Community News! December 2025
NEWS, STORIES, AND RECENT ARTICLES FROM AND ABOUT COO PARTNERS IN COMMUNITY
This is a condensed version of our monthly newsletter distributed December 22, 2025. Get all the news by signing up for the monthly newsletter.
Many of us this week are dealing with the flooding emergency and recovery. And if you need support, we'd like to share this message from our partner A Supportive Community for All, who leads the Snoqualmie Valley Human Services Coalition. The message is for everyone who needs flood recovery help in King County:
"A Supportive Community For All is part of a county-wide hub of case managers providing non-emergency support to help people connect to resources as they recover from flooding and severe weather. Our office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Please call 425-470-5921 to get connected."
Thank you, Jody and team! We also want to share King County's flood recovery page, which has information in multiple languages.
We wish our readers a safe and joyous holiday season, and hope the New Year brings healing and hope to everyone in King County.
Revisit Some Standout Moments From All-Partner Convening
Partners at the Day 2 luncheon with funders. Photo by Original Studios.
If you missed our All-Partner Convening October 8-9 at Highline College – or if you want to see what happened in the workshops you didn’t go to – you can check out our new Convening page. We’ll be updating it with new content as it becomes ready.
Today, you can watch four recordings — the keynote from Malkia Devich Cyril and three workshops; see the photo gallery from Day 2; and read the story Converge wrote about the Community Media Workshop.
Visit the All-Partner Convening page
Photo Credit: Original Studios
National Visibility for Local Community Project in Grist
Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the DVSA biodigester.
As a teenager, Maria joined a South Seattle youth program to learn about climate change. Six years later, the Duwamish Valley Sustainability Association, hired her for a new challenge: working with young people and the community to cut food waste. Their solution not only reduced waste but also helped people grow plants.
Maria and DVSA leader Edwin Alberto Hernandez Reto shared their story with Grist. The reporter also spoke with the local inventor at Chomp who developed the process to turn food waste into plant food. Adrian Tan, from the King County Solid Waste Division, explains why reducing food waste is vital for our future.
The story is available in English and Spanish.
Grist is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to stories of climate solutions and a just future. The story was part of our sponsored media series to uplift the work and successes of our community partners.
Pictured: Maria Perez, DVSA; Bryce Hesterman, NextCycle WA; Ryan Scott, Food Lifeline; David Goldberg, City of Seattle; Todd Schindler, DVSA; Edwin Alberto Hernandez Reto, DVSA; Michelle Carranza, DVSA. Photo by Adrian Tan.
Learning Community’s Latest Cooperative Event Explores Housing Co-Ops
In the serene and colorful setting of a late-night community space, 50+ people joined our Learning Community for the final Cooperative Learning series event of the year. At Cedar Tea House in Columbia City December 10, we learned about housing cooperatives from Kelly, Ava, and Amanda and Chris. They started their own co-ops in Beacon Hill, Othello, and Columbia City.
At a future event, participants can tour the co-op sites.
To hear about the next event in the Self-determination, democracy, and solidarity: King County Cooperative Learning Series, please contact us. We present these in partnership with the Seattle Cooperators Meet-up Group.
Extra: Read about how Cedar Tea House is building community, in the South Seattle Emerald.
A family poses with Black Santa.
Converge Shares Holiday Joy from “Black Santa” Party
Black families came to the Original Selfie Museum in downtown Seattle December 6 to share some holiday cheer and meet Black Santa. Our funded partner Surge Reproductive Justice hosted the party, which also included activation stations to engage the community on important issues.
Converge Media came to the festivities and produced this story for their “Back2Besa” show.
The show aired multiple times over the weekend of December 13-14 on FOX 13 Seattle and FOX 13+. You can watch it on the Converge website.
The story is part of our sponsored media series with Converge, intended to uplift the work and successes of our partners.
Race Forward’s “Just Narratives” and a Local Call To Action
Pictured: Jackie Vaughn (left) with Ashley McGirt, founder and CEO of the Therapy Fund Foundation, at the conference.
Many organizations shape their narrative strategies based on the audiences the organizations are trying to reach. But a Just Narrative centers the people who the narrative is about – through a long-term vision that unites art, culture, and accessibility; organizes across many different communities; and focuses on humanity.
