Federal Way arts and culture organizations receive grant funding

The Federal Way Youth Symphony Orchestra and Pacific Bonsai Museum benefit.

By Keelin Everly-Lang • December 26, 2024 11:35 am
The Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way received a Doors Open Facilities grant that the museum will use to transform its conservatory into a more visitor-focused center. Photo provided by 4Culture
The Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way received a Doors Open Facilities grant that the museum will use to transform its conservatory into a more visitor-focused center. Photo provided by 4Culture

Through taps, swipes and clicks online, every taxable sale in King County has contributed to grant funding for 2025 for a total of over 700 cultural organizations in King County.

The Doors Open science, heritage and arts levy began adding an additional 0.1% in sales tax in April 2024, leading to $150 million in funding. Funds raised through lodging taxes added an additional $15 million to that fund.

Those dollars are coming right back to the community of Federal Way through $900,000 in funds that will be invested into Federal Way arts and heritage organizations, according to an announcement shared by 4Culture in mid-December.

“For too long, South King County has been overlooked for investment in cultural, heritage, and arts programs, so this year we worked extra hard to increase the amount of funding available to our local organizations, particularly those that create cultural opportunities for youth,” said King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, who chairs the Regional Policy Committee. “I see these Federal Way grants as a starting point, and I look forward to seeing cultural organizations in South King County grow as additional funding is awarded.”

In their announcement of Doors Open in 2023, King County Council shared that this will “fund equitable access, support programming in public schools, and increase tourism and revenue, and feed the workforce pipeline to the arts and culture sector.”

These funds go toward several different types of grants. Doors Open Facilities grants are one-time funds for “renovation, new construction, preservation, and property acquisition” for an organization.

Out of the 83 Doors Open facilities grants distributed in King County, two are from Federal Way. The Federal Way Youth Symphony Orchestra will be using their $72,000 Doors Open facilities grant to invest in a new location. A visitor-centric renovation at the Pacific Bonsai Museum will be funded by the $241,000 they received.

Other grants focus on longer-term support.

Sustained Support grants “fund the day-to-day operational costs that allow cultural organizations to serve and enrich the lives of King County visitors and residents … to provide a stable and predictable revenue source, these organizations will continue to receive funding over a 3-year period,” according to a press release by 4Culture.

Arts Sustained Support grants went to nine organizations in Federal Way including: Federal Way Harmony Kings, Jet Cities Chorus, Federal Way Chorale, Federal Way Symphony Orchestra, Federal Way Youth Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Bonsai Museum, Centerstage Theatre Arts Conservatory Inc., Arts Foundation Federal Way, City of Federal Way and Rosebud Children’s Theatre Conservatory.

Heritage Sustained Support funds went to the Historical Society of Federal Way and to the Pacific Islander Community Association of WA (PICA-WA). While PICA-WA serves the entire state, the organization is based in Federal Way and provides extensive resources and programming for the local community.

The Doors Open levy has provided a much larger pool of recipients and increased available funds. This is also the first year that science organizations were eligible.

“Thanks to Doors Open legislation, organizations providing education and programming to advance science and technology can now receive funding from 4Culture. For the first time in the agency’s history, 22 science organizations will receive 4Culture grants,” 4Culture shared in a press release.