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Puget Sound Sage 

Description

Puget Sound Sage is a strategic metro-area partnership of community, faith, immigrant and other organizations committed to building thriving communities. Sage uses a combination of best-practice research, policy, civic engagement and leadership development tools to negotiate win-win solutions benefiting communities and the public interest. 

Puget Sound Sage works to promote quality employment opportunities for disadvantaged adults, a cleaner environment and affordable housing for low/moderate income families in the metro Seattle area. 

Mission Statement
Our mission is to ensure that all families benefit from economic growth, and that local and regional policy decisions meet the social and environmental needs of our communities.
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Puget Sound Sage
1032 S Jackson St 
Seattle 
WA
98104 
(206) 568-5000 ext13 

David L. West 
Executive Director 

Programs

Puget Sound Sage Programs

Community Benefits and Development
Sage works with community partners to ensure that major transportation and economic development plans benefit low and moderate income families, immigrants and communities of color. Sage advocates for policies that support and expand living wage jobs, affordable housing and transit access.

Environmental Justice
Sage leads community participation in the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports (CCSP), an effort to make the Port trucking industry more efficient, reduce air pollution in low-income south Seattle communities surrounding the Port of Seattle, and improve the quality of related jobs.       

Green Jobs
Sage is a founder of Emerald Cities Seattle, a broad consortium of community, business, labor and government working to green metro Seattle and provide training and high quality jobs to disadvantaged workers through energy retrofits.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

2012 Accomplishments
Sage's 2012 report, Transit Oriented Development that's Healthy, Green and Just, created a blueprint for responsible development to preserve existing ethnic and immigrant communities in southeast Seattle  now facing displacement pressures, using equitable housing, transit and economic development policies. The report has also catalyzed new community organizing and partnerships in southeast Seattle and suburban King County.

Sage also released well-researched reports on challenges facing low-wage workers at Sea-Tac Airport and the hospitality industry, and an analysis of the economic impacts of low-wage Big Box retail development.

Needs: Leadership Development
Successful civic participation requires new models of Civic Leadership training for emerging leaders from communities impacted by growth, development and a changing economy. Sage is seeking resources to launch a values-based Civic Leadership training in partnership with community-based organizations in Seattle and South King County. The trainings would cover leadership skills, understanding the regional economy, the role of government, and strengthening democratic institutions.

Evaluation


Puget Sound Sage works on a variety of issues that disproportionately impact lower income and minority residents in South Seattle such as access to transportation, employment and housing. Through a combination of research, policy tools, leadership development, civic engagement, and public-private investments, Puget Sound Sage works with communities to create positive and sustainable solutions to their pressing problems.

Collaboration
In partnership with the Rainier Beach Community Empowerment Coalition (RBCEC), Puget Sound Sage launched a Civic Leadership Institute called “LeaderLink” that trained 20 activists from Rainier Beach and other South Seattle neighborhoods on leadership skills, local government policy-making and transit and transit-oriented development (TOD) issues. The goal is to ensure that transit-dependent low-income and immigrant communities have a voice in upcoming transit policy decisions impacting their neighborhoods.

Sage is a founding partner in launching Emerald Cities Seattle, part of an ambitious national program working to create a new green economy that protects the environment and provides equitable job opportunities. Sage is currently working with The Seattle Foundation, City of Seattle, Building Trades, Enterprise Community Partners and many others to ensure disadvantaged workers can access living-wage “Green Jobs” such as retrofitting homes and businesses to be more energy efficient.

Leadership
Puget Sound Sage is currently working on a project with environmental and neighborhood groups to reduce air pollution from South Seattle diesel truck fleet operations that impact South Park, Georgetown, Delridge, Boulevard Park and Beacon Hill. Sage will partner with researchers from University of Washington to design studies that measure pollution exposure from truck fleets and provide information to neighborhood leaders so they can advocate for changes that would improve local environmental and human health.

Proven Success
In 2008, Sage led a broad community effort that resulted in the region’s first community benefits agreement on a $350 million development project near downtown Seattle (which secured plans for low-income housing, apprenticeships, neighborhood improvements and support for ethnic small business owners).

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
3/10/2013 $20,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/10/2012 $20,000.00support general operating expenses.
6/10/2011 $20,000.00support general operating expenses.
3/10/2009 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.

Financials

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