SEATTLE—Calling non-profits and human service organizations! Woodland Park Zoo provides over 100,000 free tickets each year to community partner organizations to support access to the zoo through its Community Access Program (CAP). Applications are nowopen for CAP and the zoo invites non-profit and human service organizations across the Puget Sound to apply to become a CAP partner for 2026.

Applications for 2026 are now open through Nov. 25, 2025, and can be completed at www.zoo.org/community. Applications are only accepted during the designated time periods.
A longstanding Woodland Park Zoo program, CAP works with over 400 non-profit and human service partners each year so that the organizations can distribute tickets to the individuals and communities they serve, particularly to those who may have traditionally faced economic, ability or cultural barriers to visiting the zoo.

To ensure equitable distribution throughout the community, CAP only partners with qualifying organizations and does not provide tickets directly to individual people or community members.

Eligibility:

• A nonprofit with verifiable 501(c)3 status OR a Washington state or local government entity OR a Tribal organization that serves under-resourced individuals.
• Community groups without 501(c)3 status may also apply.
• Religious organizations should demonstrate a secular community function that provides social services to under-resourced communities regardless of religious affiliation without promoting belief in a particular faith.
• Individual people/community members are not eligible to apply and instead are encouraged to connect with their local non-profits.

To learn more about eligibility, to apply, or to encourage your local non-profit to apply, please visit www.zoo.org/community.

Individuals interested in accessible or discounted ticket programs, such as the $5 Discover Ticket and $40 Explorer Pass membership for foster and kinship families or recipients of EBT/Washington Quest, SUN Bucks or WIC assistance, may find more information at www.zoo.org/discounts.

Hear from our CAP Partners
“Our community loves exploring nature and learning about the animals that inhabit it at Woodland Park Zoo,” said Queena Cai, ParentChild+ Coordinator at Chinese Information Service Center. “The free CAP tickets the zoo provides alleviated the financial stress for our families, enabling them to enjoy quality time together without the worry of the cost. Families have shared how rare and meaningful it was to have such a family outing where everyone could relax, learn and spend quality time together.” 

“While most of the refugees we serve are adults, youth, and children, we also serve a growing population of seniors. Due to limited English ability, spending most time at home with family, and small social circles, our senior clients face isolation and loneliness. Compounded with the challenges and trauma of fleeing their homes and acclimating to a new country, this isolation can become depression,” said Gul Siddiqi, Development Manager at International Rescue Committee, WA. “Free tickets through CAP provide an enriching opportunity for our seniors to connect. We are thankful for the zoo and other partners who always answer the call to lift up those most vulnerable, in need, and often forgotten, and for providing our youth with a fun, safe and enriching experience.”

“Having the ability to offer our wish kids and families tickets to Woodland Park Zoo means another opportunity to experience joy when they need it most,” said Nataliya Frick, Senior Wish Coordinator at Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington. “As kids eagerly await their wish, visiting the zoo allows them to get outside and make memories with their family. When they’ve already spent so much precious time at doctor’s appointments and inside hospitals, the Community Access Program unlocks a world of exploration and curiosity. It’s reassuring to know Woodland Park Zoo can offer experiences that meet our families where they are—welcoming every child with respect, compassion, and care, regardless of ability or income.”

Woodland Park Zoo is proud to offer CAP and thanks 4Culture and other generous contributors for their support of this program.