Watch this short video that highlights Ventures, a Seattle–based service organization that fosters entrepreneurship among communities with few resources but unlimited potential.

In May, Foundation board and staff members convened in Seattle for our 2019 annual learning retreat. We focused on this guiding question: How is self-determination expressed in the culturally grounded work of our grantees in Native communities, communities of color, immigrant and refugee communities, and people in rural areas near Seattle? Meeting and interacting with the team at Ventures—including Beto Yarce, executive director—helped build a 360-degree answer to that question.

Ventures uses funding from our Enterprise Development portfolio to provide entrepreneurs in underserved communities with access to business loans. As Beto describes, Ventures builds confidence and competence for the individuals it serves, helping those individuals set their own terms for success.

The Ventures piece is the first in a series of five. The following videos feature other Seattle-area grantee partners: Byrd Barr Place, Chief Seattle Club, Social Justice Fund Northwest, and Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network.

How Grantees Respond to Culture and Community

Learning Video Series: Insights and Innovations from Five Seattle Grantees

We filmed short, impromptu grantee interviews during our annual learning retreat in Seattle in May 2019. Watch videos from these grantees:

Ventures

Empowers entrepreneurship and small-business ownership among communities with few resources but unlimited potential.

Social Justice Fund Northwest

Works toward long-term social change by funding grassroots community organizing throughout the Northwest.

View the Interview
Byrd Barr Place

Partners with organizations and individuals to provide basic human services and build advocacy about the effects of racism on people’s lives and the need for opportunities to build a good life.

View the Interview
Chief Seattle Club

Provides food, housing assistance, and other services to create a safe and sacred place to rest, revive, and nurture the spirit of urban Native peoples in need.

View the Interview
Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network

Builds immigrant and refugee power via organizing, education, and advocacy throughout Washington State.

View the Interview
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