That’s one takeaway Jackie Vaughn recently shared after attending a national conference.
“Just Narratives for Multiracial Solidarity” brought together changemakers from around the country to work on building the narrative and cultural power to advance a just, multiracial democracy. The conference, in St. Louis, Nov. 13-15, is hosted every other year by Race Forward. (They are also the organizer of the Facing Race conference, which a COO cohort of community partners and staff attended in 2024.)
Jackie Vaughn of Surge Reproductive Justice (SRJ), one of our Governance Group members, attended the conference along with two of our Powerful Narratives Work Fellows, Francis Janes and Jessica Ramirez. Jackie said she came away from the conference feeling validated and refreshed.
· Validation came partly from the exercises on doing a power analysis about where harmful narratives come from. This is similar to work SRJ has done, especially before the 2024 presidential election.
· Newly energized, Jackie has a call to action for all of us about setting a long-term narrative strategy and cross-organizing.
She will share her takeaways in a blog post next month, which we hope to publish around Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the one-year mark of this presidential administration. Watch for it on our blog!
Local Storytelling and Narrative Workshops
The cohort attended the conference with the support of our Learning Community. Local opportunities like this are available to our partners at low or no cost through the Learning Community, including storytelling and narrative workshops with Storytellers for Change. To learn more about learning and capacity building opportunities like these, subscribe to our Learning Community newsletter or contact us at info@coopartnerships.org.
Social Media Updates! Connect With Us
We hope you’ll follow us on our social media platforms, including Instagram and our LinkedIn page, where we share news and opportunities that happen between newsletters.
For job fairs, trainings and other career and professional development resources, you can join the list for our Workforce Development newsletter. You can also check out our Workforce Development Opportunities web page, for training and other opportunities that are open year round, with no imminent application due dates.
Community News!
Entre Hermanos Honors WAISN at Gala
At the gala, WAISN was awarded this honor.
At its Día de Muertos Gala, our funded partner Entre Hermanos honored another COO funded partner -- Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) -- as Organization of the Year.
In accepting the honor, WAISN said, “As our collective communities continue to face increased obstacles in the path toward justice, it’s more important than ever to remember that we have the capacity to shape our own future, and together, we will make it one rooted in care, dignity, and love.” Congratulations, WAISN!
Read the Entre Hermanos story about the evening and see the beautiful photos.
Sharyn Grayson House Opens; Housing Initiative Renamed To Honor Chopp
Sharyn Grayson; photo credit SF.gov
Our partners Chief Seattle Club and Lavender Rights Project recently opened the Sharyn Grayson House on Capitol Hill. It’s the latest housing built through King County’s Health Through Housing permanent supportive housing initiative.
King County announced that the initiative has been re-named to honor the late housing champion and Washington state’s longtime Speaker of the House, Frank Chopp.
Sharyn Grayson is a highly respected educator, trans advocate, and pioneer in the HIV/AIDS pandemic response.
SCIDpda Acquires Historic, Family-Sized Apartments
Seattle-Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) recently acquired the historic 1891 Victorian Row apartment building in the Little Saigon neighborhood. Historic Seattle transferred ownership to SCIDpda.
SCIDpda said the building is the only unaltered apartment building in Seattle predating the 1900s. Plus, it includes larger apartments that are consistent with the family-sized housing SCIDpda has prioritized in its new developments, said co-Executive Directors Jamie Lee and Jared Johnson.
SCIDpda is a member of our funded partner Crescent Collaborative.
City of Seattle EDI Grants Include COO Partners
The city at the end of two rainbows. Photo from City of Seattle.
The City of Seattle earlier this month announced $27.8 million in awards to 33 projects through the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI). The initiative is part of the City’s effort to support property ownership among Seattle’s diverse communities in neighborhoods at high risk of displacement.
Among them were Africatown Community Land Trust and Byrd Barr Place, members of our funded partner Crescent Collaborative; Cham Refugees Community, a member of our funded partner Refugee Immigrant Community Health (R.I.C.H.); and our funded partner Tubman Center for Health and Freedom. Congratulations to these partners!
