In its first grant cycle of the year, the Hazel Miller Foundation awarded $365,375 to 18 organizations making a positive impact across south Snohomish County.

From Girls on the Run and the Jean Kim Foundation to the Edmonds Chamber Foundation and the City of Edmonds Arts Commission, the Hazel Miller Foundation’s Board of Directors awarded grants that touch its six focus areas: education and youth, poverty alleviation and hunger, civic and community services, the environment, culture and the arts, and diversity.

“It’s always difficult to choose grantees because of how many worthy organizations we have in the area,” said Board Chair Shannon Burley. “We’re honored to witness their important work, and are already looking forward to supporting more during our next round of grants.”

According to a news release, the awardees include:

The Foundation for Edmonds School District, which develops funding and programs for children and families in the Edmonds School District to enable students with financial need to attend college. They received $56,375 for scholarships.

The Edmonds College Foundation was awarded $25,000 to cover all things education-related for students, including tuition, fees, books, student success programs and other related costs of attendance.

EWHS Music Boosters’ $7,500 grant will support its 2024 Club Jazz Colony and sustain its initiatives, primarily involving the hiring of professional jazz clinicians and interns.

Girls on the Run’s $10,000 grant will help to fund participants. Girls on the Run of Snohomish County inspires girls to make healthy decisions, build self-confidence, and enhance their physical activity, character, strength and community connections. The program achieves this by utilizing a fun, experience-based curriculum that integrates running to encourage girls to be healthy, joyful, and confident.

The $5,000 awarded to the Hearing, Speech, & Deaf Center will support biweekly American Sign Language (ASL) playgroups in Edmonds for families with a deaf child and four field trips.

The grant will cover an ASL teacher, room rental, snacks and administrative support. HSDC emphasizes its commitment to serving families, irrespective of their financial status, by providing a stable source of peer support.

Concern for Neighbors Food Bank has been collecting and distributing food to low-income families in South Snohomish County since 1971. The $15,000 grant supports south Snohomish County’s drastic rise in need for food donations.

Edmonds Food Bank was granted $17,500 to buy food and supplies.

Homage Senior Services promotes independence, preserves dignity and enhances the lives of older adults. The $5,000 grant will go toward its Homage Senior Meals program.

Lynnwood Food Bank was granted $17,500 to purchase food for residents of Lynnwood and South Snohomish County. The organization’s Focus on Nutrition program has provided increased healthy foods, cultural foods, cultural programs, and educational programs to the community.

Dawson Place Child Advocacy Center’s $10,000 grant covers operational expenses required to support the 60-plus professionals at the center who provide all the direct services needed by child abuse victims and their families at no cost. In 2023, 137 victims served by Dawson Place lived in the Edmonds School District.

The Jean Kim Foundation’s $50,000 will be used to operate its Hygiene Center in Lynnwood where homeless individuals can access safe and private showers, meals, clothing, community gathering space, and connection to medical care and other social service agencies.

Treehouse’s $5,000 grant will support its Graduation Success – Just-In-Time-Funding (JITF) program in South Snohomish County. JITF provides high school youth in foster care in Treehouse’s Graduation Success program with needed resources to cover expenses related to school and extracurricular activities.

The $30,000 awarded to the Edmonds Chamber Foundation will be used for event equipment, infrastructure rental costs, paid performers in the 4th of July parade, and contracted services for events. These grants are a crucial opportunity to ensure the sustainability of beloved community celebrations.

The $7,500 awarded to Student Conservation Association Trail Maintenance & Invasive Species Management supports the work carried out by the Edmonds crew that has partnered with the Edmonds Department of Parks for critical trail building and maintenance, enhancing habitat for local species. The 2024 SCA Edmonds Urban Green crew will work two to four weeks on city-selected projects. Crews will work four days a week with the fifth day devoted to environmental education. Emphasizing Urban Green’s focus on inclusivity, crew recruitment targets ages 14-19 from underserved communities in Edmonds and Lynnwood areas.

The $50,000 awarded to the Edmonds Center for the Arts supports a range of impactful programming, including the WE SPEAK Youth Poetry Slam Competition, a celebration of spoken word poetry and storytelling.

The City of Edmonds Arts Commission’s $8,000 will support 2024 Summer Concerts in the Park. The concerts feature a diverse range of musical genres and aim to provide free live music accessible to all. The concerts attract people of all ages and abilities, creating a widely enjoyed, easily accessible public space.

With an average of 35 to 75 people in attendance, the concerts showcase cultural diversity and feature various performers, including dancers. This grant supports 12-14 concerts at Hazel Miller Plaza in July and August, covering performer fees and promotional expenses, to continue providing the community with this popular and culturally diverse musical experience.

Latino Educational Training Institute (LETI)’s $20,000 will support staffing costs for LETI’s Latino Resource Navigator position. This grant also covers administrative fees, program accounting, payroll processing costs, marketing, operations support, and overhead.

The $20,000 awarded to Project Girl Mentoring Program will sustain its Immersion Lab. This free mentorship program includes snacks and meals for low to moderate-income and food-insecure mentees, providing a stable and safe space. The program operates during the school year and expands to eight weeks during the summer. The Immersion Lab introduces young women (gender-expansive) of color, ages 11-18, in South Snohomish County to holistic health and wellness mentoring, addressing wellness on every level.

In addition to these 18 quarterly grants, the Hazel Miller Foundation sent its second of three $250,000 capital grant installments to Housing Hope. The $750,000 from the Hazel Miller Foundation will support the construction of affordable housing for up to 272 residents.

Madrona Highlands, formerly called Edmonds Lutheran Church Field Apartments, broke ground last fall. Residents will arrive in late spring of 2024.