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2025 Report to the Community

Pike Place Market Foundation

Dear Market Community,

Thank you for another year of service and leadership you dedicated to our mission at the Pike Place Market Foundation to nurture a thriving Market community.

This year was a year of transition and change in Pike Place Market, and your continued commitment to the Pike Place Market Foundation has enabled us to be nimble and support the fluctuating and growing needs of our community. We’re honored that you’ve continued to join us in helping to meet the increased demand for food assistance, economic stability, and healthcare navigation programs we are seeing today.

Continued investment in the Market Foundation is now more important than ever because of federal and state-level changes and cuts that deeply impact communities like the Pike Place Market. Trade, funding, and immigration policies are impacting all aspects of Market life, from farmers and small businesses to tourism and social services, social security, and housing assistance. A change in any of these areas affects the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of people in and around the Market.

At the Market Foundation, we are reminded of our own history – a story you helped create! In 1982, the seeds of the Market Foundation were sown in response to an era of federal funding cuts to social services. In the intervening decades, the partnership model that has evolved allows the Market’s senior center, food bank, preschool, medical clinic, assisted living and, most recently, community resource center, to grow and blossom into a hub of support for our downtown neighbors. This Market-wide safety net of support reaches more than 20,000 seniors, families, workers, farmers, and small business owners, and is essential to the stability of thousands of people who live, work and access services in the Market. We refuse to reduce essential services for our community; in the coming years, we plan to increase our support.

Once again, we express our gratitude for your commitment and partnership in our mission to nurture a thriving Pike Place Market, so that everyone working, living, and learning in and around it can live their best life possible.

Gratefully,

Lisa Chin
Interim Executive Director

Last year…

1,763 donors
307 volunteers
116 Market merchants
18 Market Foundation staff
5 social service partners
1 Pike Place Market PDA

worked together to support the Pike Place Market community!

Help Keep the Market Strong!

Join us in nurturing a thriving Market community for generations to come!

CONTRIBUTE TODAY

 

 

Map of Market Community Housing and Services

Beyond the fish and flowers, Pike Place Market is a village of farmers, artists, residents and neighbors. With senior housing above the Market’s storefronts and a network of social services woven throughout the historic district, the Pike Place Market Foundation welcomes and supports a diverse community in the heart of downtown Seattle.

Established in 1982, after a decades-long fight to save Pike Place Market from the wrecking ball, the Market Foundation was established to fulfill the Market’s historic charter to provide services and support for our community, especially our neighbors living on low incomes.

Our Model for a Healthy Community

Rooted in our model for a healthy community, the Market Foundation improves the health and well-being of our neighbors by increasing access to education, nutritious food, community support, economic stability and a safe neighborhood.


Within this model, the Market Foundation works with service partners to promote these social determinants and reduce the barriers faced by community members. When these barriers are reduced or eliminated, data shows that our neighbors find stability and have an opportunity to attain their full health potential. 
 
By focusing our attention on these elements that help people live healthy lives – we are nurturing a community that supports people at all stages of life. 

Our vision is to keep senior residents and Market workers stable by providing financial assistance and wraparound support during times of personal crisis. Our Community Safety Net is available to provide immediate relief to anyone who lives, works or accesses services in Pike Place Market. The resource desk at The Market Commons provides community support and resource referrals with a goal of achieving long-term economic stability.

 

We inspire a sense of connection for all members of the Market community. We help reduce isolation by welcoming everyone to The Market Commons, a low-barrier neighborhood center in the heart of Pike Place Market where residents, workers and neighbors can stop by for vital resources, social activities or even just to say “Hello!”. Members of the Senior Center participate in activities like dancing and watching films, all while connecting with fellow members, while Heritage House is an assisted living facility for the Market’s senior residents to age in-place.

 

Our vision is to ensure all working families in the Market community have the opportunity to maintain stable employment, while receiving the high-quality, affordable early childhood education. We invest in the Pike Market Child Care and Preschool, the only preschool in Seattle that operates on a sliding-scale tuition payment plan so that all families, regardless of income, can receive the best possible care and education for their young children.

Our vision is to reduce health inequalities in and around Pike Place Market by increasing social connections, reducing barriers to health care and improving access, education and advocacy for all members of our community. We partner with Neighborcare Health at Pike Place Market where patients collaborate with a team of medical, dental, mental health and substance abuse professionals to develop personal health improvement plans. No one is ever turned away due to a lack of insurance, income or immigration status.

Our vision is to support the health of our neighbors by providing increased access to the abundance of healthy food in Pike Place Market. Through our Food Access Program, we administer a variety of reduced price shopping programs, to encourage neighbors on fixed incomes to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables and protein from Market farmers and vendors. Thousands of our neighbors also rely on weekly shopping trips to the Pike Market Food Bank and free scratch-made meals at the Pike Market Senior Center to meet their daily nutritional needs.

