10 Nonprofits that Support our Market Community

While Pike Place Market is largely a hub for commerce and tourism, behind the scenes are numerous social services and groups that support our community of senior and low-income residents, farmers, and small businesses.

After the Market was saved from urban development by the Friends of the Market citizens’ initiative, a charter was established in 1973 that protects its original values and traditions. The Charter of the Pike Place Market PDA ensures that day-to-day operations hold true to its rich, 115-year history of business incubation and empowering community services.

Read on to learn about the 10 Market organizations who embody these values with care and compassion for our neighbors!

The Pike Market Food Bank joined with the Senior Center in 1981, offering free groceries to anyone experiencing food insecurity. Patrons are welcome to visit once per week to select an assortment of fresh, frozen, shelf-stable foods and staples. Ready-to-eat “no cook” bags are available for people in immediate need without access to preparation or storage facilities. This organization serves over 6,600 residents in our community!

The Market’s preservation efforts embraced the senior citizens living downtown and mandated the inclusion of low-income housing as part of the essential character of the Market. The Pike Market Senior Center sprang out of the need for a place to gather and socialize, growing since then to respond to both tenants’ needs and greater community of unhoused seniors who live downtown. About 1,500 seniors visit annually for free meals, wellness activities, and access to skilled social workers. All services are provided at no cost.

Pike Market Child Care & Preschool provides high-quality early learning and care for infants and children through five years old. Nearly 100 families have grown through their accessibility-rooted model, with sliding scale fees and 70% of families receiving tuition assistance. Intentional anti-bias teaching, enriched learning environments, and healthy nutrition programs prepare children while removing the barriers to entry to ensure their success in kindergarten and beyond.

Neighborcare Health at Pike Place Market provides a range of primary care health services for adults regardless of income or insurance. Sliding fee discounts, language interpretation assistance, and insurance guidance are just a few of the ways they prioritize accessibility. Patients are assisted with chronic condition management, pregnancy care, regular check-ups, and health education, among other services.

Providence Heritage House is an assisted-living facility that offers private apartments, nursing services, and a rich quality of life to seniors in the heart of our vibrant district. Staffed 24 hours a day, they offer comprehensive personal and nursing care, restaurant-style dining, housekeeping and laundry services, and programming both in the facility and beyond.

The Pike Place Market Merchants’ Association was formed in the early 1970s, growing in activity during the Urban Renewal reconstruction of the Market that started in 1975. It hit its peak through the 1990s as a tenant association and advocate for small businesses in the Market, initiating many promotional events like the Market’s anniversary and seasonal holidays at that time. While membership has waned, they still sponsor the Pike Place Market News that circulates throughout the year.

The Market Commons is a welcoming resource center that provides personal support, resource navigation, and social activities to help community members find stability and thrive. They accomplish this through a number of programs that include access to nutritious food, volunteerism, and emergency financial support.

The Pike Place Market Foundation supports a number of social services in the Market community through grants and community impact programs, offering funding for Market merchants, the clinic, senior center, food bank, senior housing and preschool. They also oversee operations of the Market Commons, allowing anyone in the neighborhood access to support services as well as emergency financial assistance as needed.

Ventures is a Seattle-based nonprofit that empowers aspiring entrepreneurs by providing access to training, capital, coaching, and hands-on learning opportunities for aspiring business owners. They are especially driven to provide business development services for traditionally underserved communities, with a focus on women, people of color, immigrants, and low-income individuals. In their retail space at Pike Place Market, Ventures Marketplace showcases the work of over 60 talented artists and craftspeople from their training programs.

Run by Atrium Kitchen‘s Chef Traci, Nourished Neighborhood is a community meal service that’s brought over nearly 60,000 free nutritious meals to people in the community. Starting as a monthly free lunch program before the pandemic, it blossomed into a full-blown meal delivery service to offer a safe and healthy means of food access to seniors in neighborhoods all across the Seattle area.