Our Valley Our Future announces more grant recipients

Our Valley Our Future / Nuestro Valle Nuestro Futuro has awarded grants to
several more organizations leading projects and programs that are part of the Our Valley Action
Plan.
The money is meant to help Our Valley lead partners get their projects or programs off the
ground or moving toward completion. Projects and programs in the Action Plan, which was
released in late November 2016, were identified by residents as ones that will improve quality of
life, build resiliency in the face of change, and shape the community’s future.
In February, the first three Our Valley grants were awarded.
The latest grant recipients and their projects:

Lead partner: Wenatchee Valley Brewing Co.
Project: Wenatchee Brewers Row craft brewery district
Grant amount: $2,000
Uses: The grant will pay for the brewery district’s logo, map, postcard, and photos.

Lead partner: Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance
Project: Squilchuck State Park Trails Completion
Grant amount: $5,000
Uses: The grant will help pay for trail building machine operating costs, building materials, and
operator time. Completing the remaining three miles of Squilchuck State Park’s seven-mile trail
system this year will cost an estimated $85,240 in cash, in-kind contributions and volunteer
labor.

Lead partner: Regional Bicycle Advisory Committee
Project: Wenatchee Valley Bicycle Map
Grant amount: $500
Uses: The grant will help pay for the printing of 2,000 maps that will be distributed to residents
and visitors. It’s the first time a detailed map showing local bike routes and trails has been
published.

Lead partner: Wenatchee Diversity Council
Project: Civil Conversations Project
Grant amount: $5,000
Uses: The grant will help pay for activities and events — including for facility rentals, speaker
fees and marketing materials — that are part of a Civil Conversations Project led by the
Wenatchee Diversity Council and The Wenatchee World.

Lead partner: Eastmont Metropolitan Parks District
Project: Eastmont Community Park Playground Restoration
Grant amount: $5,000
Uses: The grant will help pay for the design of the playground project. East Wenatchee voters
approved a bond last fall that provides $500,000 for the playground. Eastmont Metropolitan
Parks District is attempting to raise additional funds to match or partially match that amount.

Lead partner: Our Valley, Our Future
Project: Regional Housing Cost-Analysis White Paper
Grant amount: $4,000
Uses: The grant will be used to hire an outside third-party to research and write a technical
white paper, identifying reasons behind housing cost disparities in Our Valley compared to other
similar communities in Eastern Washington. This white paper is one of three steps (the others
are a community survey and a public forum) leading to formation of a regional housing coalition
that will address the community’s growing housing problems.

“The recipients are a great mix, with projects that will improve recreational opportunities,
generate economic activity, and make Our Valley a better place for all,” said Steve Maher,
coordinator of Our Valley Our Future / Nuestro Valle Nuestro Futuro.

The latest batch of grants is the second of four that will improve recreational opportunities, generate
economic activity, and make Our Valley a better place for all," said Steve Maher, coordinator of Our Valley Our Future / Nuestro Futuro.

The grant funds come via the Community Foundation of NCW and the United Way of Chelan
and Douglas Counties. The two jointly applied on behalf of Our Valley for support from
Philanthropy Northwest, with funding through The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The
$130,000 is to be distributed by Our Valley over a three-year period.

In keeping with Our Valley’s principles, applicants need to be identified as a lead partner in the
Our Valley Action Plan; they need to demonstrate they are collaborating with others on their
project; the project must be “action-ready;” and funding from the grant must fulfill or begin to
fulfill the full intent of the action item.

For more information on Our Valley Our Future / Nuestro Valle Nuestro Futuro, including a
downloadable copy of its Action Plan, please visit www.ourvalleyourfuture.org.