Our Grant Awards

Lister Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Tacoma, Washington, and is part of the Tacoma School District. Lister has a rich history in the Salishan neighborhood of Tacoma which was originally created as a World War II housing project. Lister Elementary serves 401 students. Many families struggle with economic challenges, as most of the students come from low-income families. 

The school offers a variety of programs and activities to enhance student learning and development, including before and after school care, summer learning programs, and various extracurricular activities.

The Lister staff decided to use part of the grant to create incentives for their diligent students after the rigorous end-of-year state testing.

Lakeview Hope Academy is an elementary school located in Lakewood, Washington, and is part of the Clover Park School District. Lakeview embraces a richly diverse population, with just under half of the students considered English Language Learners.

Lakeview emphasizes high expectations for everyone and strong relationships that promote learning.

The leadership team at Lakeview decided to use the grant funds to refurbish their pottery kiln and buy supplies supporting arts education. 

 Custer Elementary is located close to Joint Base Lewis-McCord, and more than one in ten students have parents in the military, which contributes to high mobility.    Custer embraces a richly diverse population with 86% poverty, one-third of students with disabilities, and three-fourths of ethnicities other than white. Despite the challenging population, their students demonstrated remarkable academic growth.  The staff is proud to lead a “Kids of Hope School” where they redefine “risk factors” as “hope factors” and intentionally encourage all to dream and plan for their very bright futures. 

 Northeast Tacoma Elementary School decided to use its grant to help fund an “All-Staff Appreciation Week.” They included certified and classified staff because they have observed that when all the adults in a school work together, it has a positive effect on the welfare of the school and students. In addition, part of the grant was used to purchase Rainier’s minor league baseball tickets so staff, parents, and students could attend a “Teachers’ Appreciation Night.” 

Northeast Tacoma Elementary School has a majority-minority population. Free and reduced lunch applications have increased from 51 to 73% in just two years, and 1 of 5 students are English Language Learners. Both students and staff were especially stressed by the impact of the pandemic disruptions. The school is part of the Healthy Kids Coalition, which serves 275 students per week in the community by providing weekend meals and other basic needs support. Despite these challenges, NE Tacoma has been acknowledged by the Washington School Recognition Program for showing strong growth in academic skills.

 Naches Trail Elementary in the Bethel School District serves a diverse population of students, where many of the families struggle with poverty. The last few years have been challenging due to the COVID pandemic and business closures resulting in some family members losing jobs, housing instability, and social stress. And yet the staff created a safe learning culture with high expectations and encouraged students to take risks. Naches Trail has been acknowledged by the Washington School Recognition Program for closing academic achievement gaps and strong growth for students in poverty.