Community News! May 2026

NEWS, STORIES, AND RECENT ARTICLES FROM AND ABOUT COO PARTNERS IN COMMUNITY

This is an online version of our monthly newsletter distributed May 28, 2026. Get all the news by signing up for the monthly newsletter.

COO and St. Joseph Fund Announce New Funded Partners

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Meet our two new Community Partnerships, recently selected for our new pilot with St. Joseph Fund. This pilot, announced last summer, will support specific capacity-building strategies for two established anti-displacement coalitions in King County. Read Our New Story About the Pilot and Our New Partners

Pictured Above: New partners from King County Equitable Development Initiative Coalition and The Common Acre. More information about them in our story.  Photo by COO. 

COO Celebrates Another New Public-Private Partnership

Communities of Opportunity staff, Governance Group members, and Community Partnerships Partners joined the Renton Regional Community Foundation May 14 in Kent as we moved forward with a new public-private partnership in South King County. We'll share more details soon!

Visit our LinkedIn page to see the names of the community leaders in this photo.

Join Our Free Co-Housing Event on Vashon May 29

 

Join us Friday evening, May 29, on beautiful Vashon Island for another *free* event in our Cooperative & Community Ownership Models Series. We'll meet at the Vashon Cohousing Community to learn about Financing Co-Operatives: Innovative Financing Models through Co-Operation. The event starts with a tour of the cohousing community at 5:30; the program starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 8.

Learn More and RSVP for the Co-Op Financing Event on Vashon

COO and NextCycle Washington Celebrate Successful Pilot

Eight participants, leading teams and organizations who are building new and early-stage circular economy programs or businesses, joined this year’s inaugural NextCycle Washington 6-week capacity building pilot program. The pilot supported projects that are focused on repair, reuse, composting, and keeping materials in use. It was particularly geared to projects led by or serving communities that are often overlooked or haven’t always had access to circular economy opportunities or funding.

Read about the projects and what happens next in our new story. 

Pictured Above: Participants at the launch event in April. Photo by COO.

Partners Gather for Community of Practice on Storytelling and Narrative

Around 20 people representing 8 of our 9 Community Partnerships and COO staff gathered in SeaTac May 5 for a workshop on building narrative power. Luis Ortega of Storytelling for Change led us through this session about shifting the narrative, and partners practiced refining their stories using asset-based framing and the “three Cs” of challenge, choice, and change. Thank you to our partners who attended!

Partners: Are you interested in attending a Storytelling for Change online workshop at no cost? Check out their offerings, then submit a request to our Learning Community.

Pictured Above: Partners from the Community Partnerships strategy and COO staff participate in the workshop, led by Luis Ortega. Photo by COO.

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!

FIFA World Cup and Impacts – How Partners Have Been Preparing

As the FIFA Men’s World Cup play begins in Seattle in mid-June, several of our partners have been rallying folks around the impact on the community, especially the Chinatown-International District (CID). They’re also working on initiatives that are revitalizing the community. The South Seattle Emerald covered some of the preparations, including organizing efforts by Protect Our Pitch, a coalition that includes our partners CID Coalition and Massage Parlor Outreach Project.

For more information about these partner activities, follow them on Instagram:  Fair Work Center, Massage Parlor Outreach Project (MPOP), CID Coalition, Friends of Little Sài Gòn, and SCIDpda.

Fair Work Center is a COO funded partner. Friends of Little Saigon and Seattle Chinatown International District PDA are members of COO’s funded partner Crescent Collaborative. MPOP and CID Coalition are members of COO’s funded partner Chinatown International District Worker and Organizing Center. 

Meanwhile, communities will host watch parties, such as White Center’s June 26 “Gather with Goals”;  the City of Seattle is offering a list of services and community events; and the City’s Office of Economic Development has resources to help small businesses and neighborhoods thrive.

Pictured Above: A non-commercial, free image of a soccer ball/football from Pixabay.

MLK Labor Council Passes Resolution on Massage Workers

 

Massage Parlor Outreach Project shared that MLK Labor Council has passed a resolution in recognition of massage workers. The resolution affirms MLK Labor’s solidarity with Asian massage workers organizing to address exploitation and trafficking. The Labor Council also signed onto MPOP’s Safety Not Stigma campaign.

Read the MLK Labor Council Resolution

MPOP is advocating for more space for workers to take action and for greater legislative possibilities. They said they are among the first to politicize massage workers' working conditions. Last week, they provided a briefing at the King County Board of Health meeting about the impact of inequitable access to massage licensure on workers and public safety. Watch the recording of the Board of Health meeting; MPOP’s briefing starts at around the 1:17:00 mark with introductory comments from Board Chair Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda.

Tubman Center for Health & Freedom Launches Black Elders Wellness Program

 

The Tubman Center for Health & Freedom announced that, beginning Summer 2026, it will assume responsibility for delivering the Seattle-King County Aging and Disability Services’ (ADS) services for Black elders through the launch of the Black Elders Wellness (BE Well) Program (formerly the African American Elders Program). Tubman Health says this will usher in a new chapter for Seattle-King County Aging and Disability Services’ support of African American elders.

Read the Seattle Medium Story about the BE Well Program

More from Tubman Health: They’ll turn the soil for their new Tubman Health Center in South Seattle Friday, June 5, 10 a.m. – noon at 4215 S. Trenton St. in Seattle.  Tubman Health is calling it “turn the soil” rather than “groundbreaking.” The Center is a 26,000-square-foot facility that will serve 12,000 primary care patients annually and reach more than 16,000 community members through wellness programming.