Our vision is to ensure that our neighborhood and built environment is safe, accessible and activated for everyone. Throughout our 43-year history, the Market Foundation has invested more than $15 million in private funds and secured more than $75 million in public funds to support the development and refurbishment of 600+ units of low-income housing, an accessible senior center, expanded preschool, medical clinic, food bank and most-recently a neighborhood center, community garden, and new preschool playground.

Our shared impact this year:

  • $1.297 million invested in social service partners
  • 171,702 meals distributed and 101,373 shopping trips
  • 9,674 health clinic patient visits
  • $86,379 in Safety Net grants
  • 71 Preschoolers received early education

 “You know, I’ve been to a lot of social service agencies and none are as comprehensive as The Commons. And who smiles when they go to an agency? Who has this much fun? This place really works.” ~Pike Place Market resident

Our partners in the Market help to make all of this possible!

Pike Market Senior Center & Food Bank • Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority • Providence Heritage House at the Market • Pike Market Child Care & Preschool • Neighborcare Health at Pike Place Market

Community Connections in Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market is only made possible by the partnerships between our community members. Hear firsthand from our legacy partners, Market farmers and crafters, and other community partners what the Market means to them and how the Pike Place neighborhood is supported and preserved.

        History of the Market Foundation

        In 1982, the Pike Place Market Foundation was created to support the heart of the Market: its people. Learn more about the establishment of the Market Foundation, our legacy partners, and our commitment to the Healthy Community Model 43 years later.

        pig and care

         

        Cultural Diversity of the Market

        At our 10th annual “Celebrate the Market!” event on May 15th, 2025, we shared the stories and experiences from the various Seattle residents who founded the Market in 1907 and have dedicated their lives to its prosperity into the 21st century. The Market Foundation is committed to working with the community and sharing the stories of those who shaped this neighborhood and its rich traditions. 

          Financials

          TOTAL REVENUE: $3,911,961
          TOTAL GRANTS & COMMUNITY IMPACT + EXPENSES: $4,252,111 $340,150 was used from the Market Foundation's previously raised reserve funding

          Thank you to our supporters

          All of our donors, volunteers, and community members in 2025 played a part in nurturing a thriving Market community for generations to come. Thank you to the for supporting the Pike Place Market community this year; your contributions of time, talent and treasure have an immeasurable impact!

          Each of our contributors ensures that the Market Foundation can continue to address the growing needs for food, healthcare, housing and overall support among Market seniors, low-income workers, families, and neighbors.

          Pike Place Market has faced many challenges in the past, but remains resilient because of its dedicated network of social services, residents, farmers, and workers who show up for one another to ensure that everyone can live their best lives possible. This community also includes friends and neighbors like you, who have joined in this important work.

          With your partnership, the Pike Place Market Foundation can help sustain the “Soul of Seattle,” and ensure that the Market will remain strong and sustainable for future generations. We are grateful for your dedication to the Market community.

          Thank you for supporting the work of the Market Foundation.

          Board of Directors

          OFFICERS

          Kirsten Anderson, President

          Jonathan Bahe, President Elect

          Clint Bennett, Member-at-Large

          Jamie Campbell, Member-at-Large

          Jessica Carso, Member-at-Large

          Christine Craig, Secretary

          Edward Gay, Member-at-Large

          Sarah Mills, Treasurer

          Matt Rosston, Member-at-Large

          Members

          Henry Arias

          John Bates

          Joel Carsley

          Cora Chairez-Carter

          Nick Ferderer

          Jason Hamblin

          Ashley Hayes

          Heather Hwalek

          Marlana Kohn

          Ka Bao Lee

          Melita Love

          Martha Mickelson

          Raluca Pop

          Natalie Romig

          Mary Grace Roske

          Michele Shaw

          Michael Woody

          Market Foundation Staff

          Miranda Arney, The Market Commons Outreach Specialist

          Leilani Balais, Special Events Manager

          Sam Bradshaw, The Market Commons Program Specialist

          Velma Chaney, The Market Commons Resource Manager

          Lisa Chin, Interim Executive Director

          Crystal Dixon, Deputy Director

          Tracy Esperanzate, The Market Commons Resource Coordinator

          Patricia Gray, Director of Leadership Giving

          Stella Jones, The Market Commons Resource Outreach Specialist

          Ashley Mouldon, Corporate Engagement Manager

          Jessa Mae Schnacke-Ayunon, Donor Relations Analyst

          Jennifer Schooley, Director of Development Operations

          Nick Setten, Donor Relations Specialist

          Credits

          Designed by People People
          Photos by various Pike Place Market community members
          Written by Patricia Gray and Hailey Hummel