Building Connections Initiative

Building Connections Initiative is sponsored by Waters Meet Foundation. A 10-year strategic initiative focusing on dismantling health inequities in the Inland Northwest by supporting community power building and grassroots advocacy, with a cohort of 20 by-and-for, grassroots nonprofits in the region.

Building Connections Initiative - Waters Meet Building Connections Initiative Guiding Documents & Reports The Building Connections Initiative is our primary strategy for supporting community This 5-year funding commitment to 20 by-and-for organizations, represents a commitment to supporting these organizations to grow, thrive, and build collective power. Meet our partners in the Building Connections Initiative!

Asians for Collective Action Asians for Collective Action Spokane centers the power of Asians & Asian Americans to build a just, healthy, and thriving community for all, improve community health & wellness, and increase civic engagement through community building, arts, and culture.

Located in Spokane WA, Terrain is a groundbreaking nonprofit that believes everyone needs art — and that a more just and vibrant Spokane is possible through creativity, economic opportunity, and the collective action of everyone who dares to create. A drive for safe, intersectional, intergenerational 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Eastern Washington and North Idaho is at the core of everything we do.

We strive to create virtual and in-person community spaces, build a culture of care, commit to advocacy and allyship, provide education and facilitation services to organizations/individuals, and fill gaps that arise through pop up events. Manzanita House was birthed out of a need to fill the gaps in services for immigrants and refugees in Eastern Washington.

Our primary focus has always been to embrace, equip, and empower those we serve to feel welcome, stable, and connected to their community. Every immigrant deserves the opportunity to thrive and uniquely contribute to Eastern Washington’s burgeoning vibrance and diversity.

Our mission is to establish a cultural home, center community power, and advocate to the further the wellness of our Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI) communities physically, culturally, socially, and spiritually. In order to achieve this mission, our work centers around providing direct community support paired with systems advocacy that is guided by NH/PI community values and priorities.

Inchelium Language and Cultural Association The mission of the Inchelium Language & Culture Association (ILCA) is to foster and sustain a dynamic community of Salish language speakers whose daily lives are expressed through a commitment to Lakes and Colville culture and a connection to their traditional territories. We work diligently to create new Salish Language speakers and teachers.

Our teachers are trained in Second Language Acquisition techniques to ensure our language is retained at the highest levels possibile. The Way to Justice is a community non-profit legal aid organization led and created by women of color. Through direct representation, impact litigation, policy reform, and advocacy work, we address the barriers facing individuals who have been negatively impacted by our justice system.

Shades of Motherhood Network Our vision is to create a world where Black mothers and families thrive, with equitable access to compassionate care, comprehensive support, and resources that empower healthy pregnancies, births, and postpartum experiences. Through our holistic programs—ranging from food assistance to doula services and peer support—we aim to uplift and transform Black maternal health outcomes for future generations.

At the Carl Maxey Center, our dedicated team is the heart of everything we do. Passionate about empowering and uplifting our community, our staff brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and care to every initiative. Each member of our team is committed to advancing equity, fostering opportunities, and creating a vibrant space where everyone feels welcome.

Together, we strive to honor Carl Maxey’s legacy by working tirelessly to inspire growth, connection, and positive change. Unidos Nueva Alianza Foundation Unidos Nueva Alianza Foundation (UNA) (formerly known as Latinos Unidos Grant County (LUGC)) is a local grassroots non-profit, community-based organization.

UNA Foundation serves 9 counties that represent the Hispanic/Latinx, immigrants, refugees, agriculture/farm workers, LGBTQ+, low-income, disabled, and systemically marginalized and underserved communities. The counties we serve are Grant, Adams, Franklin, Benton, Yakima, Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan. UNA knows these communities have a huge need and because of their status, they can’t receive the help and support they need.

We want to build and provide services and resources for our community. Since the beginning, we have strived to help our immigrant, Latinx, and under-represented communities. FYRE (Foundation for Youth Resiliency and Engagement) Founded in October of 2020, FYRE is a local non-profit organization serving the young people of Okanogan County.

Since opening, FYRE has served hundreds of youth ages 12-24. In 2022 alone, FYRE welcomed over 700 individual youths and was visited over 3500 times. Learn about our founders, board members, youth advisory committee, and mission by visiting our website.

Our Mission is to build capacity within Latino immigrant families and support the advancement of Latino community members, leaders, business-owners, and organizations in Spokane, to address the needs of the growing Latino population through inclusive community engagement, connections to local resources, and serve as catalyst for immigrant rights, social, racial, economic and environmental justice for a more equitable Spokane County.

The American Indian Community Center was founded in 1967 as a social gathering place for Indian and Native American people who lived in the Spokane area. Since 1967 AICC has become a comprehensive social service agency serving American Indian/Alaskan Natives and all other racial groups by providing Employment and Training Services, which attempts to match programs and resources for the individual client’s needs.

We also offer Indian Child Welfare services or families who are in danger of losing their children to Child Protective Services. Compassionate Addiction Treatment Our mission is to provide compassionate, holistic care to people experiencing homelessness in a safe and therapeutic environment. We focus on removing barriers to care to empower people to strive for their personal goals and live the life they choose.

CAT’s primary goals are to foster community connection, build trust, instill hope and personal empowerment for people experiencing homelessness. MiA – Mujeres in Action is an organization that supports survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in a culturally responsive way. We provide a variety of services to support survivors, including counseling or advocacy, housing support, emergency shelter, among others.

Spokane Community Against Racism’s mission is to identify and address racial disparities through a variety of community efforts which include education, advocacy, research, community engagement, policy impact, and challenges to the existing organizations and structures. Spokane Tribal Network (STN) Dedicated to empowering the youth of all people through educational opportunities, cultural preservation, and community engagement.

We believe that every child deserves access to resources and mentorship that will help them reach their full potential. We want to support and teach advocacy by uplifting empowering our people to thrive. The Tenants Union fights for housing justice through education, organizing and advocacy.

We win victories that change people’s housing conditions and people’s lives for the better. If You Could Save Just One If You Could Save Just One empowers youth and their families to write their own stories. We provide activities and resources that assist youth and their parents in the Hillyard neighborhood and surrounding Spokane areas to create a supportive environment where youth are encouraged to explore their own path to success.