Community Reinvestment Project: Pierce County Local Advisory Team

In July 2024, Greater Tacoma Community Foundation (GTCF) contracted with the Washington State Department of Commerce to support delivery of nearly $1.8 million in Community Reinvestment Project funds to Pierce County communities through a Local Advisory Team (LAT).  The Department of Commerce’s Community Reinvestment Project (CRP) is a community-designed plan to uplift Black, Latine, and Indigenous communities disproportionately harmed by the historical design/enforcement of criminal laws and penalties for drug possession (otherwise known as the war on drugs).  

The Pierce County Local Advisory Team began meeting in October 2024 to surface pressing needs in their communities, envision desired outcomes for CRP funding, and develop a plan for distributing funds. Together the Pierce County Local Advisory Team recommended $1.8 million in CRP funding and an additional $239K in GTCF aligned funding to 30 By/For Black, Latine, and Indigenous organizations in Pierce County. 

PIERCE COUNTY LOCAL ADVISORY TEAM (LAT)

ESTABLISHING THE PIERCE COUNTY LOCAL ADVISORY TEAM

The Community Reinvestment Project committed funds specifically for Local Advisory Teams (LAT) to direct. This commitment came from an awareness that LATs “will not only provide opportunities for community members to take an active role in their own community; it will also ensure that programs are developed and delivered in a culturally-specific manner that reflects the needs and strengths of the community.” (Community Reinvestment Plan, p.37)  

The Plan allowed local flexibility about how those teams were formed and how they directed funds. However, the CRP required LATs advise on budget allocation, track progress, and recommend funding for established, but often times overlooked local efforts lacking capacity to apply for large government grants.

Building on years of experience facilitating community funding processes, GTCF recognized several challenges that come with establishing community-based funding cohorts like a LAT.  These challenges include, but are not limited to:  

• No single person or group represents an entire community 

• There can be a perception of self-serving or special relationship favoritism even with funding committees 

• Without intentional design, grant processes can be high-barrier, insensitive to the needs of community-based organizations, and can create high community expectations even with limited dollars. 

• Government and Foundation funders often create performative funding committees to endorse already-created plans. This practice continues to create an access to capital barrier and favors dominant culture and larger organizations that have the capacity to engage.   

Through local design, GTCF aimed to address these challenges while fulfilling the CRP plan goals. GTCF consulted with community CRP contractors, GTCF Board Members engaged in CRP work, and the state-wide CRP Funder Consortium to better understand needs, barriers, and approaches.  GTCF then activated a 3-person Pierce County LAT Leadership Table with people whose lived experience and community leadership represent the By/For Communities and Goals identified in the Department of Commerce Community Reinvestment Plan.  The Leadership Table consulted with GTCF to inform team values, process, and a timeline for funding.   

In September 2024, The Leadership Table recommended five additional members for the Pierce County LAT. Each of these members also shared lived experience and community leadership with By/For Communities, as well as broad-reaching connections across Pierce County. 

ROUND 1 CRP FUNDING DISTRIBUTION

Recognizing the importance of upfront resourcing, each member of the Local Advisory Team initially had access to direct $100,000 in CRP regrant funding. This funding could go directly to the nonprofit organization or business enterprise with which LAT members are connected or to other CRP-aligned efforts in Pierce County.  

ROUND 2 CRP FUNDING DESIGN PROCESS

In December 2024 and January 2025, Pierce County LAT members engaged in a human-centered design workshop with UW-Tacoma Global Innovation & Design Lab to help develop a process for distributing the remaining CRP regrant funding.  

Understanding that this iteration of CRP funding was allocated for a single fiscal year, the design workshop centered around the question, “How can a one-time investment make a long-term impact for Black, Latine, and Indigenous Kin communities in Pierce County?”  

In advance of the design workshops, LAT members completed readings about the design process and answered questions about pressing needs and barriers they have encountered working within Black, Latine, and Indigenous-led community efforts. Discussion about responses was integrated into the workshops along with envisioning outcomes LAT members want to see for communities receiving funding.  Participants also engaged in ideation around values that would guide funding and prototyping of distribution processes. 

With the goal of mitigating barriers of an extensive application process and meeting the deadline of distributing funds by March 2025, the group outlined a process where each Pierce County LAT member recommended up to 5 recipients whose current work aligns with CRP goals and desired community outcomes identified through the design workshop.  LAT members collectively reviewed all recommendations and GTCF engaged in a due diligence process for each one to ensure alignment with CRP goals and IRS regulations. 

ROUND 2 CRP FUNDING DISTRIBUTION

$1,088,900 CRP funding was distributed to 30 By/For Black. Latine and Indigenous Kin organizations in March 2025.  

GTCF ALIGNED FUNDING

As a Catalyst, GTCF leverages its discretionary funding to make strategic philanthropic investments that build momentum of existing and potential community movements. These investments range from grants and technical assistance to communications and networking.  

As part of its 2024-2025 impact approach, GTCF aims to amplify, and align with, existing and emerging community efforts like the Pierce County Local Advisory Team to catalyze and accelerate access to government and philanthropic investments.

GTCF did this in two ways: 

1) Established an internal CRP intermediary fund to establish a cash flow reserve for taking on a reimbursement-based contract with Department of Commerce. This $925,000 fund allows grants to go out, GTCF to be reimbursed, and grants to go out again, serving as a multiplier. The CRP intermediary fund was seeded with funding from Angelika Strunz Fund, Donald R. and Mary E. Williams Arts Fund, Donald R. and Mary E. Williams Youth Fund, Fund for Women & Girls, GTCF Catalyst Fund, Hyde Fund for Environment, and Susan D. Nilsson Fund. 

2) Aligned a portion of its 2025 funding from Field of Interest Funds to go to CRP funding recipients. See below. 

GTCF ALIGNED FUNDING DISTRIBUTION