Washington Main Street Affiliate Hub

Welcome to the Washington State Main Street Affiliate Hub! This is your basecamp for your most frequently used links and resources, upcoming events, sources of funding, and more. Have fun exploring!

Your Best Friends

Print, bookmark, or save—these are the documents and web pages you likely use the most!

• The Washington Main Street rack card in English and Spanish, Main Street Approach handout, and About Main Street guide are the most frequently used documents to introduce our unique framework for preservation-based economic development to your community.
• Washington Main Street Network Slack Reach out to your fellow Main Streeters across Washington for advice, ideas, and celebrations! You’ll also find announcements from our state team here. New to Slack? Check out this onboarding document.
• Washington Main Street directory A list of active Main Streeters in our network with contact info.
• Resource library Examples, ideas, and guides on all things Main Street. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Email Lydia!
• Main Street America Academy is the refreshed platform from Main Street America, our national coordinating program, which has free learning resources geared specifically to our work. It is free but does require the creation of an account to access the platform.
• Governing documents: RCW 43.360 (establishing WSMSP) and WAC 25-50 (WSMSP Rules for designated Communities)
• Shared dropbox for Washington Main Streets. A place to store all your great ideas, sample documents, and of course check out everyone else’s! This is a new asset we hope to grow with Affiliates and Communities.

Upcoming Events and Offerings

• Mondays on Main: register here and join us one Monday each month on Zoom for quick updates from our Washington Main Street team (goings on, new tools, and great ideas worth pollinating) and a chance to see other Main Streeters from around the state.
  • Mark your calendars for 10:00am on 2/9, 3/9, 4/20, 5/18, 6/15, 7/13, 8/10, 9/14, no October date as we hope to see you all for PLACES in Ellensburg, 11/9, 12/14
• Focus on Fundraising: a free, foundational overview of fundraising best practices. Learn more and register here.
  • January 15 at 9am Focus on Fundraising: Fundraising is Not a Solo Sport! How Boards Champion the Story recording here
  • February 11 at 9 am The Donors Next Door – Unlocking Individual Giving
    March 18 at 9 am Where are the Untapped Pockets of Money?
• Tools for Running an Effective Nonprofit: this 3-part series from the Nonprofit Association of Washington will cover the basics of running a nonprofit. Drawing on tested tips and tools, including Nonprofit Association of Washington’s four learning toolkits on boards, finance, law, and planning. Normally $30 but free for you with WA Main Street’s member discount — register here and use code Elevate26.
  • Mark your calendars for February 12, 19, 26 from 10 am – noon.
• Tools for Running an Effective Nonprofit: this 2-part series from the Nonprofit Association of Washington explores how organizations can strengthen their programs through rigorous evaluation and compelling impact communication. Normally $30 but free for you with WA Main Street’s member discount — register here and use code Elevate26.
  • Mark your calendars for March 5 & 12 from noon – 1:30 pm.

Grants and Foundations

• Washington Trust for Historic Preservation offers the Valerie Sivinski grant annually to organizations and community groups engaged in historic preservation around our state. LaCrosse Community Pride used this grant on their historic rock houses and Main Street Affiliate Ilwaco used it to restore windows on their historic anchor the Doupé Building. Learn more here.
• Washington State Historical Society offers a Diversity in Local History grant to pay interns to work on telling our full history and a Heritage Capital Projects grant to support improvements to community history facilities. Learn more here.
• Humanities WA offers the Washington Stories Fund grants annually to projects that highlight and share little-known stories of a person or group who contributed to Washington’s cultural richness. Learn more here.
• T-Mobile partnered with Smart Growth America and Main Street America to invest big in small towns population 50,000 or less. The T-Mobile Hometown Grant Program awards up to $50,000 to each project which focuses on connecting community but can cover – technology, education, environment, health, and more. FINAL APPLICATION ROUND ENDS 3/31. Click here to apply.
• USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas including town halls, museums, libraries, childcare centers community kitchens, community gardens, and more. Learn more here. 

Meet the Washington Main Street Team

As your state Main Street coordinating program team, we are excited to provide you with support, guidance, and a listening ear. Feel free to reach out by phone or email with all of your questions, concerns, ideas, and celebrations.