The funder's mission is to utilize Lodging Tax revenues for cultural community benefits in King County. They aim to return these funds to the community, supporting local arts, heritage, preservation, and public art. Their mission encompasses enhancing public access to culture and the arts, and addressing geographic and funding disparities to ensure support reaches a wide range of communities, especially underrepresented ones.
The Heritage Professional Development Stipend program offers financial support for individuals in the heritage field or King County-based heritage organizations. This support is for attending professional development opportunities such as conferences, workshops, skill-building sessions, technical assistance programs, training opportunities, and demonstrations. The specific goals include enhancing skills and knowledge relevant to the heritage field, with a particular focus on nurturing skills beneficial for career advancement or institutional needs. The stipend can cover registration, travel, consultant fees, staff time outside regular duties, materials, and transportation. Eligibility is determined through a competitive evaluation of the project's research, relevance, defined need or goal, and funding situation. The program emphasizes the importance of public benefit from the professional growth of heritage workers and addresses equity by incorporating indicators of structural inequity into the selection process, aiming to distribute funds more equitably.