PACE E-Newsletter: February 2026

In advance of People's Academy for Community Engagement (PACE) cohort opportunities opening up this year, we want to keep sharing out information on other civic engagement programs, learning opportunities, and ways to get involved.

Please see items under these topics below:

• News Highlights
• Learning Opportunities and Community Events
• Boards, Commissions, and Panel Opportunities
• Input Opportunities and Surveys
• Funding, Art Opportunities, and Free Resources

If you have any questions, please contact PACE@seattle.gov.

News Highlights

• Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s 2026 State of the City Address
  • Transcript
  • Video
• Executive Zahilay Signs New Executive Order to Strengthen Protections and Support for King County’s Immigrant and Refugee Communities
• Mayor Wilson - Stand Together: Let's Make Seattle a Welcoming City
• Neighbor Day - Saturday, May 2, 2026
  • On Saturday, May 2, 2026, neighbors across Seattle will take a little time to connect; say hi, check in, share a laugh, or do something kind. No perfection required. No big plans needed. Just people, showing up for each other.
  • For 35 Years, Neighbors Have Shaped Seattle. This Year DON Celebrates Them

Learning Opportunities and Community Events

• Queering Intersectional Aging: Seattle's Black LGBTQ+ Seniors Speak - February 25 at 2pm on Zoom
• Building Community in South Park: Register for the Best Day Ever Event on March 21 at South Park Hall
• The Washington Institute for Parent Leadership Interest Form
  • This program is not affiliated with the City of Seattle.
  • Participants learn personal and community leadership skills, how to become civic and school leaders, how the public education system is structured, how Washington government and public policy work and how to speak in public.
  • Spring cohort classes start March 14. Fall cohort classes start October 3.

Boards, Commissions, and Panel Opportunities

• Help Shape Decisions Impacting Local Renters: Apply for the Seattle Renters’ Commission by 5pm on Monday, March 2
• Seattle Center Seeks Candidates for Positions on the Central Waterfront Oversight Committee - applications due March 2
• Mayor Wilson Seeks New Member for International Special Review District Board - deadline March 2
• Now Recruiting: Seattle Women's Commission and Seattle Human Rights Commission
  • To be considered to serve, submit an application, resume, and cover letter through the City of Seattle Boards and Commissions webpage.
  • Alternatively, as an accommodation, applicants may email a video to sebastian.wilson@seattle.gov that details their resume and interest.  Additional accommodations for the application process are also available upon request.
• Sound Transit Community Oversight Panel is seeking interested volunteers
  • There is currently one position available for the Snohomish County subarea, one position in the East King County subarea and two positions in the South King County subarea.

Input Opportunities and Surveys

• Connecting With Community: Join Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) For Continued Families, Education, Preschool & Promise Levy (FEPP) Levy Engagement Opportunities
  • TODAY, February 24, 5:30–7:30 PM at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute
  • February 26, 5:30–7:30 PM at Magnuson Community Center
  • Online survey
• District 4 Transportation Safety Survey - deadline February 25
• Your Voice Shapes Seattle’s Waste-Free Future - survey closes February 25
• Now open for public comment - Washington Opportunity Zones Program documents - deadline February 27
• Seattle Parks and Recreation Projects
  • Roanoke Park Play Area Renovation - Open House March 7
  • Froula Playground Play Area Renovation (Roosevelt) - Open House March 7
  • Daybreak Star Pathway Improvements
  • Lake City Community Center Redevelopment
  • Jackson Park Disc Golf Project
  • Kubota Garden Visitor Center

• Seattle Police Department Launches “Our City, Our Safety 2026,” A Community Conversation Series for Seattleites
  • March 11: Alki Beach Boathouse

• Office of Planning and Community Development - Regional Centers Planning
  • South Lake Union (SLU) Regional Center Planning Survey – deadline April 15
  • Uptown Regional Center Planning Survey – deadline April 15
• Black Women in the Public Sector: Experiences, Barriers, and Solutions - survey
  • Washington State Women’s Commission (WSWC)and the Washington State Business Resource Group, Blacks United in Leadership & Diversity (BUILD), launched this initiative to better understand and improve the experiences of Black women working in the public sector.
• King County Resident Cultural Participation Survey
  • 4Culture is gathering community perspectives on cultural access — to ensure that arts, culture, science & technology, and heritage are accessible, equitable, and meaningful for everyone.
• Ongoing
  • Seattle City Council Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan for 2026 - Schedule
  • Seattle City Council Office Hours and Virtual Meetings
    • Councilmember Saka - District 1
    • Councilmember Robert Kettle staff - District 7
    • For announcements on additional opportunities to engage directly with Councilmembers, sign up to receive your Councilmembers' email newsletters on this webpage.
  • Before the Badge: Community Police Dialogues – ongoing throughout 2026

Funding, Art Opportunities, and Free Resources

• 2026 AARP Community Challenge Grants - Deadline March 4
  • This program is not affiliated with the City of Seattle.
• 4Culture Project Grants - deadline March 11
• Design a New Look for the Chinatown-International District Pole Banners! - deadline March 13 at 5pm
• Call for Artists: Pop-Up Concerts in the Park 2026 - deadline March 15
• Social Justice Fund Northwest (SJF) 2026 Seed Grant - deadline March 19
  • This program is not affiliated with the City of Seattle.
• HEAL Capacity Grant Program - Round 1 deadline April 30
  • This program is not affiliated with the City of Seattle.
• City Departments Join Forces to Support Youth Mental Health
• Your Neighborhood Has an Idea. The City Can Help Bring it to Life. - Neighborhood Matching Fund Applications Now Open
• 2026 Arts Grants and Funding Opportunities - various deadlines