King County Elections

King County Elections and Seattle Foundation Logos A government, philanthropic and community partnership to remove barriers to voting in diverse communities.

What we fund

King County Elections and Seattle Foundation will award grants to community-based organizations that provide either an ongoing campaign or events focused on one or more of the following:

Voter education or outreach informing underrepresented voters about how voting works in King County, such as who is eligible to vote, what is vote-by-mail, and democracy 101.
Voter registration activities where underrepresented communities work, play or connect.
Nonpartisan opportunities for communities to come together and educate themselves about what’s on the ballot.
Culturally appropriate technical assistance in navigating the voting process, such as helping voters change their address or language preference.

Purpose

The Voter Education Fund will provide grants to organizations that work to reduce inequities in voting access in historically marginalized communities including, but not limited to, communities of color, people experiencing homelessness, people with disabilities, limited-English speaking communities, LGBTQ residents, formerly incarcerated individuals and residents in South King County.

We are prioritizing applications that:

Are led and staffed by individuals reflecting the ethnic and cultural communities being served.
Showcase a history or demonstrated ability to reach and engage members from the communities, especially as it relates to voting access.
Have a plan for engaging first time voters, youth of color, people with disabilities, African Americans, Native Americans and historically marginalized communities in South King County.

Grant types

Organizations are invited to apply for funding in one of two categories through the Voter Education Fund:

Campaign Level Funding
Up to $40,000 ($20,000/year for 2 years)

Provide ongoing voter registration and education in 2019 and 2020 with a variety of approaches to engaging voters or potential voters in their community.

Apply for campaign level funding

Capacity Level Funding
Up to $15,000 ($7,500/year for 2 years)

Provide a smaller series of targeted events or activities for potential voters in 2019 and 2020.

Apply for capacity level funding

Timeline

Date	Description
March 4, 2019	Program launches and application period opens.
March 13, 3 - 4:30 p.m.	Information sessions to learn more about the program and get technical assistance Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, 104 17th Ave S, Seattle, 98144 . RSVP today!
March 25, 12 - 1:30 p.m.	Information sessions to learn more about the program and get technical assistance Kent Regional Library, 212 2nd Ave N, Kent, 98032 . RSVP today!
April 1, 2019	Application period closes.
May 13, 2019	Funding award decisions announced.
June 3, 2019	Training for organizations receiving funding.