Verity Credit Union announces Fall 2022 microgrant recipients
Program provides unrestricted monetary support for organizations whose work benefits historically underserved communiti
SEATTLE, WA (February 7, 2023) — Verity Credit Union, a $735 million asset financial institution in Seattle that focuses on socially responsible banking, announced today the recipients of its Fall 2022 Microgrant application pool. Launched in 2017, Verity’s Microgrant Program demonstrates its commitment to supporting underserved communities by inviting organizations and nonprofits to apply to receive these funds. The program aims to help organizations with limited access to traditional funding due to organizational size, age, or tax-exemption status.
“Our Microgrant program was designed to bolster organizations in our community whose work mirrors our own in contributing to the growth and success of individuals and groups that don’t have the same access to support and resources,” said Ziquora Banks, Chief Impact Strategy Officer. “This year’s recipients demonstrate the reach of this program, meeting the unique needs of a diverse cross-section of communities.”
Verity Credit Union’s Fall 2022 Microgrant recipients are:
- Fresh Start Professional Services: a collective of BIPOC community members who provide supportive services to BIPOC youth and adults in transition – from homelessness, foster care, the justice system, and treatment facilities. The Verity Microgrant will support Fresh Start’s general programming – a 16-hour curriculum covering goal planning and effective communication skills, plus introduction classes to professional fields like community-based digital equity and broadband installation, community advocacy, leadership, and entrepreneurialism.
- Project Be Free (PBF) was founded in 2020 by a group that recognized that the systems in place to address domestic violence were being overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to an increase in racial disparities among those receiving aid. The Verity Microgrant will support ongoing programming, which includes general crisis response, domestic violence advocacy, family support groups, doula-led mother’s support groups, a shared youth mentorship program, and a yearly Survivor Wellness Symposium.
- Sduhubs Cultural and Family Services (SCFS): Founded to support the Snohomish Tribe, which is not federally acknowledged and as a result, does not receive the same level of federal support as other tribes in terms of social welfare, education, health, and hunting/fishing commerce. The organization helps fill these gaps, providing expertise and support to over 1600 members of the Snohomish Tribe, their families, and other community members. The Verity Microgrant will go toward their future plans for cultural exchange and community support throughout Snohomish traditional territories.
- South Tacoma Economic Green Zone (STEGZ): A group dedicated to the creation of a new land-use code for clean energy and green businesses in South Tacoma, currently designated an “economic opportunity zone,” encouraging businesses to move to the area and create local economic growth. The Verity Microgrant will provide STEGZ with funds for community organization, online and postal mail outreach, contracting subject matter experts to assist with code review and updates, and data management.
- Yasuke Pharm: Family-owned and BIPOC-led, Yasuke Pharm is an organization dedicated to disrupting inequities in food systems, healing generational trauma within the BIPOC community, and building long-term restorative economic justice. Verity’s Microgrant will support the collective of farmers, food system professionals, educators, healthcare workers, and mental wellness practitioners to continue their work with underserved communities.
“We’re grateful for Verity’s Microgrant program and the opportunity to expand our curriculum and outreach work,” said Franklyn Smith, Co-Founder. “Fresh Start staff and volunteer work is deeply rooted in and focused on promoting education and vocational training as a ladder to success, aligning with Verity’s mission to enable prosperity for all.”
Verity’s Microgrant program prioritizes organizations with a total asset size of less than $250,000. The program accepts applicants on a rolling basis, announcing new recipients in the spring and fall of each year. Visit Verity Microgrant Program for more information.
About Verity Credit Union
Verity Credit Union is one of Washington State’s longest-standing credit unions, putting people, the planet, and prosperity for all above the bottom line. Our mission is to make meaningful, positive, and lasting change by partnering with our members and communities to co-create solutions. As a socially-responsible financial institution, about 95% of our deposits support the local economy and members with loans big and small to improve the well-being of businesses and individuals, especially those who have been historically left out of the financial system. We are one of few financial institutions with a Black woman CEO and leadership team and board that identifies predominantly female, allowing us to embody the change we’re working towards. Together, we can create stronger, healthier, more sustainable communities by making-people centric decisions.
