SEATTLE— Verity Credit Union, a Seattle-based financial institution with assets totaling $735 million, known for its socially responsible, community-rooted banking, announced today the 10 recipients of its 2026 Grants for Growth program, awarding $50,000 in flexible funding to five Washington nonprofits and five microbusinesses working to expand economic opportunity and create lasting impact in their communities across the state. Each recipient will receive $5,000 to strengthen programs, expand services, and invest in long-term sustainability.
Through its Microbusiness Grant and Nonprofit Microgrant programs, Verity’s Grants for Growth initiative provides unrestricted funding that allows recipients to invest where their communities need it most. It supports organizations advancing economic mobility, financial empowerment, workforce development, housing stability, food access, entrepreneurship, and culturally responsive community services.
“Our Grants for Growth program reflects Verity’s commitment to uplifting organizations that are creating meaningful change in communities that have historically faced barriers to opportunity,” said Ziquora Banks, Chief Impact Strategy Officer at Verity Credit Union. “Flexible funding allows these organizations to invest where they can have the greatest impact, whether that means expanding services, strengthening infrastructure, or creating new pathways to economic mobility. We’re honored to support the important work they’re doing across Washington.”
Verity Credit Union’s 2026 Grants for Growth recipients include:
· NextWave Society provides paid technology fellowship opportunities for community college, first-generation, and Pell-eligible students, helping to remove financial barriers while creating pathways into technology careers. Grant funding will expand student stipends, mentorship programming, and employer partnerships.
· Cambodian Americans Advocating Peace (CAAP) serves Cambodian and Lao communities in South Seattle through culturally rooted programming, including Know Your Rights workshops, financial scam prevention education for elders, and community resource navigation delivered in community languages.
· The Greater Seattle Bureau of Fearless Ideas provides free literacy, storytelling, and paid internship opportunities for multilingual, immigrant, and low-income youth, creating pathways to career readiness and economic mobility.
· A Woman’s Worth supports women transitioning from incarceration through housing navigation, employment assistance, financial wellness resources, and reentry planning designed by women with lived experience.
· Somali Bantu Rising strengthens opportunity for Somali Bantu families through culturally and linguistically responsive education, community engagement, and organizational infrastructure, including programming delivered in Maay-Maay and Chizigula, supporting residents across South King County.
· Freedom Architecture LLC delivers bilingual financial education in English and Spanish to Latino and immigrant entrepreneurs, helping small business owners navigate taxes, retirement planning, and financial management through culturally accessible resources.
· Noir Preneurship LLC is a Black-led entrepreneurial network dedicated to building generational wealth through business education, mentorship, networking opportunities, and community partnerships supporting Black-owned businesses throughout Pierce County.
· Singleton Community Partners is a nurse-led startup developing medical respite services for Medicaid-eligible adults experiencing homelessness, providing a safe recovery environment that bridges the gap between hospital discharge and stable housing.
· Through the Looking Glass LLC (DBA: Advocacy Change Thrive) provides trauma-informed housing, employment, and supportive services for individuals experiencing housing instability, disability, mental health challenges, and substance use recovery in rural Snohomish County.
· North Star Grove is a BIPOC- and Queer-led community food hub building a regional distribution network that connects tribal and historically underserved agricultural producers with schools, food banks, and other institutional buyers across the North Olympic Peninsula.
