Five Jefferson County non-profit organizations received $87,500 in grant funding from the Port Angeles-based First Fed Foundation, according to a foundation announcement dated May 31.

“With the volume and quality of the grant applications we received in this spring grant cycle, our board and advisory committee had to make tough decisions about which projects to fund,” said Norman J. Tonina, president of the foundation’s board.

“We’re pleased with the outcome of our deliberations, and privileged to support initiatives that help avert homelessness and build supportive and permanently affordable housing; deliver life skills and job training for youth and marginalized community members; provide emergency financial assistance, critical hygiene supplies, and household items for families transitioning from homelessness; and so much more.”

Recipients include $25,000 for the Olympic Housing Trust’s Dundee Hill project. It has five permanently affordable townhomes that provide home ownership opportunities for first-time buyers earning between 50% to 80% area median income.

The Community Boat Project also received $25,000 to support Shelter from the Storm — a program that provides paid internships for local 18 to 24-year-olds to learn life skills and carpentry while building tiny houses for the homeless in Jefferson County.

The OWL360 project also received $25,000 to fund workforce development and education programs, starting with career awareness for all ninth-graders and culminating in paid work experiences and post-secondary educational opportunities.

The Benji Project received $7,500 to help Jefferson County students during the 2024-2025 school year improve their overall well-being, to cope with stress, anxiety, depression, and other challenges, and to stay engaged in their education.

The Winter Welcoming Center received $5,000 to help provide a warm and hospitable space seven mornings a week during the cold months of the year for those needing shelter in Jefferson County.

First Fed Foundation (formerly First Federal Community Foundation) is a private charitable corporation that began making grants in 2015 after receiving a $12 million gift from the parent company of First Fed when the bank was converted to a publicly traded company.

First Fed has branches in Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, and Whatcom counties, and the city of Bellevue.

The Foundation is “committed to supporting nonprofits, tribes, school districts, and government agencies that provide critical, timely assistance, while also building a brighter future, we are proud and privileged to have contributed $7,001,500 since 2015, in the communities where First Fed, our sole donor, operates full-service branches,” according to Jan Simon, who made the comments as part of a press release.