Announcing Community Grants
The Community Foundation has awarded $444,500 in grants to 110 local nonprofits—fueling the work of organizations that strengthen our region's resilience, creativity, and care for one another.
Our Community Grants program helps ensure that local nonprofits have the flexible support they need to sustain vital programs and respond to evolving community needs. This funding touches nearly every corner of daily life across Lewis, Mason, and Thurston counties—from housing and food security to youth programs, arts, health, and environmental stewardship.
To help strengthen this work across the region, the Community Foundation has awarded $444,500 in Community Grants to 110 organizations, with awards ranging from $2,000 to $6,000 in flexible, unrestricted support. These grants are awarded with the intention of providing two years of funding, contingent on (1) the availability of funds and (2) the completion of grant reporting requirements as set by the Foundation. This marks the second cycle in the program’s history to offer Community Grants as a renewable two-year award, giving nonprofits more room to plan ahead and focus more fully on their mission work.
Meeting Local Need in Challenging Times
This year brought both inspiration and challenge. The Community Foundation received more Community Grant applications than ever before—a reflection of the extraordinary need facing local nonprofits as they respond to the loss of government funding and increasing community demand.
While we were able to support many important projects, we also had to decline more applications than in any previous year. That reality weighs heavily on us and reinforces the vital role philanthropy plays in sustaining the services and programs that communities rely on every day.
Strengthening the Grantmaking Process
Throughout this cycle, we aimed to make the grant process more inclusive and supportive. The Foundation offered four virtual information sessions to help nonprofit teams navigate applications, strengthen proposals, and ask questions in real time.
We also engaged 39 volunteer reviewers, whose diverse perspectives helped shape funding recommendations. For the first time in the Foundation’s history, grant reviewers received a $100 honorarium—a small but meaningful gesture that reflects our appreciation for the time, insight, and lived experience they contribute.
Investing in Our Shared Future
This year’s grantees reflect the depth and diversity of community life in the South Sound. Across missions and counties, their work reaches people of all ages and backgrounds—connecting neighbors, nurturing young people, caring for elders, protecting our environment, and building pathways to opportunity. Each grant represents an investment not just in programs, but in people—and in the belief that our future is strongest when we work together and care for one another.
Grantee Spotlights
While we are celebrating all 110 grantees, we wanted to highlight three to highlight the breadth of good work these Community Grants are funding.
Centralia Downtown Association
Strengthening both the look and feel of downtown Centralia, the Centralia Downtown Association (CDA) helps keep the city’s historic core vibrant, welcoming, and connected. Working alongside residents, merchants, and civic partners, CDA strengthens small businesses, enhances public spaces, and brings people together through cherished community traditions—from the Lighted Tractor Parade to Founder’s Day—that build pride of place. Programs like Roots: A Makers Collective and The Foundry offer mentorship and skill-building for emerging entrepreneurs, helping ensure the next generation of makers and small business owners can flourish. With support from Community Grants, CDA will continue blending preservation and innovation to nurture a downtown where people feel rooted, included, and invested in the community’s future.
Mason County Senior Activities Association
Serving as a welcoming hub for older adults, the Senior Activities Center—one of the core programs of the Mason County Senior Activities Association (MCSAA)—helps community members stay active, connected, and supported through a wide range of social, educational, and wellness programs. As rising costs and social isolation continue to impact seniors, the Center has become a true lifeline, offering warmth in the winter, affordable lunches, and a friendly space for those who might otherwise be alone. What sets MCSAA apart is its leadership: staff and board members who are also active participants in the Center. Their firsthand involvement ensures that programs remain relevant, inclusive, and deeply connected to the real needs of our community. With support from Community Grants, MCSAA will continue to provide opportunities that nourish both body and spirit—helping older adults remain engaged, resilient, and meaningfully connected to one another.
Creating space for belonging, confidence, and leadership, Women's Dignity School (WDS) empowers immigrant, refugee, and marginalized women through education and community connection. Founded in Mali in 1998 by educator Mariam Sidibe, WDS has equipped more than 31,000 women worldwide with literacy, vocational, and leadership skills. Now expanding that legacy to rural Washington, WDS is laying the groundwork for its first U.S. initiative, Lead With Dignity, a community-based leadership program serving women in Lewis and Thurston Counties. In places where resources are often centered in larger cities, this program offers something essential: culturally rooted spaces where women can gain confidence, share stories, and step into civic life as leaders. Support from Community Grants will help transform years of relationship-building and outreach into sustained programming that strengthens networks of belonging across the South Sound.
Meet This Year's Grantees
(Organizations listed alphabetically within each category.)
Arts & Culture
Community & Civic Engagement
Economic Opportunity
Education & Youth
Environment & Animal Welfare
Health & Wellness
Housing & Human Services
- Touched By One, Touched By All
Gallery
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