2026 Closed Funding Round The City’s purpose for Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) funding is to support projects that address displacement and lack of access to opportunity for historically marginalized communities in Seattle. Successful projects will be those that best demonstrate a connection between their organization and the ability to impact the Equity Drivers identified in the Equitable Development Implementation Plan.This current funding round has $14.8M available for both capacity building and existing capital projects for existing EDI Funding Recipients. There will be another $7.4M funding round in Q2 2026 that will be open to all organizations including new EDI applicants and existing EDI Funding Recipients seeking funding for capacity building and/or new and expanded projects. Applicant EligibilityThis current funding round will apply the following eligibility criteria and priorities: Applicant must be an existing EDI Funding Recipient that has met and continues to meet previous EDI application criteria.Applicants must have a project in active predevelopment or development that requires additional funding support.Applicants with completed EDI-funded scopes of work and facilities in permanent operations are NOT eligible to apply.Applicants seeking funding for new projects or significant project scope expansion are NOT eligible to apply. This is a competitive process where OPCD will prioritize projects with funding gaps and those that will complete their projects and enter operations by 2028. Applicant Minimum CriteriaPriority will be given to organizations that best meet most of the following criteria: Is the applicant incorporated as a nonprofit in the State of Washington? If not, does the organization have a fiscal sponsor and does the fiscal sponsor limit sponsor fees to 10 percent of the funding award or less and have a clear strategy to support the organization’s long-term capacity-building work? EDI may make exceptions where a for-profit organization can demonstrate extraordinary accountability to impacted communities and where requiring non-profit status or fiscal sponsorship would add unnecessary costs and inefficiency to the project. The proposal must demonstrate work that primarily serves City of Seattle residents located within communities that face high risk of displacement. The applicant must be in good standing with any other open City of Seattle contracts, grants, and/or loans. The project addresses at least three of the Equity Drivers from the Implementation Plan. Proposals should focus on only the three drivers that best fit the project concept. Receiving EDI funding is contingent on meeting program requirements and completing pre-contracting due diligence activities. EDI funds cannot be used for regular organization operations as awarded funds must be applied to developing the capacity for and completing the process of completing the capital project selected for funding in the recipient organization application. Projects that do not use their funds and extend beyond the two-year period may be required to reapply for the remaining awarded funds to ensure that projects are still active.

Requirements of EDI FundingFunding is prioritized for non-residential uses. Projects with a residential component must include a non-residential community-serving use that provides public benefit, to be described in the EDI agreement as “Services.”EDI funding is not a gift of funds.The City’s investment of public funding is returned by the Recipient in the form of public benefits. Public benefits can be described as programs and services to the community consistent with the City of Seattle’s Equitable Development Initiative goals.In the Capacity Building phase, deliverables outlined in your agreement that show progress in moving your project forward will serve as the defined public benefit. Recipient must have, or plan to obtain, site control of the project location. Site control includes outright ownership of the property by the Recipient organization, or an ownership stake in the property as part of partnership with other community-based organizations. You are not required to have site control or a site identified if you are in the Capacity Building-only stage of your project. The City requires insurance policies to be held by the Recipient and renewed annually as defined during the contracting process.