PICA-WA Profiled in International Examiner
Cover art from the December 2025 International Examiner
Inside the latest issue of The International Examiner — with an incredibly beautiful cover by artist Toka Valu — you’ll find a profile of Pacific Islander Community Association of Washington (PICA-WA) and executive director Sili Savusa.
PICA-WA is a statewide community-based nonprofit that aims to establish a cultural home, center community power, and advocate to further the wellness of Washington state’s Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities, physically, culturally, socially, and spiritually.
Sili is a member of our Governance Group and former executive director of White Center Community Development Association.
Read the story: PICA-WA meets Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander needs with resourcefulness, solidarity, and care - International Examiner
Farewell and Hello: In this issue, there's also a farewell to Interim Editor in Chief Vee Hua, who's leaving to continue their film career. Some of our community partners met and talked to Vee at the All Partner Convening's Community Media Workshop. We look forward to working with incoming Editor in Chief Travis Quezon. The International Examiner is one of our community media partners.
COO and Partner Events
Advocacy Days: Share Your Voice in Olympia
With the start of the legislative session Monday, January 12, partners are planning advocacy and lobby days in Olympia. COO funded partners hosting advocacy days include Statewide Poverty Action Network, Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, and The Mockingbird Society.
Check out our community calendar to see these and other Advocacy Day dates. If you’d like us to add yours, please contact us.
Other Partner Events Include:
· “It’s Time” Zine Launch, Thursday evening, January 8 (Look2Justice and partners)
· White Center HUB Ribbon Cutting, Saturday-Sunday, January 24-25
· King County Affordable Housing Symposium, Thursday, January 29
Visit our Community Events Calendar for COO and partner events!
Boards and Commissions
City of Burien Seeks Advisory Board Members
City of Burien is seeking numerous advisory board members for boards including Airport Committee, Planning Commission, and more. Learn more about these boards and apply by January 16.
Funding Opportunities
Best Starts for Kids Capital Program
Apply by January 14 (Pre-Proposal Submission)
The Best Starts for Kids Capital Program request for proposals (RFP) is now open! The pre-proposal submission deadline is Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 2 p.m. Eligible applicants will be notified to submit a final proposal. The final proposal submission due date is Friday, March 13, 2026 at 2 p.m.
Visit the full Capital Program funding opportunity details and apply.
For upcoming Best Starts Opportunities, visit the Best Starts Funding Opportunities calendar
Non-Best Starts Opportunities: You can also check out funding opportunities from other agencies and organizations that support groups that promote the health and well-being of our babies, children, and young people on the list maintained by Best Starts for Kids. Read more and see the December-February opportunities!
COO’s List: See funding opportunities from many other funders on our Funding Opportunities page.
Job Opportunities
Arboretum Foundation: Multiple openings including President/CEO.
Chief Seattle Club: Numerous positions including Communications Director and Program Manager, Sweet Grass Flats
Denkyem Co-op: Director of Lending
Futurewise: Development Director
Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai'i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky: Seattle-based Philanthropy Officers
Scholar Fund: Senior Manager of Operations and People
Theatre Off Jackson: Community Programs Manager (apply by January 8)
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle: Numerous positions including Chief Program Officer
yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives Collective: Community Engagement Lead (part-time) – apply by January 16
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City of Seattle Human Services Department: Budget Manager (open until filled)
King County Department of Community and Human Services: Infant Mortality Prevention and Early Relationships Project/Program Manager III - Best Starts for Kids -- apply by December 31
King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks: Contract Specialist II (apply by December 28) and Parks Chief of Staff (apply by December 17)
King County Executive’s Office: Numerous positions as the new County Executive staffs up
Washington State Department of Commerce: Multiple positions including Housing Planner (COM 3): and Principal Housing Planner (COM 4) – apply by December 30
About This List: These job announcements were current as of Friday afternoon, December 19, 2025. Please check the employer's site for the most current information. We also share job opportunities every day on our LinkedIn page.
See more job listings on these sites that collect multiple opportunities:
Housing Development Consortium’s job listings from housing organizations
Philanthropy Northwest’s searchable list of positions in development, communications and more
King County, City of Seattle, State of Washington, and other government jobs at www.governmentjobs.com
National Council of Nonprofits searchable list
If you have a job to share in next month's issue, please send it to us by January 15. Thanks!