FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Aaron Blank or Traci Paulk for the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
(206) 343-1543, aaronblank@feareygroup.com or tpaulk@feareygroup.com
Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Awards $2.5 Million in Grants
Latest grants focus on contributing to the health and vibrancy of cities and towns through the arts; Foundation also continues to support low-income families
SEATTLE, Wash. – August 3, 2011 – The Reading & Conversations Series in Boise, Idaho, the Montana Festival of the Book in Missoula, Mont., and the Skagit River Poetry Festival in La Conner, Wash. are among the arts grants announced today by The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. The latest cycle of grants reflect a long-standing commitment to arts and culture organizations in the Northwest. Grants announced also assist individuals and their families build long-term financial assets and access immediate relief during the current economic downturn.
“Each Foundation grant reflects our longstanding commitment to transform lives and strengthen communities in the Northwest,” said Susan M. Coliton, vice president of The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. “Arts and culture programs, in particular, enable communities to define and express themselves. As the arts nonprofit sector undergoes significant transformation in these challenging economic times, we’re helping organizations sustain themselves and thrive.”
In its latest round of grants, the Foundation announced it awarded more than $2.5 million to 38 diverse non-profit organizations serving the Pacific Northwest. The organizations include 24 nonprofits in Washington, eight in Oregon, three in Idaho, two in Montana and one in Alaska. A full list of the Foundation’s latest grants is available at www.pgafamilyfoundation.org/grantlist.
Nurturing Artistic Expression & Promoting Critical Thinking
The Foundation’s Arts and Culture Program contributes to the health and vibrancy of cities and towns throughout the Pacific Northwest by nurturing artistic expression and promoting critical thinking. These grants help arts organizations create and present work by professional artists, and engage local audiences in public programs.
The latest grants include $120,000 (over a three-year period) to Helena Presents (Helena, Mont.) to support programming for performing and media arts; $120,000 (over a three-year period) to the Wing Luke Memorial Foundation (Seattle, Wash.) to support programming for the nation’s only museum devoted to the Asian Pacific American experience; $50,000 to Perseverance Theatre (Douglas, Alaska) to support the 2011-12 performance season; and $120,000 (over a three-year period) to White Bird (Portland, Ore.) to support the White Bird Uncaged performance series.
“The grants we are announcing today are guided by the personal interests of the Foundation founders, Paul Allen and Jody Allen, who grew up surrounded by books and became avid readers at an early age. Their interest in reading is reflected in our support of the distinct literary programs that can be found in our region,” said Coliton.
These literary arts grants include $120,000 (over a three-year period) to Literary Arts (Portland, Ore.) to support Portland Arts and Lectures Series and related programs; $30,000 to the Richard Hugo House (Seattle, Wash.) to support the 2011-12 Literary Series; $15,000 to La Conner School District (La Conner, Wash.) to support the 2012 Skagit River Poetry Festival; $15,000 to Log Cabin Literary Center (Boise, Idaho) to support the 2011-12 Readings and Conversations series; and $15,000 to the Montana Committee for the Humanities (Missoula, Mont.) to support the 2011 Montana Festival of the Book.
Other grants in the latest round of giving include support for many of the Foundation’s longstanding nonprofit partners, including the Portland Regional Arts and Culture Council, Town Hall Association, Earshot Jazz, Spectrum Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet Association, among others.
Building Long-Term Assets and Providing Immediate Economic Relief
The Foundation’s asset building program helps low-income individuals in rural and urban communities build their income and achieve long-term financial stability. More specifically, these grants help low and moderate income people save money and build financial assets, obtain skills for livable wage work, establish small businesses, and become more knowledgeable about the financial system and household budgeting.
Among the latest grants is $250,000 to Urban Institute (Washington, D.C., serving Portland, Ore.) to help fund the evaluation of an innovative employment support program provided by the Housing Authority of Portland. The program will help more than 100 individuals and their families in the Portland area through intensive training and social services assistance.
Emergency Relief
The Foundation’s emergency relief program strengthens the social safety net and helps the region’s most vulnerable residents meet basic needs, particularly for food. The latest grants include $100,000 to Cascade Land Conservancy (Tacoma, Wash.) to improve the supply of fresh vegetables in Tacoma area food banks; $50,000 to Yamhill Community Action Partnership (McMinnville, Ore.) to support a capital campaign to build a food bank and a client services center in rural Oregon; and $25,000 to YouthCare (Seattle, Wash.) to support an emergency meals program for homeless youth.
In 2010, Paul Allen pledged to leave a majority of his estate to philanthropy, including the Foundation and the Allen Institute for Brain Science. With lifetime giving of more than $1.1 billion, Foundation co-founder Paul G. Allen discusses his commitment to give back to the community in his best-selling book, Idea Man.
About The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
Launched by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen and Jo Lynn Allen in 1988, the Allen family’s philanthropy is dedicated to transforming lives and strengthening communities by fostering innovation, creating knowledge and promoting social progress. Since inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $430 million in grants benefitting over 1,400 diverse nonprofit groups that support and advance critical charitable endeavors in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The Foundation’s funding programs nurture the arts, engage children in learning, address the needs of vulnerable populations, advance scientific and technological discoveries, and provide economic relief during the current recession. For more information, go to www.pgafamilyfoundation.org.
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