MultiCare awards local grants

MultiCare Health System has awarded $250,000 in grants to 19 local nonprofits through its Inland Northwest Community Partnership Fund.

“The Community Partnership Fund embodies MultiCare’s value of collaboration,” Dr. David O’Brien, MultiCare’s senior vice president and chief executive for the Inland Northwest region, said in a statement. “More than just an investment, these funds are symbolic of our commitment to the community as we partner for healing and a healthy future.”

Grant recipients include Big Table, Family Promise of Spokane, Salvation Army of Spokane, Spokane Valley Partners, Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition and CHAS Health, among others.

MultiCare is a nonprofit health care organization with more than 20,000 employees and volunteers. It operates 10 hospitals, including MultiCare Deaconess Hospital in Spokane and MultiCare Valley Hospital in Spokane Valley.

Sister Sky wins SBA contract

The U.S. Small Business Administration awarded a federal contract to Spokane-based Sister Sky Inc. to support development and sustainability of Native American businesses.

Sister Sky Inc. is a Native American and woman-owned small business that provides a variety of federal agencies with logistics and administrative support; technical assistance and training; and program evaluation and event planning services, according to its website.

Monica Simeon, vice president and managing partner of Sister Sky Inc., said the company’s contract with SBA is key to providing customized small business skills and assisting companies with economic recovery during the pandemic.

“We will continue to help small businesses recover and navigate their way through these really difficult times and find resources,” Simeon said.

The SBA’s one-year contract with Sister Sky Inc. is valued at $790,000 and begins Dec. 28, according to the federal organization.

Sister Sky was among seven organizations selected as part of a $1.1 million effort.

From staff reports