Community News! January 2026
NEWS, STORIES, AND RECENT ARTICLES FROM AND ABOUT COO PARTNERS IN COMMUNITY
This is a condensed version of our monthly newsletter distributed January 30, 2026. Get all the news by signing up for the monthly newsletter.
Congratulations to COO Evaluation Mini-grants Awardees
Three of our Systems and Policy Change funded partners have been awarded COO Evaluation Mini-grants to help them conduct small evaluation projects in 2026. These grants of up to $9,999 are intended to support COO partners’ efforts to evaluate the success and impacts of their work.
Congratulations to these partners: Eastside Housing Equity Coalition, Look2Justice, and Statewide Poverty Action Network.
This opportunity was only open to Systems and Policy Change funded partners this round. It will expand to other partners for the next round of funding coming later this year. Please watch for details to come!
New Convening Content Available
Vanessa Priya Daniel at Day 2 of the Convening; the highlights of this conversation are now available on our Convening page. Photo by Original Studios.
From a 2-minute overview to deep conversations with lead speakers and full workshops, you can find a wide variety of content from our COO All-Partner Convening in October. We’ve just added two more videos:
The Convening highlights video
Vanessa Priya Daniel in conversation with Roxana Pardo Garcia
See these and four other Convening videos -- from keynote Malkia Devich Cyril and three workshops -- plus a photo gallery from Day Two and a story from Converge Media. It’s all on our 2025 All-Partner Convening page.
New Funding and Learning Opportunities from the Learning Community
Be sure to check out these learning opportunities available to COO funded partners and other community partners, available from our Learning Community.
NextCycle Washington: A pilot program that offers skills, tools, guidance, and early funding to support projects focused on repair, reuse, composting, and keeping materials in use in King County. Apply by February 13. Learn More and Apply for NextCycleWA
Powerful Narratives Work (PNW) Fellowships: A cohort to work together on building Narrative Power for an economy that prioritizes ecological and social well-being - for the people, by the people. Applications are due Sunday, February 15. Learn more and apply for the PNW Fellowship
Communities Rise Seattle-based Capacity Building Cohort: Come to an information session Wednesday, February 4, 5 – 6:30 p.m. to learn about this opportunity. It’s for leaders/representatives from Seattle-based not-for-profit organizations (with 501c3 status or fiscally sponsored) who are serving marginalized communities and led by the communities they serve. Register for the information session here. For more information contact Khyree Smith (he/they) or Silver Lee (they/them) at cohort@communities-rise.org.
Facilitating Creatively Training: In-person training intensive peer cohorts – one in English (April), one in Spanish (May) -- to strengthen your foundational facilitation practices with creative, embodied, and visual tools to support meeting and group processes and decision-making. Applications open February 10 and are due by March 9. Watch our Facilitating Creatively web page for more information.
Coming Soon on our blog:
An announcement about the community-based organizations in our Place-Based and Cultural Communities strategy who are being awarded funding extensions though 2027. Watch our blog for the story!
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!
White Center CDA Celebrates New Affordable Housing and HUB Community Space
White Center CDA staff and community members celebrate the ribbon cutting January 24. Center, Sili Savusa raises the giant scissors in jubilation.
Congratulations to the White Center Community Development Association and their partners on the grand opening of their new Canopy Apartments and the White Center HUB (Hope, Unity, Belonging). Hundreds of community members, partners, and elected officials came to their ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday, January 24, followed by their Community Day January 25.
Left: Current Community Roots Executive Director Colleen Echohawk and recently retired ED Chris Persons cut the ribbon on the Canopy Apartments January 24. Right, Watching a performance at the ribbon cutting are White Center leaders Silis Savusa, front left, and Aaron Garcia, front right, with U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (in red coat) and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay (back row, holding child). Photos by COO staff.
Community news outlets White Center Now and West Seattle blog were there! Read and watch their story about the day, including a video of all the speaker presentations and some special little guests.
COO team members and partners celebrate. Photo by COO staff.
This is a true community-driven development that COO is proud to have supported in their partnership-building phase. Watch for more on our blog coming soon!
Look 2 Justice Zine Uses Art and Storytelling for Reform
Look2Justice staff and one of the It’s Time artists/writers at the launch event. Photo courtesy of Look2Justice.
Look2Justice launched It’s Time: A Community Zine on the Fair Score Act, at the January 8 Pioneer Square First Thursday Artwalk. The zine features the art and storytelling of currently incarcerated people serving long sentences, their family members, and survivors of violence. The launch event was co-hosted with the ACLU of Washington, and Living & Loving Under the Carceral State.
The ACLU of Washington says 856 people in Washington state are serving a longer sentence than they would receive today because of the date of their crime.
Check out the digital version of the It’s Time zine.
Find a Birth Doula, List Your Services, on Doulas For All Hub
The Washington State Doula Hub's Directory and Referral System is officially up and running, says Surge Reproductive Services and Doulas for All Coalition. The coalition successfully advocated for the creation of this hub and for birth doulas to be eligible for Medicaid reimbursement.
The coalition says this Hub is slated to be the primary directory and referral system for Washington's hospitals and Medicaid MCOs. Each Medicaid doula's status is vetted to ensure they are able to accept Apple health through any of the WA MCOs.
