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STORIES THAT
CREATE CHANGE

IMPACT JOURNALISM

The Seattle Times is a pioneer among news media organizations, creating innovative funding models for public-service journalism initiatives that improve our community. We are a national leader in developing community funding for high-impact journalism projects that tackle urgent community issues head-on and create change. Our in-depth, solutions-based reporting has changed public funding and policy and resulted in action at the highest levels of state government.

PROJECTS

Seattle Times impact journalism initiatives investigate what is – and isn’t – working to address pervasive problems in our region and surface solutions. Explore current funded projects that are making an impact in our community.

A coal plant. Getty images

Climate Lab

explores the impacts of climate change in the Pacific Northwest and beyond to help the public better understand how greenhouse gas emissions are changing our lives. Read Climate Lab stories.

A woman counseling a younger girl. Getty images

Mental Health Project

surfaces solutions to improve mental health care, resources, treatments, systems and policies to address the growing mental health crisis that poses specific challenges to the Puget Sound region. Read Mental Health Project stories.

Children doing a work sheet in a classroom. Photo by the CDC from Unsplash

Education Lab

explores solutions to complex and persistent challenges in public education, influences legislation and amplifies voices that would otherwise not be heard. Read Education Lab coverage.

Traffic Lab

digs into our region's pervasive traffic problems, spotlights promising approaches to easing gridlock and helps readers find the best ways to get around. Explore Traffic Lab.

Troy Repp, 60, who says he’s been living at the encampment for more than three years, tidies around his makeshift cabin at the Woodland Park encampment in Seattle on Jan 13, 2022. Photo by Daniel Kim, The Seattle Times

Project Homeless

explores and explains the systemic issues causing homelessness in our region and encourages smart changes to public policy to address our humanitarian crisis. Read Project Homeless stories.

Manuel Ellis’ sister Monet Carter-Mixon, center, attends “Manny’s Walk” in Tacoma in July 2020. The walk commemorated Ellis’ life and demanded justice for his death. Photo by Erika Schultz, The Seattle Times

Investigative Journalism Fund

supports a portion of Times Watchdog stories that expose injustice, fight corruption and hold those in power accountable to make a difference for the people of our region. See how the Fund changes lives and public policy or make a donation.

GET INVOLVED

The Seattle Times impact journalism initiative seeks community funders, strategic partners and personal champions of the free press to support and expand our work. Community funders, including nonprofits, corporations and philanthropic foundations, have supported this work with more than $10 million since 2013. Learn how you or your organization can support public service journalism that has a direct impact on our local community. Contact Kati Erwert, Senior Vice President of Product, Marketing and Public Service at kerwert@seattletimes.com

SEE IMPACT JOURNALISM AT WORK

THANK YOU, COMMUNITY FUNDERS

The Seattle Times recognizes the foundations, organizations and individual donors who provide generous support of our independent journalism, making it possible for us to expand local coverage, investigate challenges facing our region and explore solutions that have a direct impact on our community.

The Seattle Times maintains editorial control over content produced with fund resources. Funders do not have any input into the reporting of stories or into any of the specific content that will be produced with fund resources. Funders are not aware of specific stories The Seattle Times newsroom is working on and do not review them before publication. Funders do not have special access to reporters, and readers know who our funders are. To learn more, contact Kati Erwert, Senior Vice President of Product, Marketing and Public Service at kerwert@seattletimes.com.