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Friends of Waterfront Seattle (Friends) is the nonprofit partner to the City of Seattle, responsible for helping to fund, build, steward, and program the park — today and into the future. In addition to raising $110M by 2024 to fund park construction, Friends will provide funding and manage the programming and operations of the future Waterfront Park through a joint-delivery partnership with Seattle Parks & Recreation. Park construction has begun following the Viaduct's removal and the first piece of the park — Pier 62 — is now open.
Waterfront Park is situated on the land of the Coast Salish Peoples, who have resided here since time immemorial and continue to thrive. With respect and humility, we acknowledge the history of the waterfront, the dispossession of land from the Coast Salish people and, most importantly, the strength and resilience of Native people and their culture through this history to the present. This acknowledgement serves only as a first step in honoring the land that we occupy and the first peoples of that land. Friends recognizes the work to build and repair relationships with Native communities will be long and evolving.
The construction of Waterfront Park is underway and scheduled to be completed in 2024. Designed to provide green spaces, elevated views, and recreation opportunities, Waterfront Park will be a place where residents and visitors can connect with nature and each other. As the nonprofit responsible for sustaining and programming the park in perpetuity, Friends exists not only to care for the physical aspects of the park, but to foster deep community engagement. We strive to create spaces where diverse ideas, programming, and people come together to make the Waterfront much more than a beautiful park.
Friends of Waterfront Seattle recognizes and acknowledges historic and existing systemic racism embedded in our city. Friends is committed to becoming an anti-racist organization by prioritizing racial equity inside the organization and in the public spaces we operate. Our goal is to continually cultivate inclusive spaces where all people — specifically Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), as well as underserved communities — are invited and welcome to engage with and enjoy Waterfront Park.
In order to realize a bold vision for community engagement and create spaces where everyone feels safe and valued, Friends believes that DEI work belongs to everyone at the organization and must be integrated into operations at every level.
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