Using everything from cave paintings to tweets, humans are born storytellers. Through stories we communicate our history, values, trials, and triumphs. But sometimes the voices of one group are drowned out by the voices of others because of size, disability, geographic isolation, marginalization, or other factors.

The purpose of the Washington Stories Fund is to record and share with the broader community the little-known stories of people or groups whose contributions add to the cultural richness and health of Washington State. Started with generous seed funding from the Lenore and Charles Hale Family Fund, the Washington Stories Fund is a tool to dismantle barriers and enhance cultural understanding.

The Washington Stories Fund is a general grant opportunity for which any nonprofit organization can apply. Awards are in the amount of $5,000 and recipients are selected through a competitive process. In 2018 we will award four grants of $5,000 to groups or organizations through a competitive process, and projects require a funding match. We are no longer accepting letters of intent. For those who have already submitted letters of intent, full applications are due July 20.

The Spark for the Washington Stories Fund: Lenore Hale

After a career in family counseling, Lenore Hale and her husband, Charles, moved to Seattle in 2004, making a new life together at Horizon House retirement community until Charles’s death in 2008.

Shortly afterward, Hale enrolled in a writing class. Her assignments for the class gradually evolved into a two-year project: a book of sketches of her life and family titled Tell All the Truth but Tell It Slant. Her experience writing the memoir inspired her to provide the initial seed money for the Washington Stories Fund.

Hale was generous of spirit and incisive of mind, with an outgoing yet self-effacing manner that led her to connect readily with others. She had an uncommon wisdom that she shared with all who knew her well. On October 5, 2013, she passed away peacefully at her home in Seattle.

View Washington Stories Fund Grant guidelines here

View past Washington Stories Fund Grants recipients here

Apply for a Washington Stories Fund grant or access an existing application