June 12, 2008

New grant helps expand partnerships, promote equity and social justice

King County's work to promote fairness and opportunities for all its residents is getting a financial boost from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation which has awarded the county a competitive grant of $100,000 to help advance the Equity and Social Justice Initiative launched earlier this year.

"We know there are significant inequities in our county, based on where you live, the color of your skin and your income, and that not all of our residents enjoy the same quality of life," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "The Kellogg Foundation grant will help us find ways to correct that and transform the way we do business by consistently promoting equity and building more partnerships with our communities,"

The King County Equity and Social Justice Initiative focuses on county decision-making and policy-making, specific actions by departments to address equity, and community engagement and partnerships. For more information on the Initiative, visit: www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

The Initiative will use the majority of this Kellogg grant to continue its community engagement work. As part of community engagement, the county is holding conversations with local residents to raise awareness about inequities, discuss root causes, and mobilize around solutions. There are approximately 50 facilitators, including community partners, youth and county employees, who have been trained by King County to facilitate dialogues. For more information about the Initiative's community engagement, visit www.kingcounty.gov/exec/equity/getinvolved.

Another portion of the grant will support strategic planning during this early stage of the Initiative.

"We are laying a strong base to identify the elements of positive change, and we hope to expand these solutions so more of our communities can prosper and flourish," said Sims.

For more information about the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, please visit the Foundation's website at www.wkkf.org.