Partners Are Among New Housing Accelerator Fellows



Congratulations to the new Housing Accelerator Fellows announced by LISC Puget Sound recently. They included folks from two of our funded coalitions:

  • Tiffany Kelly Gray of Byrd Barr Place

  • Kholysoh (“Kaleeska”) Salaymane-Cashatt of Cham Refugees Community

Byrd Barr Place is a member of our funded partner Crescent Collaborative. Cham Refugees Community is a member of our funded partner R.I.C.H.

Read More about the Housing Accelerator Fellows

Pictured: This year's Fellows. Photo from LISC. 

Congratulations to First Peoples Climate Fund Grantees

Congratulations to Chief Seattle Club and the other organizations who recently won funding from the First Peoples Climate Fund. The fund is a $5.5 million investment by the Seattle Foundation and City of Seattle that places Indigenous sovereignty, leadership, and ancestral knowledge at the heart of climate action. Chief Seattle Club will use their grant to transform Monterey Lofts into sustainable, culturally affirming workspace that advances climate justice for urban Native people in Seattle.

Chief Seattle Club is a funded partner of COO.

Pictured Above: Representatives of Chief Seattle Club, Seattle Foundation, and others with Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson. Photo from Seattle Foundation. 

Melanin and Medicine Featured on Converge Media

Last month we briefly recapped Build 2 Lead’s Melanin and Medicine event. Since then, Converge Media produced a 5-minute video story about the day, which connected more than 130 young people from South King County with healthcare professionals who hosted workshops and provided insights into job opportunities.  

Watch the Converge Media Story

More from Build 2 Lead: In the wake of media coverage about how nonprofits manage government funding, Jimmy Brown, founder and executive director of Build 2 Lead, has some strong thoughts. He shared them in a new “Executive Director’s Corner” column, in which he urges an honest conversation about what it’s really like for nonprofits. Read Jimmy’s column, Funding the Full Cost of Community Impact: Why Flexible, Timely, and Trust-based Investment Matters for Small BIPOC-led Nonprofits

Affordable Housing Week Recordings Available

 

Nearly 20 events highlighted the role affordable housing plays in stabilizing our communities for this year’s Affordable Housing Week, which just concluded last Friday, May 22. Recordings for some of the events are available on the AHW page.

AHW is hosted by Housing Development Consortium, a member of the Eastside partnership led by our funded partner Indian American Community Services.  

Partner Events

South King County Stronger Together: Join Colleagues June 24

La Roxay Productions will again host this South King County gathering for reconnection and action June 24, noon – 3 p.m. at Highline College. Purpose: Reconnecting and building collective power among those working and building in South King County Communities. Audience: This space is designed for Community-Based Organizations, funders, nonprofit partners, cultural organizations, chambers of commerce, local government, healthcare workers, and school districts - anyone providing and working with SKC communities.

Learn More and Register


Find Juneteenth, Pride, and other partner and community events on the Community Events calendar on the COO website. You can now view events in a calendar layout or the new list format. 

Visit our Community Events Calendar for COO and partner events!

Other Opportunities

Flood Relief Assistance Still Available; Apply By June 10

 

Residents in King County who were affected by the historic December 2025 flooding may now qualify for federal disaster assistance under Federal Emergency Management Administration’s (FEMA) Individual Assistance Program.  

After the flooding, Washington requested federal disaster declarations to help individuals affected by the atmospheric river flooding, as well as to help public entities repair infrastructure and partially reimburse their response efforts. The application deadline is June 10, 2026. 

Seattle Social Housing Lottery is Open till June 5

 

Seattle Social Housing Developer has acquired its first property, Elara at the Market, near Pike Place Market. Pre-application submissions from people interested in living in a permanently affordable mixed-income building are being accepted and entered into a lottery.  Submit a Pre-Application for the Lottery by June 5

Funding Opportunities

Apply for Grants More Easily — Create an Agiloft Account Now

If you’re interested, in applying for Best Starts for Kids funding, please plan to set up an Agiloft account first. Agiloft is the contract and invoice management software that includes solicitations, also known as funding opportunities.  The Department of Community & Human Services (DCHS) is expanding the use of Agiloft.

To make your future application process as easy as possible, review this announcement from DCHS to get ready. Learn more!

 

  • 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 May-July opportunities! 

  • COO’s List: See funding opportunities from many other funders on our Funding Opportunities page.

Job Opportunities

Afghan Health Initiative: Program Director

Black Farmers Collective: Engagement Manager — open till filled

Indigenous Climate Action: International Climate Justice Lead

Magic Cabinet: Director of Philanthropic Solutions — apply by June 1

Open Doors for Multicultural Families: Director of Public Policy & Community Development

Tilth Alliance: Bilingual Farm Program Coordinator (Spanish) — open until filled  

Uncommon Bridges: Senior Lead (Place Management)

 

City of Seattle:

King County: Check out YouthWorks, a new workforce development program that provides paid summer internships and volunteer opportunities for King County residents ages 16-24. Applications are now open for eligible residents.  

 
See more job listings on these sites that collect multiple opportunities:

About This List: These job announcements were current as of Thursday morning, May 28, 2026. Please check the employer's site for the most current information.


If you have a job to share in next month's issue, please send it to us by June 22. Thanks!

Partner Quiz! Which COO funded partner -- person or organization -- was pictured and/or mentioned the most times in this month's newsletter? Be the first person to correctly identify them! There may be a coffee card involved. Drop us a line, especially if you want to be a most-mentioned partner next month! 

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