2026 Grant Winners

Each year West Seattle Garden Tour, a 501(c)(3) organization, seeks out other nonprofits whose goals fit our mission—to promote horticulture, education, and artistic endeavors within West Seattle and neighboring communities. Your donations and purchase of garden tour and raffle tickets, along with the generous support of our sponsors, allow the West Seattle Garden Tour to fund projects in our community.

We are proud to present the nine nonprofit organizations selected to receive a total of $49,000 in West Seattle Garden Tour grants this year. Be sure to visit their tables in the garden today.

ARTSWEST

ArtsWest, legacy grantee since 1995, is a professional theatre with a mission to produce artistic events that provoke conversation, incite the imagination and use live theatre as a powerful agent of change.

The grant supports the production of Wish You Were Here by Sanaz Toosi, a play following five best friends who lean on each other in the face of uncertainty in Iran. On stage from June 11-July 5, it is a co-production with Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble.

Environmental Science Center

The Environmental Science Center fosters environmental stewardship and scientific curiosity in our community by connecting people of all ages to the rich natural beauty of our local ecosystems through its many free programs.

Each year, our Salmon Heroes program provides about 3,000 4th-8th grade students with immersive field experiences along salmon-bearing streams and hands-on projects in the schoolyard such as planting native plants. WSGT funds will support this effort connecting students to their local watershed and actively improving the habitat. 

Maarten Park Community Committee

The Maarten Park Community Committee stewards a dynamic public space designed for outdoor sanctuary and community belonging in a West Seattle neighborhood. A portion of the park features play structures and an open lawn. In an adjoining area, they will expand their current community garden. Grant funds will establish essential infrastructure, including raised beds, irrigation system, and a produce-sharing pantry. The community garden will support early childhood nature programming and sustainable food sharing, providing a vital horticultural resource and a "shared backyard" for neighbors of all ages and backgrounds.  

Seattle Civic Dance Theatre

Seattle Civic Dance Theatre, based out of West Seattle and Burien, has been producing performances and providing scholarships for dance students since 1985. In 2024, they opened participation in their annual winter story ballet, “The Magical Doll Maker” to all local youth dancers and made participation free, with the goal of increasing young dancers’ access to performance opportunities. WSGT grant funding will support the 2026 production of The Magical Doll Maker in late November.

SOLID gROUND

Solid Ground works to end poverty and undo racism by providing housing stability, food access, and community-based services across King County. WSGT funding will support their Community Food Education ‘Giving Garden’ at Marra Farm in South Park. Here volunteers and youth help to grow fresh produce donated back to the South Park community, while learning sustainable gardening and farming skills, strengthening community connections, and expanding access to healthy, locally grown food.

Southwest Seattle Historical Society

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s mission is to promote inclusive local history through education, preservation, and advocacy. SWSHS was organized in 1984 and has owned and operated the Log House Museum at Alki Beach, a City of Seattle Historical Landmark, since 1997. Funding from the West Seattle Garden Tour will be applied towards developing its Native Plant Garden and enhancing SWSHS’s stewardship and interpretation of the natural environment. New hardscape, refreshed native plantings and soil preparation will be funded.

The Kenney

Established in 1907, The Kenney is a nonprofit senior living community in the heart of West Seattle. The WSGT grant will help grow its historic five-acre campus into an accredited arboretum and a shared community treasure. Funding will provide tree signage and a resident-led docent program. Through quiet, private walking tours, visitors will be invited to learn from the trees while honoring the peaceful home of the Kenney residents. This project fosters stewardship, lifelong learning and meaningful connection through nature.

The Whale Trail

The Whale Trail maintains a series of sites to watch orcas or other marine mammals from shore along the Puget sound and the Pacific coast. In 2002, founder Donna Sandstrom was a community organizer in the successful effort to return an orphaned orca to her pod. With support from WSGT, Donna will share Springer’s inspiring story with West Seattle schools—how it led to starting The Whale Trail, and what students can do to help southern resident orcas today.

Urban ArtWorks