Seattle Foundation’s New President and CEO Alesha Washington Continues Its Goals to Advance Equity | South Seattle Emerald

by Vee Hua

In Might 2022, Alesha Washington grew to become the brand new president and CEO of Seattle Basis, one of many largest neighborhood foundations within the nation. Washington comes with experience from her most up-to-date function as program director for Vibrant Neighborhoods and Inclusive Financial system on the George Gund Basis in Cleveland, Ohio, the place she led her staff in efforts to reimagine the inspiration’s grant-making in democracy constructing, civic engagement, and neighborhood resident management.

As a cisgender Black girl who grew up in an inner-city, predominantly Black neighborhood in Cleveland, Washington shares that a lot of her perspective on the world might be credited to what was occurring in her neighborhood within the late ’80s and early ’90s. The battle on medication was taking part in out to detrimental impact in interior cities — however concurrently, the ’90s-era’s strong hip-hop tradition was thriving.

“After I take into consideration my time in neighborhood, I spend lots of time interested by the way in which wherein methods could make a spot really feel undervalued and displaced, however whenever you go deep into that neighborhood, there are methods that folks and neighborhood constructing throughout individuals make it one thing actually lovely and vibrant,” Washington stated. “Notably due to the Black [American] expertise I come from … [there is] the power to make one thing actually lovely out of nothing, or nearly out of chaos or trauma.”

“However [as one who] has had the chance to construct a profession by means of authorities relations and nonprofit sector and philanthropy, I sit ready of privilege,” Washington continued. “So, how do I exploit that, given my life expertise, to essentially create new alternatives for folk who in any other case haven’t had that entry? That’s my north star and information for a way I present up.”

Began in 1946 by Seattle enterprise chief and Seattle Artwork Museum founder Dr. Richard Fuller — together with 14 different neighborhood leaders — the Seattle Basis started with a $289,000 endowment and a purpose to enhance the standard of life in Seattle and past. In its first 12 months, it supplied $8,000 in investments; it now operates with over $1 billion in charitable belongings and dedicated bequests, granting over $100 million to native nonprofits yearly.

Seattle Basis presently hosts numerous grant alternatives, usually in partnership with different organizations, centered on various matters, equivalent to voter participation (Voter Schooling Fund), pandemic response (Fund for Inclusive Restoration), and grassroots organizations (Neighbor 2 Neighbor).

Its focus areas have additionally tailored with the a long time. Within the Nineteen Eighties, Seattle Basis supplied funding for HIV/AIDS organizations, equivalent to Bailey-Boushay Home and Northwest AIDS Basis (now referred to as Lifelong). With the tech growth of the Nineties, it provided among the nation’s first donor-advised funds in response, endeavoring to vary the methods wherein funds had been invested in neighborhood.

All through the 2000s and 2010s, Seattle Basis created frameworks for giving, such because the Blueprint for Impression, which “outlines a collection of daring methods for advancing racial fairness, shared prosperity, and belonging,” and elevated participatory grant-making, which permits grantees and neighborhood leaders to function part of the grant-making course of.

Washington cites Neighbor 2 Neighbor (N2N) and the Black-Led Pleasure and Wellness Fund as profitable examples of grants which were co-created with neighborhood. N2N, began in 1992, “helps grassroots efforts that enhance engagement, energy and affect of neighborhood members affected by poverty and racial disparities.” The Black-Led Pleasure and Wellness Fund helps the well-being of workers at Black-led and -serving organizations beneath Seattle Basis’s REPAIR (Racially Equitable Philanthropy Aimed toward Initiating Reparations) framework, and was created in 2021 to deal with the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and anti-Black racism.

“These are community-guided by having totally different grant-making companions in neighborhood be a part of the shaping of the work, after which interested by the place funding goes,” defined Washington. “I believe that course of round co-creation, intentional listening, after which letting that information how funding goes is the proper method, and I believe the continued deepening of that’s going to be essential, however I believe it’s additionally essential to consider the opposite roles that we carry to play within the grant [sphere].”

