EastHUB

EastHUB is a nonprofit organization founded in early 2020 with the mission to transform the Eastside, particularly Bellevue, into a vibrant cultural hub. The organization aims to address the lack of community-based cultural spaces for teaching, learning, performing, exhibiting, and enjoying cultural experiences in the region.

Mission and Vision

EastHUB's mission is to engage the diverse community on the Eastside in creating a shared future for arts and culture. This vision is centered around inclusivity and effective partnerships, reflecting the region's multiracial, multicultural, and ethnically diverse richness. The organization envisions the Eastside as a unique, vibrant, and inclusive cultural destination.

Activities and Projects

• The Playhouse: EastHUB is working towards creating a major cross-cultural arts and gathering facility in Downtown Bellevue. This facility will serve as a cornerstone for building arts and cultural spaces that reduce cost burdens for arts groups and provide equitable access.
• Culture Creates Community: EastHUB hosts a series of cultural events aimed at fostering community engagement.
• EastsideLive: Launched in early 2022, EastsideLive is a comprehensive cultural events calendar developed in partnership with the City of Bellevue.
• Cultural Mapping: EastHUB is engaged in a project to map cultural resources and opportunities across the Eastside.

Founding and Support

EastHUB was founded in response to the Eastside's growing need for cultural infrastructure, exacerbated by rapid development and rising costs. The organization received initial investments from major corporations, including Microsoft, and continues to collaborate with regional governments, corporations like Amazon and Meta, and individual supporters.

Approach

EastHUB's approach involves collaborating with cities and developers to integrate cultural spaces into new constructions. This model allows developers to benefit from public amenity points, construction concessions, and tax savings while EastHUB outfits these spaces with community support. EastHUB emphasizes building inclusive and equitable spaces that mirror the diversity of the Eastside, centering antiracism and multiculturalism in its operations.

[1] https://easthub.org/about/our-story/ [2] https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit/44ac5ed3d2f14083bb9705f89efdb714-easthub-bellevue [3] https://easthub.org [4] https://easthub.org/vision-mission-approach/ [5] https://easthub.org/about/