Submitted by The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound
The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound announced that its Board of Directors has approved a grant up to $80,000 for the Thurston Asset Building Coalition (ThurstonABC) to expand their work and provide coordination and administrative support to the coalition’s efforts. Now in its sixth year, ThurstonABC’s goal is to shorten the pathway out of poverty for people living in Thurston County. The five “HUBS” — housing, food, health, income and financial literacy—are networks of nonprofit, business and government partners working in common sectors. ThurstonABC’s focus is on collaboration within and between the sectors to reach and support the people they serve in common.
The grant will fund contract positions to manage and organize the partners’ work to broaden this initiative’s reach and capacity. Grant funds will also engage organizational development resources to continue integration within the broader community. ThurstonABC’s goal is to form a seamless network of partners working together to create an environment where barriers to self-sufficiency for people with limited incomes are minimized.
“This grant supports a community defined strategy, including enhanced collaboration in service delivery for our residents seeking an effective pathway out of poverty,” says Norma Schuiteman, The Community Foundation’s executive director. The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound made the grant through its partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation focused on alleviating intergenerational poverty. “Their efforts exemplify the type of community- identified priorities we are committed to support,” she adds.
“This grant will take the impact of our work to the next level. With the assistance of paid coordinators and other key support we believe our work will benefit people throughout Thurston County by better serving those in need,” says Robert Coit, ThurstonABC chair. The grant will also fund work to clearly define organizational priorities, build a budget around those, and implement a fund development plan. “We are grateful to The Community Foundation for seeing the intrinsic value of our collaborative vision and its capacity to assist the greater community,” Coit adds.