Washington believes that Seattle Basis can leverage its positional energy and affect to create entry, advocate, convene, or be a thought companion and thought chief. One instance she cites is the work the inspiration does with King County, the place authorities forms and contracting processes could generally be tough for small, grassroots organizations.

“We will do as a lot as we will from an entry standpoint with [the organizations], to assist ease the method,” stated Washington, “however we even have a chance to work with our companions in native authorities to say, ‘Hey, is there a motive why this course of must be this manner? And may we take into consideration the ways in which we will streamline it?’”

Washington’s understanding of native, county, and state governments comes from her previous function as vp of presidency advocacy for the Higher Cleveland Partnership, one of many largest metropolitan chambers of commerce within the nation. There, she served because the lead advocate on coverage points impacting native enterprise and financial system. Coming to a metropolis like Seattle, which arcs towards progresssive coverage, Washington is fascinated by the political panorama and continues to be studying what collective motion within the space appears to be like like.

“Questions that sit on my thoughts, coming from my previous life within the authorities relations world, is: How does [the government] impression long-term coverage reform, change, and alternative?” Washington requested. “After which, how does the enterprise neighborhood, nonprofits, and even philanthropy step in and fulfill a niche or a void that that work occurs in, if in any respect?”

She doesn’t but have a transparent reply. As a newcomer, Washington acknowledges that she has a lot to study, and that one of the best method could also be to hear first.

“It truly is taking the time to fulfill and study lots of totally different voices about this place and concerning the challenges, but in addition the alternatives that they see,” she stated, “after which determine how my ability set — together with Seattle Basis’s value-add — might help additional the trigger.”

Washington recalled a notable second with The George Gund Basis, which helps form her present perspective. She started her function there in January 2020, however by March, Ohio was shut down because of COVID-19; shortly thereafter got here the loss of life of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter racial uprisings.

“What I noticed occurring in my neighborhood — that I do know was occurring in lots of different locations — was that lots of legacy establishments … had been being known as upon to offer the solutions for the time … however these had been additionally establishments which were woefully underfunded, not likely supported deeply by philanthropy, and had been careworn to maintain the lights on,” she recalled.

“So my purpose grew to become to maneuver as a lot sources as I might for them as potential, for operations, so they might do the work that they had been being known as to do,” Washington continued. “And I’ll always remember a late-night dialog with the CEO of the Cleveland City League, who stated, ‘You’ve given us extra help on this one grant than we’ve gotten over our life cycle… your perception in us to do that work and to show it with the {dollars}: Now we will actually do the work.”

Tales like it will information Washington’s tenure as president and CEO of Seattle Basis, and he or she wholly plans to carry her lived expertise to the function.

“[That story] places me to the significance of [this]: Should you come from a sure expertise and have a lens, after which, in the event you get right into a place of energy and affect, what you are able to do with it that’s optimistic versus utilizing it for egocentric achieve,” stated Washington. “I can create alternative for individuals due to the function that I sit in, so [I will] maximize this so long as I can, and as greatest as I can, as a result of I will not be right here perpetually.”

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/she) is a author, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. A lot of their work unifies their metaphysical pursuits with their perception that artwork can positively remodel the self and society. They’re the interim managing editor of the South Seattle Emerald, editor-in-chief of REDEFINE, and co-chair of the Seattle Arts Fee. Additionally they beforehand served as the manager director of the interdisciplinary neighborhood hub, Northwest Movie Discussion board, the place they performed a key function in making the area extra welcoming and accessible for various audiences. Their newest quick movie, Reckless Spirits, is a metaphysical, multilingual POC buddy comedy, and will probably be launched in late 2022. Observe them at @hellomynameisvee or over at veehua.com

📸 Featured Picture: Alesha Washington is Seattle Basis’s new Govt Director. (Picture courtesy of Seattle Basis)

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