City of Leavenworth awards $175,000 in grants to local nonprofits

LEAVENWORTH — Local nonprofits working on projects dedicated to directly benefiting city residents, or enhancing tourism in the Leavenworth community, will receive $175,000 in grant awards from the City of Leavenworth for 2026.

The City of Leavenworth awards grants under the umbrella of “The Leavenworth Fund,” overseen by the city’s Economic Development Committee. Under this umbrella, grants are distributed from two funding categories: the Lodging Tax Fund and Leavenworth General Fund.

The Lodging Tax Fund allocates $125,000 to nonprofit organizations that directly encourage and support tourism with the lodging tax boundary, which stretches from the Peshastin Bridge to Eagle Creek Road, and Tumwater Dam to Icicle Road at Sleeping Lady Resort. The Leavenworth General fund allocates $50,000 to nonprofit organizations for projects within city limits that provide a direct benefit to the residents of the Leavenworth community. 

This year’s grant cycle received a strong response from local organizations, with 26 applications submitted for the Lodging Tax Grant, totaling $204, 078, and 25 applications for the General Fund, totaling $105,869. Of the 51 applications received, 38 were deemed eligible and recommended for funding. The awards were assigned to the highest-ranking, qualified applicants, as recommended by the Economic Development Committee. The Leavenworth City Council unanimously approved the 2026 grant awards during its Nov. 12 meeting.

Some of the project recipients under the Leavenworth General Fund grant include the Cascade Choir Crescendo Campaign, support and advocacy for immigrants, Leavenworth Community UMC’s Feed the Kids backpack program, and historical document digitization for the Upper Valley Historical Society(UVHS)/Greater Leavenworth Museum.

Under the Lodging Tax Fund grant, some of the recipients include the The District 19 Organization of the Leavenworth Regional Duplicate Bridge Tournament, operational support for UVHS, the 2026 Cascade Celtic Festival, and the 12th West Bezirksfest by the Enzian Schuhplattlers.

“The City of Leavenworth extends its sincere appreciation to all the organizations that applied,  acknowledging the significant value and positive impact nonprofits have in strengthening the Leavenworth  community,” the City of Leavenworth said in a press release.