Central Area Collaborative

“Draft 990 provided to Board for review and approval prior to filing.”

“Annual review of Conflict of Interest Policy.”

“Hiring committee reviewed comparable data for ED prior to posting the position.”

“Documents are not made available.”

“Contractors: $183,011 Program Expense; $43,768 M&G Expense; $0 Fundraising Expense”

“Part III, Line 4a: The Fund Development efforts resulted in an award from the Department of Commerce for its Community Reinvestment Plan, Latine, and Indigenous-led organizations providing funds for these specific groups for $1.7 million, with the majority being lent to people from historically excluded groups (Black and Brown). The Board of Directors has adopted an agenda method for board meetings that calls for discussion, information sharing, and decision action approvals, improving group trust. Business and Economic Development staff will spend time providing business support services to small businesses in the Central Area, focusing on the various services offered by the Office of Economic Development that could be targeted to black- and brown-owned businesses. The services highlighted are Marketing strategies and events that bring customers to black and brown businesses and create a positive, consistent image of neighborhoods. CAC participated in four street cultural events in the Central Area from May through July 2024. CAC attended the street events with the strategy of approaching small business owners with information about services available from the Office of Economic Development and supporting these small business owners in using the programs. CAC provided funding for the Byrd Barr Place Community Street Event, which paid registration fees for four small businesses. CAC completed its participation in the Department of Neighborhoods Generational Wealth Program. The program results revealed that it is still difficult for low-income businesspeople of color to borrow funds with traditional underwriting guidelines. Further, the difficulty in creating underwriting guidelines for people with modest incomes is still not understood. The Homeowner Stabilization Program Central Area Community project is a collaborative initiative between the City of Seattles Office of Housing and the Central Area Collaborative, as outlined in their Project Services Agreement. The project aims to support homeownership retention among low-income households within the city limits, particularly addressing the disparities faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) due to historic and ongoing inequities in housing. Running from June 1, 2022, to December 31, 2025, with funding from the City of Seattles General Fund, the program provides grants and services like home repairs and legal or financial counseling to eligible households. The projects objectives focus on aiding homeowners with necessary repairs and support to help them overcome barriers to housing access and maintain community stability and resilience. This project will continue through 2025. The Clean and Safe program was structured to foster the Business Improvement Area for the Central Area at 23rd & Union. Uncommon Bridges led the process with CAC and five other neighborhoods selected for the 2024 through 2026 program efforts. CACs team has met with three major property owners and several business owners to introduce the BIA concept. Uncommon Bridges has met the CAC Team to create the initial boundary for the 23rd & Union node. The BIA process will continue in 2025 by expanding outreach efforts to more property owners, business owners, and neighborhood residents. CAC participated in seven public safety meetings in 2024 organized by community members representing people interested in forming a BIA that runs from 23rd & Jackson to 23rd & Rainer Avenue and people concerned about gun and drug activity around 23rd & Jackson. CAC was involved in the public safety meeting to understand the details of the public safety issues and how public safety issues affect businesses in the area. CAC will continue to monitor public safety meetings and look for collaborative ways to assist businesses with public safety issues. CAC has access to programs through the Office of Economic Development that can assist with faade improvements, such as better lighting, which helps to improve public saf”