Funding news...drumroll please...
In fact, not only did our representatives champion full funding for BFA, Sen. Joe Nguyen’s office suggested that we apply for funding through the Local and Community Project Funds that are available to legislators to support projects in their district. Rep. Emily Alvarado signed on from the House of Representatives. After we heard about the BFA grant, we were shocked and thrilled when we found out that we’d received additional funding in the amount of $500k!
That is $900,000 from the State of Washington to rebuild HPIC.
We have lots of thanks to give to our 34th District representatives: Senator Joe Ngyuen, and Representatives Emily Alvarado and Joe Fitzgibbon. We thank them for this significant financial support, and also for their trust in HPIC to get the Rebuild done and create welcoming, inclusive programming that brings people, and the neighborhood, together.
And we will give thanks to Gov Inslee when he signs the budget sometime in May.
Other Grant and Fundraising Recap
The architectural and structural drawings have been submitted for permit – we expect to receive the permit this fall. The mechanical and electrical engineers are getting started – and the fundraising continues!
Additional grants:
HPIC is honored and excited to have been recommended by the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture for funding through their Centering Art & Racial Equity (C.A.R.E.) Grant. This is a 3-year grant, funded annually. Our funding for 2023 is $3000.
from the Office of Arts & Culture:
“The C.A.R.E. grant awards three consecutive years of funding to Seattle arts and culture, heritage, and arts service organizations with a minimum three-year history of providing accessible programming for Seattle residents and visitors. To create a more equitable, vibrant, and relevant arts sector, ARTS prioritizes support for organizations with an arts-focused mission that are taking action to be anti-racist and who value, implement, and uphold inclusive practices through an intersectional racial equity lens.“
We are at a turning point in our long history, and this opportunity for partnership and guidance with the Office of Arts & Culture and other leadership resources will help us to set a path that fosters equity, social cohesion and anti-racism as we begin to think about programming and partnerships in our new building.
Community Accelerator Grant – ArtsFund of Washington
Funded by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and administered by ArtsFund, the purpose of the grant is to provide essential capital to Washington’s cultural organizations and invest in a stronger, more inclusive and thriving arts and cultural sector. This award is unrestricted. HPIC has received $5,900 which will help fund outreach events and other fundraising efforts
New Capital Campaign Consultants – RJZ Connections
We have brought on the highly respected team of RJZ Connections to help us with our fundraising campaign – and more. RJZ Connections has years of experience and success helping non-profits like us accomplish their capital fundraising goals, as well as helping to structure volunteer-led organizations to be sustainable and inclusive. We’ve begun working with them to build a fundraising plan to rebuild HPIC the building and also the administrative side of the organization.
New Signage on Holden - Celebrating the bridge reopening
Links to the town hall recordings
Time for reflection and transformation
During this time, as we make sure the physical space is safe and secure, we are also considering our internal structure and how we can rebuild and refresh that too – board structure, volunteer coordination, the meaning of membership and more. We will be reaching out to the community for your input as we begin to envision the revived physical space and what it might embody. Stay tuned!
Diversity and Inclusion at HPIC
Change is occurring on all levels at HPIC. Now, as we recover from the fire that closed our building June 25, 2021, we are also examining the club’s own history, processes and programming in order to better represent and celebrate the diversity of our community, and foster inclusion throughout all that we do as an organization.
The HPIC board cares deeply about the people of our community, and we want to be explicit about our stand for social justice. We have a lot to learn, and we look forward to sharing this journey with you. If you have ideas or suggestions of what you would like to see, please reach out to be a part of the change.
The Story of our BLM Banner
In the Summer of 2020, Members of Highland Park Improvement Club eagerly created and installed a large Black Lives Matter banner on to the garden fence to show support for the rise of the movement and to acknowledge the long overdue attention to this human issue.
Soon after, the banner was stolen and destroyed; pieces were found on surrounding streets near HPIC. In early July, the West Seattle Blog covered the story and asked for the community to keep an eye out and give any information they had regarding the theft. A local sign shop owner saw the article and graciously offered to make a replacement banner. He thoughtfully made two banners, just in case there was another theft.
The new banner was hung on the fence but vandalized with graffiti soon after. The third banner was also destroyed; sliced in a few places that were able to be repaired and re-hung, but then once again, shredded beyond repair.
With this more permanent attempt at a show of support we acknowledge that we continue to proudly believe that Black Lives Matter and that we refuse to succumb to the fear of destruction. HPIC stands proudly with the BIPOC community.
The Highland Park Improvement Club (HPIC) – the heart of our community since 1919.
HPIC belongs to our neighborhood and is powered by volunteers.
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Highland Park Action Committee: All volunteer & not for profit. Our role is to be an advocate for Highland Park and to affect positive change in our neighborhood. Currently meeting via Zoom. Check our website https://hpacinfo.wordpress.com/ or email hpacchair@gmail.com.