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Everyone deserves respect

Advocacy

Funeral Financial Assistance

With a heavy heart, I'm sad to announce the Funeral Financial Assistance fund (FFA) is closed for now. 

FFA relies on grants and donations from the general public to stay open. If you would like to donate so that we can keep supporting families in need in Washington State, you can Donate to the Funeral Financial Assistance Fund. All donations go straightly into the program with 0% going to operations or overhead. 

Every dollar donated allows us to continue to serve more families.

With the average cost of cremation (the most popular form of disposition in Washington) being about $1300, our fund helps families who are often struggling and living paycheck to paycheck by no fault of their own. 

If we raise $5,000 we are able to help 4 to 5 families. If we raise $30,000 we are able to help 16 to 20 families. 

We are calling on our neighbors, citizens, and members to help us with our mission. Everyone deserves dignity, even in death, and that includes getting the funeral they desire, whether that is burial, cremation, or aquamation. 

Sincerely,

Casey Husseman

Executive Director

In 2023, we helped 31 families with funeral services.

The cost for funeral services increases each year, yet the support services have dwindled.  Since 2018, PMA has supported over 120 families experiencing significant financial hardship, dispensing over $75,000 in grants.  Although the spirit of this fund is more than just numbers, it’s about the individual people and the friends and family members grieving their loss. Many of those who need financial assistance are young parents who are working hard to provide for their own families.  Here’s a story of one young mother who recently applied:

 

Robin’s professor wrote to us on her behalf, advocating for her student who needed financial assistance for her father’s funeral arrangements.  Robin is a single mother who recently broke the cycle of homelessness and is pursuing an associates degree in Applied Science.  

Working hard to get on her own two feet, Robin wasn’t prepared for the sudden cost of her father’s funeral arrangements after his unexpected death.  As his only next-of-kin, the responsibility of handling his arrangements was hers to handle.  We have the opportunity to show Robin she’s not alone in this.  By providing her with financial assistance so she can pay for her father’s cremation, Robin won’t experience yet another barrier while she tries her best to be a good mother and outstanding student.

PMA is one of the only organizations offering this type of support. There are limited to no resources provided by the state or counties to help in situations like these. If you would like to support a family in need by making a gift to this fund, please visit the Donate Now page of our website.

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