Washington State Microenterprise Association

About Washington State Microenterprise Association

Washington State Microenterprise Association funds the organizations that help very small businesses get training, counseling, and access to capital. Its recent grant record shows a strong preference for nonprofit Entrepreneur Support Organizations, CDFIs, chambers of commerce, and community-based intermediaries that work with microbusinesses across Washington. The largest recent awards include $70,000 grants to Oneeastside Foundation, Terrain Programs, El Centro De La Raza, and Seattle Good Business Network in 2024, along with continued support for Seattle Good Business Network at $65,000 in 2025. That pattern points to a funder that backs local infrastructure for entrepreneurship rather than direct individual assistance. The foundation’s mission centers on economic development systems for self-employment, business creation and expansion, job creation, and financial education. Recent grants also show attention to equity-focused support for BIPOC entrepreneurs, veterans, people with disabilities, returning citizens, and LGBTQ+ communities. In practice, the association funds both training-oriented groups and organizations that connect microbusinesses to financing, suggesting a blend of capacity building and business support across the state.

What Washington State Microenterprise Association Funds

A clear theme in the portfolio is business training and technical assistance. In 2025, Washington State Microenterprise Association gave $55,000 to Community Carrot and $43,000 to Driver Solidarity & Resource Center, both in Seattle-area communities, for work tied to microbusiness support and entrepreneurship services. It also supported Emerald Cities Cooperative with $52,710 in Tukwila, another example of assistance delivered through local intermediaries. Access to financing is another recurring theme. The foundation awarded $60,000 to PNW Tribal Lending Lummi Community Development in Bellingham and $50,600 to Northwest Access Fund in Shoreline, showing support for organizations that help very small businesses connect with capital. Community-specific entrepreneurship support appears as well. Grants to El Centro De La Raza in Seattle and the Filipino Community of Seattle show that the funder works through established community organizations, not only through generic small-business providers.

How Washington State Microenterprise Association Gives