Rachel’s Reserve helps special projects that make a positive impact on the neighborhood or built environment of the Market.
The Heritage Display Project
Pike Place Market is a rich and diverse place. Woven throughout its 111-year history are important stories about the people who made and continue to make this place a vibrant community, top-travel destination and treasured, historic landmark. Existing interpretive displays, historical signs and commemorative plaques are outdated and in disrepair and need to be re-imagined to effectively communicate with shoppers in a bustling Market place. In partnership with the Pike Place Market PDA and Friends of the Market, The Market Foundation is working to assess the current heritage displays and guide design development of new heritage displays throughout the Market.
Pike Market Kids Playground Renovation Campaign
In 2023, we opened the Market’s new preschool playground! This dynamic, versatile space allows Pike Market kids to create and build social, cognitive and physical skills in a more open and spacious natural setting.
In the early 1980s, federal budget cuts halted the construction of the Pike Market Child Care and Preschool’s playground and spawned the founding of the Market Foundation to help bring the project to life. Exactly forty years later, we were thrilled that the Market Foundation’s very first project, the preschool playground, came full circle in a new renovated play space for the next generation. This dynamic, versatile space allows Pike Market kids to invent, create and build social, cognitive and physical skills in a more open and spacious natural setting.
COVID-19 Granting Support
The COVID–19 pandemic exposed deep gaps in social and health systems, making our community model and commitment to our partners more critical than ever. In response, program staff at The Market Commons worked with our partner agencies to identify emerging needs and pivot to grant funding for these gaps. The Market Foundation was able to deploy emergency funds to keep operations stable, supporting unexpected costs like salary increases for Preschool teachers, parking for Heritage House staff, support with unexpected food costs, and more.
“We used the policies and procedures we’ve already adopted as a framework, and our connection with agency partners to move quickly in response,” said Crystal Dixon, Director of Strategic Impact. “We were able to turn on a dime because our programs are built to be nimble and responsive to community needs.” In total, the Market Foundation raised and invested more than $__ in emergency programs during our Power of Pike Place Recovery campaign.
Pike Place MarketFront Expansion
On June 29th, 2017 Pike Place Market celebrated the much anticipated opening of the new MarketFront! A site originally built for Market producers in the early 20th century, the expansion reclaimed the site to serve the Market and created a dynamic public plaza with views of Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains. True to the Market’s charter, the expansion includes low-income housing and a social services hub to support the Market community.
In partnership with the Pike Place Market PDA, the Pike Place Market Foundation successfully concluded the Pike Up! campaign in December 2017 to complete funding for the MarketFront expansion. Through a four-year community-activated fundraising strategy the Market Foundation raised $9.3 million from more than 6,204 donors who were recognized at a variety of levels including 99 Mosaic Fish representing donations of $10,000 and up; 443 Bronze Hoofprints recognizing donations of $5,000 and 8,089 Market Charms recognizing donations of $180.
The Foundation also led the selection, management and funding of the public art on the site created by Clare Dohna and John Fleming. In September 2017, the Foundation celebrated the opening of the new community services hub at the MarketFront with The Market Commons. The Foundation continues to operate and serve the community with a resource desk, community activities and partner programs at this location.
Learn more about the Pike Up! campaign and the MarketFront