King County’s Department of Local Services has launched its 2026 Participatory Budgeting process, putting residents in White Center, North Highline, Skyway and West Hill in charge of deciding how $2.7 million in county funding will be invested directly in their communities.
The process will be shaped by a newly convened Community Advisory Board made up of 29 local leaders and residents, according to the department. The board is developing the framework for this year’s grantmaking process, including funding priorities, the Request for Proposals and the proposal review process.
“The Community Advisory Board reflects what makes Skyway/West Hill and White Center/North Highline strong: diversity, lived experience, and a shared commitment to shaping a future rooted in community priorities,” Leon Richardson, director of the Department of Local Services, said. “We appreciate that community leaders and residents have stepped forward to help us put decision-making directly in the hands of people who live, work, and care for these communities every day.”
The 2026 funding includes about $1.6 million for Skyway and West Hill and $1.1 million for White Center and North Highline, according to the department. The grants will support community organizations and groups working on solutions shaped by local priorities.
The advisory board is expected to complete its design phase this summer. The Request for Proposals is expected to open near the end of August 2026, with free technical assistance available to eligible organizations and community groups.
Later this summer, King County also plans to recruit additional residents as paid Community Proposal Reviewers. Those reviewers will evaluate project proposals using criteria developed by the Community Advisory Board.
Since launching in 2021, King County’s Participatory Budgeting program has invested more than $20 million in projects and programs chosen directly by residents, according to the department. Past investments have included youth public speaking programs, cultural art installations and a community garden at Black Panther Park in Skyway, support for a Khmer Community and Cultural Center, and free swim lessons for low income youth at Evergreen Aquatic Center in White Center.
“The true measure of success is not the dollars invested; it is the power returned to community,” Gloria Briggs, program manager of the Participatory Budgeting program, said. “Over the past five years, Participatory Budgeting has shown that when residents are trusted to lead, $20 million becomes more than an investment; it becomes a legacy of equity, partnership, and lasting community transformation.”
The White Center members of the Community Advisory Board are Carlisia Minnis, Carlos Jesus Fernandez, Carlos Roland, Claudia Veronica Guzman Gonzalez, Donna Chan, Frida Hernandez Perez, Heather Patrick, Irving Chu, Jennifer Landree, Jose Ortuzar, Quynh Trinh, Sam Townsend Jr., Sambath Eat, Sinina Moeun-Wildman and Sok Ouk.
The Skyway members are Abdulahi Jama, Anesia Willaims, Brandon Houston, Cherryl Jackson-Williams, Eddie Edwards, Fayth Njenga, Imani Alade, La Tanya Horace DuBois, LaCretiah Claytor, Marcus Harden, Melissa Thelemaque, Michelle Barnes, Samuel Woldemariam and Taylor Nolan.
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