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Organization

Shared Spaces Foundation

Shared Spaces Foundation, a Seattle-area nonprofit, worked from 2020 to return the 3.56-acre Heron's Nest to the Duwamish people; the Duwamish Tribe took over its full management on June 13, 2026.

Kind
Nonprofit (non-Indigenous per available evidence; EIN match inferred)
Native-led
unverified
Works with
Duwamish Tribe
Region
Seattle area, WA
Focus
Partnered with the Duwamish Tribe on Heron's Nest (3.56 acres), described as ecological healing and rematriation
Vetting notes
Source: Buffalo's Fire (Aug 6, 2026). Leadership identity not stated. Do not list a donation URL.

What happened

Shared Spaces Foundation is a Seattle-area nonprofit. A 2022 University of Washington news item, republished from CNN, says that in 2020 it found a three-and-a-half-acre property for sale in West Seattle, about two miles from the Duwamish cultural center. The foundation consulted the Duwamish Tribe and decided to rehabilitate the land, raise money to buy it and repatriate it to the Duwamish. The article quotes Amanda Lee as the foundation's president.

A November 2021 notice from the foundation says the Heron's Nest project preserves 3.56 acres in the West Seattle Greenbelt for community use, stewardship and education, and for repatriation to the Duwamish people. It says the City of Seattle issued a $900,000 Strategic Investment Fund grant on October 5, 2021, to be applied to buying the land, and that the foundation was leasing the parcel at that time. It reports more than 5,000 hours of community volunteering since early 2020.

The Duwamish Tribe is described in the news item as not recognized by the US government. These reports are from 2021 and 2022. They describe the purchase and transfer as plans, and do not say who now leads the foundation.

ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer lists a Shared Spaces Foundation in Tukwila, Washington, as a 501(c)(3) with tax exemption issued in August 2022; the match to this project is by name.

Good to know. Reports do not say whether title went to the Duwamish Tribe or to its nonprofit, Duwamish Tribal Services. The Duwamish Tribe is not federally recognized.

Summarized with AI assistance from 5 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error

What the sources say, and how this was checked

Thinly sourced: read the sources and cautions before relying on this.

  1. The end goal: To repatriate the land to the Duwamish , its original inhabitants.How a Seattle community is supporting a tribe's fight for its existence
  2. said Amanda Lee, president of the Shared Spaces FoundationHow a Seattle community is supporting a tribe's fight for its existence
  3. On October 5th, the City of Seattle issued a $900,000 grant from its Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) to the Shared Spaces Foundation.Shared Spaces foundation announces receipt of $900,000 SIF grant
  4. Over 5,000 hours of community volunteering has been put into the restoration efforts since early 2020.Shared Spaces foundation announces receipt of $900,000 SIF grant
  5. Tukwila, WA Tax exemption issued: Aug. 2022 EIN: 86-1742244ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: Shared Spaces Foundation

Research notes. Completion of the purchase and any transfer to the Duwamish is not confirmed by the sources read; they date from 2021 and 2022. The record's source, a Buffalo's Fire article of August 2026, could not be found. The EIN match is by name only, and the tax exemption date (August 2022) is later than the 2021 project announcements. The foundation's leadership today and its tribal ties are not stated. No donation URL is given.

We have not verified this organization well enough to link to it. See our donation integrity policy.

Connections

These links were matched automatically by name or date and have not yet been reviewed by a person.

Works in 1

Works with 1

Sources

No source is linked to this record yet. That is a gap we are working to close.

The record’s fields
Registry
Probable EIN 86-1742244 (ProPublica "Shared Spaces Foundation", Tukwila WA, exempt Aug 2022, FY2025 revenue about $443.8K). Entity exists; match to the Duwamish Heron's Nest partner is by name only (Buffalo's Fire does not give an EIN), so it stays "probable" until the foundation confirms.
Kind
Organization
Confidence
Low

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