Families looking for a doula, and doulas who would like to be listed, can visit the Hub. People looking for help finding a doula can reach out at referrals@doulas4all.org
Olympia, Here We Come; WAISN’s Advocacy Day Gets Statewide Coverage
As the Washington legislative session opened January 12, advocates began heading to Olympia to march, meet with legislators, hold rallies, and find other ways to push for their legislative agendas. One of our funded partners, the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, hosted Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Day on Thursday, January 22, attracting 300 people. Media coverage of the event included the Seattle Times, KING5 TV, and KHQ TV (Spokane).
We wish all our partners success with their Advocacy Days. You can see a listing on our community calendar.
Byrd Barr Place Leads Community Needs Assessment
Byrd Barr Place is leading a leading a statewide Community Needs Assessment (CNA) designed to elevate the voices and lived experiences of Black people across Washington state. The CNA is called “For The Record.” The Seattle Medium recently interviewed Byrd Barr Place’s project director for a look at why this is important and how it will amplify the experiences of Black communities. Byrd Barr Place is a member of our funded partner Crescent Collaborative.
Read the Seattle Medium story and find out how to participate on Byrd Barr Place’s website.
COO and Partner Events
Find partner and other community events on our Community Events calendar. You can now view it as a calendar layout or the new list format. Events coming up soon include:
Advocacy Days in Olympia by numerous partners, including New Americans Legislative Education and Advocacy Day (New Americans Alliance for Policy and Research and partners) and Trans Advocacy Day (Queer Power Alliance and partners).
Now through spring: Faces of The Past and Present art exhibition, by Look2Justice and Mutual Arts Collective
February 6-8: Tết Celebration, hosted by Friends of Little Saigon
February 10: First Annual State of Social Housing, hosted by House Our Neighbors
See these and many more on our Community Calendar.
Visit our Community Events Calendar for COO and partner events!
Other Opportunities
Join the Queer Housing Justice Network (QHJN)
Queer Power Alliance (QPA) is inviting 4–6 LGBTQIA+ and QTPOC renters to join their 2026 Renter Leadership Cohort, a leadership and advocacy program grounded in housing justice, community care, and collective power. The Queer Housing Justice Network (QHJN) builds on QPA’s established Housing Justice work, which integrates education, outreach, advocacy, and community navigation to support renters most affected by discrimination, displacement, and rising housing costs. QPA is the lead organization for our funded partner, LGBTQ+ South King County Collaborative.
Look2Justice Invites Young People to Youth Empowerment Coalition
Look2Justice is launching its Youth Empowerment Coalition and welcomes youth ages 13-19 around Washington state to join. The coalition is led by one of their young community members – Ahlaysia, the 15-year-old daughter of their incarcerated Director of Inside Organizing, Antoine Davis. The goal will be to support the growth of empowering youth's voices within the legislative arena on topics and areas they want to see changed. Gatherings are mostly virtual with some in-person. The coalition will recruit members via the L2J inside newsletter by and for incarcerated people that currently goes to almost 4,000 people inside (1/3 of the Washington state prison population).
In addition, young people are welcome to contact youth@look2justice.org for more information.
Apply to Native Advocacy Network’s Advocacy Boot Camp
The Advocacy Boot Camp, designed to reduce the disparity in political representation for Native women and normalize Native women’s leadership, is accepting applications for the 2026 cohort. Learn more and apply by February 15
Metro Seeks Photos for Bus Shelters
Metro is teaming up with Photographic Center Northwest (PCNW) in a call for images to be installed as public art in their bus shelters for up to 10 years. The theme, “Show Us Your World – Cultural Heritage,” is intended to explore personal, cultural identity, and connection, or anything meaningful and important in your life. Submissions are due February 8.
Join King County’s Community Health Improvement Plan
The King County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is a community co-created 5-year plan with an overarching goal of continuously seeking and engaging partners to collectively improve the health of King County communities. We invite members of our community and organizations who share our vision of a healthy King County to join us in this effort.
Learn more about CHIP and how to get involved
Subscribe to the CHIP newsletter
Contact the CHIP team at communityhealthimprovementplan@kingcounty.gov
Funding Opportunities
Best Starts for Kids Prenatal to Five (P-5) Innovation Fund RFP, Round 3
Apply by September 11, 2026
Best Starts for Kids P-5 Innovation Funds aim to build up the power of community-driven Innovation to meet the emergent needs of families in King County. We seek community leaders to design, develop, test, and build the potential of innovative Anti-racist approaches such as policies, programs, products, media, places, and services) centering Black families, Indigenous families, families of color, immigrant and refugee families, LGBTQ+ families, families with disabilities, families involved in the child welfare system, low-income families, and those geographically isolated.
Learn More about P-5 Innovation Funds
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 January-March opportunities!
COO’s List: See funding opportunities from many other funders on our Funding Opportunities page.
Job Opportunities
Featured Job: Communities Rise Cohort Specialist – Apply by February 2
This month’s job section is tiny, because of staff capacity. We apologize! For ongoing job opportunities, please follow our LinkedIn page, where we post many job opportunities every week.
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 February 15. Thanks!