The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe (PGST) has announced the first recipient of its 2026 Community Investment Grant Program: the Kitsap Regional Library Foundation, which has been awarded $100,000 to support programs systemwide.
The Kitsap Regional Library Foundation advances the library’s vision by stewarding resources that expand access, opportunity, and connection throughout the community. They support Kitsap Regional Library’s mission of “inspiring curiosity and connection” by, in part, supporting and enhancing community programs, initiatives, and capital campaigns.
“We are profoundly grateful to the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe for their extraordinary generosity and for a partnership that has strengthened Kitsap Regional Library for many years,” said Wendy Kile, Executive Director, Kitsap Regional Library Foundation. “The Little Boston branch, located on the Port Gamble S’Klallam Reservation, represents a unique relationship built on shared values of learning, connection, and community. This remarkable gift will help expand opportunities for literacy, learning, and connection throughout Kitsap County. We are honored to work alongside the Tribe and thankful for all they do to strengthen communities across our region.”
A partnership between PGST and Kitsap Regional Library has existed since 1974 when the Little Boston branch opened on the reservation. The branch moved into a larger facility in 1989 and then to its current home in the House of Knowledge, adjacent to the Longhouse and Tribal Center, in 2007.
This relationship between a public library system and a tribe is unique and represents one of only a handful of examples in the U.S. of public library branches operating on a reservation. The Little Boston branch serves the PGST community and surrounding areas, including users living throughout North Kitsap.
“We have always been incredibly proud of our partnership with Kitsap Regional Library,” said PGST Chairwoman Amber Caldera. “This gift to the Foundation demonstrates our commitment to the Library and their focus on community, curiosity, and education. Supporting the Library is more important than ever: it is an incredible resource for books and a variety of services, and also serves as an invaluable free gathering place where people can make connections while exploring new ideas and sharing their interests.”
In early June, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribal Council welcomed members of the Foundation and the Library for a check presentation ceremony. During that event, Leigh Ann Winterowd, Regional Manager, Kingston and Little Boston KRL branches, said, “As someone who has the privilege of working with (PGST), I know that this gift represents more than financial support. It reflects values that have long been part of the Tribe’s leadership: investing in future generations, strengthening community connections, and creating opportunities for people to learn from one another.”
The PGST Community Investment Grant Program award will support several systemwide programs, including:
- Summer Learning: a free, countywide program that encourages kids, teens, adults, and elders to read and explore new challenges with prizes for personally set goals. The 2026 Summer Learning program—with the theme “Bound for the Stars”— runs from June 1 – August 31. Every child who participates receives three free books.
- Building home libraries: this remains one of the most effective ways to support academic success. Kitsap Regional Library believes every child deserves the opportunity to grow up surrounded by books and stories. The Community Investment Grant Program award will help to directly place more books in the hands of young people and their families.
- Visits to the library: every 3rd and 6th grade student in Kitsap County takes a field trip to the library to learn the resources available to them, build relationships with the librarians and staff, and discover that the Library is a safe and welcoming space where they can explore who they are and who they hope to become.
- Sharing Our Stories: the evolution of the popular One Book, One Community program. Sharing Our Stories invites organizations to lead shared reading experiences that reflect the unique perspectives and strengths of their community or culture.
The Community Investment Grant Program, previously known as Appendix X, is managed by the Port Gamble S’Klallam Foundation. The PGST Council restructured the program to focus on a few major gifts to better align with the Tribe’s values and goals for their community. For 2025 and 2026, PGST Council makes final determinations on who will receive awards. Another recipient for 2026 will be announced late summer/early fall.
-Ginger Vaughan, Vaughan Communications
June 2026