to provide space so this vital health resource could remain in our community.
Fall started off with the majority of kids returning to classrooms. SEED’s Back-to-School Bash worked to make sure our residents had the materials they needed, with free backpacks, school supplies and multilingual support. September brought a successful community health event in partnership with Fresh Start Professional Services, where nearly 340 residents and 20 community partner organizations connected.
“I had the privilege of volunteering and engaging with families and youth at the bash. Families were eager to receive back-to-school supplies and even more eager to make connections that can support their children in their education.”
–Selam Misgano, Housing and Education Partnerships Manager at Seattle Public School District’s School & Community Partnerships
COLUMBIA CITY GALLERY
Over the past year, Columbia City Gallery paid over $75,000 to local artists for sales of their artwork. In the fall, we welcomed a new Gallery Manager, Kari Karsten. Kari, a member of the Seneca nation, completed her thesis on Indigenous Curation methods for her Masters in Museology at the UW. The 15th Annual Juried Exhibit: Interconnection: Finding Connection in Our Siloed Times was juried by Lisa Myers Bulmash, Kamla Kakaria, and Tommy Gregory and featured work by 34 local artists.
KVRU 105.7 FM
KVRU continued its vital broadcast of culturally appropriate programming, on air and online, with a special focus on COVID forums for communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. We worked with Seattle Youth Employment Program interns this year to help with outreach in the community. Interns recorded PSAs at SEEDArts events, interviewed Mayor Bruce Harrell and more.
RAINIER ARTS CENTER
We celebrated Rainier Arts Center’s 100th birthday and grand re-opening in July. Free, family-friendly arts events in Columbia Park in the summer included live music, Shakespeare performances, and movies under the stars. Over the years, the Center has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to free and low-cost events that reflect the diverse communities of the South End.
Rainier Arts Center offers its Anchor Partners a home base for their arts and cultural programs and is emerging from COVID with a strong group of organizations and artists serving Southeast Seattle. New partners over the past year include Wasat, which explores the American Muslim experience through art, love, and learning.
PUBLIC & COMMUNITY ARTS
November 2021 marked the formal launch of the Rainier Valley Creative District. Designated by the Washington State Arts Commission, Creative Districts help communities thrive and turn cultural activities into economic growth. The Rainier Valley Creative District runs along Rainier Ave S from Columbia City to Rainier Beach.
Thanks to support from the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, the Columbia Hillman Arts & Cultural District, which is administered by SEEDArts, awarded 14 Arts Revitalization Grants to community initiated public arts projects. Learn more about the funded projects at columbiahillmanarts.org.
In 2022 SEED developed a new strategic plan that aligns with our values, centers community, and will be adaptable as new challenges arise over the next five years. With a continued focus on affordable housing, arts, and economic development, we’re unwavering in our commitment to Southeast Seattle.
At the center of our work is a deep commitment to advancing social justice and racial equity. We live that commitment by striving to create diverse housing options, drive community development through grassroots arts and culture, and grow business and living wage jobs in Seattle.
To address racial inequities and social justice, we hold ourselves accountable to community as we undertake the following strategic priorities:
We are grateful for the generous support of our donors.
4Culture
Amazon
Apple
Ark Lodge Cinemas
ArtsWA
Bayside Communities
City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
CLCK Family Fund
Columbia Hillman Arts & Cultural District
Columbia City Alehouse
Emerald Heights
Enterprise Community Partners
The Fales Foundation Trust
Fidelity Charitable
Global Health
Labs, LLC
Hasegawa Family Dentistry
HomeSight
Housing Development Consortium
Johnson Braund, Inc.
JPMorgan Chase & Co
Kelly Foundation
of Washington
La Medusa
Lucky Seven Foundation
Microsoft Matching Gifts Program
Molina Healthcare
Molly Moon’s
Norman Archibald Charitable Foundation
Northmarq
Rookies Sports Bar & Grill
Seattle Office of Housing
T-Mobile
U.S. Small Business Administration
Washington State Department of Health
Windermere Mount Baker Cares Fund
Hodan Abdi
Ellen Abram and Ashley Nguyen
Tina Albro
Anonymous (x4)
Anthony Austin
Beth Azuma-Moy
Christine Bachman
Pauline Bariola
Melissa Bazala
Christy Bear
Jacqui Beck
Jennifer Bennett
Terry Berg
John Berquist
Jude Bierman
Joanne Bohannon
Kathryn Booze
Mark Boyar
Amy Bush
R.A. Bushley
Evan and Cheri Cantini
John Carl
Peter Carl
Dan Carmichael
Alexander Carson
Sue Cary
Jean Catellani
Joon Chang
Doug Chapiewsky
Patricia Chemnick
Theresa-Ann Clark
Marsha Conn
Robert Connell
Marty Curry
Megan Davidson
Barbara Davidson
Lauren Davis
Jason Davison
James Degel
Kiley Dhatt
Ben Dickson
Joseph Diehl
Lori Duckstein
Lauren Dudley
Anita Eakers
Ralph Edfeldt
Virginia Faller
Di Faria
Michelle Fellows
Betsy Fetherston
Robert Flor
Barbara Flye
Daniel Gandara
Gabrielle Gerhard
Gerald Gibson
Mark Goris
Douglas Gray
Ian & Marita Grunfeld
Jeffrey Hagen
Judith Hance
Serena Heslop
Karin Hirschfeld
Shawn Hoban
Krista Holland
Jessica Holman
Jacquelyn & Erin Howard
Sarah Hufbauer
Kathryn Hutter
Sibyl James
Christina
Jones-Norris
Tara Kearns
Virginia Kenyon
David Keyes
Eliaichi Kimaro
Lila Lakehart
Paul Kohl
Jayashree Krishnan
Rebecca Krueger
Tom Lattimore
Christine Lee
Sharon Lee
Merrill Leonard
Adam Levine
Marjorie Levy
Jill Lightner
Inez Lindsey
Erica L
Sandra MacLean
Mark Magraw-Mickelson
Stephen Hayward and Joan Mamelok
Pamela Markman
Cecilia Matta and Casey Riske
Lance Matteson
Meegan McKiernan
Louise McNerney
Stephanie Mehl
Julie Miller
Sultan Mohamed and Laura Johnson
Cary Moon and Mark Reddington
Leslie Moon
Shelley Morrison
Kate Harkins and Mats Myrberg
Arlene Naganawa
Heidi Noun
Judy Pigott
Rachel Plesko
Jerri Plumridge
Geoffrey Potter
Alan Pruzan
Sonnet Retman
Eleanor Saulsman
Matthew Scott
Mary Ann Seiwerath
Michael Seiwerath
Maureen Shaughnessy
Thaddeus Spratlen
Paula Jean Spratlen-Mitchell
Damian Stack
Sharon Stein
Mark Stern
Judith Stitzel
Carla Strickland
Vivienne Strickler
Koji Beagle
Joyce Trader
Velma Veloria
Ruth Voss
Judith Waldman
Shanna
Weatherby-Clark
Tonita Webb
Noreen Wedman
Laura Weese
Jennifer Wensrich
Cynthia Whitaker
Carletta Wilson
Jennifer Winkler
Karen Wong
Judith Yarrow
Donors who made gifts between November 2021 and October 2022. We strive for accuracy in our donor listings and apologize if there are any errors in this list. To make a correction, please contact Senior Manager of Fund Development Martin Schwartz: mschwartz@seedseattle.org.
For over 45 years, SEED has led efforts to improve the quality of life in Southeast Seattle. Your support makes it possible for us to continue this vital community-centered work.