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Aaron Blank or Lora Lee, for the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
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Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Awards $9 Million in Grants
Latest grants focus on supporting asset building programs that promote long-term economic stability; Foundation also launches new initiative to further support public libraries in Washington
SEATTLE, Wash. – January 25, 2011 – Providing financial education to help Lummi tribal members develop their own small businesses in Bellingham, Wash. and supporting free tax services for low-income individuals in rural Montana are among the grants recently awarded by The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. These latest grants reflect the Foundation’s increased focus on supporting longer-term asset building initiatives to help low-income people achieve economic stability.
“With an increasingly complex set of challenges facing low-income families in our communities, many of our latest grant awards are focused on helping create pathways for people to build and maintain long-term social and economic assets,” said Susan M. Coliton, vice president of The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. “All of the Foundation’s grants reflect our longstanding mission to transform lives and strengthen communities.”
As part of its latest round of grants, the Foundation announced it awarded $8.5 million to 84 diverse non-profit organizations in the Pacific Northwest. They include 56 nonprofits in Washington, 12 in Oregon, three in Alaska, three in Idaho, nine in Montana and one region-wide grant. The Foundation’s asset building grants represent the largest portion of the current grant portfolio, totaling $4.6 million in funding. A full list of the Foundation’s latest grants is available at www.pgafamilyfoundation.org/grantlist.
Building Long-Term Assets and Providing Immediate Economic Relief
The Foundation’s asset building program helps low-income individuals in rural and urban settings in the Northwest build income and gain new skills to achieve long-term financial stability. These grants help vulnerable people save money and build financial assets, obtain job training and vocational skills, establish their own small businesses, and gain financial literacy.
The latest grants include $300,000 to Building Changes (Seattle, Wash.) to support the expansion of its Economic Opportunity Initiative to help strengthen employment programs at low-income housing sites; $175,000 to Community Frameworks (Spokane, Wash.) to support the expansion of its HomeStarts program to help low-income people in Spokane and northern Idaho build financial stability and purchase homes; $225,000 to Montana Homeownership Network (Great Falls, Montana) to support a matched savings and education program to establish regular savings habits and minimize use of check-cashing services; $300,000 to Lummi Nation Service Organization (Bellingham, Wash.) to help Lummi Nation tribe members develop and successfully manage small businesses; $190,000 to Rural Development Initiatives (Eugene, Ore.) to help low-income Latinos in rural Oregon build basic financial literacy and establish microenterprises; and $200,000 to Washington Community Alliance for Self-Help (Seattle, Wash.) to help build employable skills and living wage jobs among low-income entrepreneurs.
In addition to helping individuals and families build long-term economic security, the Foundation’s latest grants also help provide immediate relief and strengthen the social safety net for those living on the financial edge. The Foundation awarded six grants totaling $468,000 to help people avoid homelessness and meet basic needs. They include $100,000 to Hopelink (Redmond, Wash.) to provide emergency food assistance for vulnerable families in King County and $100,000 to JOIN (Portland, Ore.) to provide eviction avoidance assistance to Portland-area families.
Increasing Support for Public Libraries
The Foundation also launched a new library initiative focused on strengthening the role that libraries and librarians play in connecting people to information and ideas. Through this new initiative, the Foundation has awarded $426,000 to seven public libraries in Washington State that strengthen the ability of librarians to meet patrons’ needs and promote libraries as centers for life-long learning. The latest funding reflects the Foundation’s continued commitment to supporting libraries as important community assets. Over the last decade, the Foundation has awarded more than $25 million to public libraries in the Pacific Northwest.
“The Foundation’s giving is guided by our founders’ personal passions and interests. Paul Allen’s and Jody Allen’s parents instilled a love of reading and a deep curiosity about ideas at an early age,” Coliton said. “As part of the fabric of our communities, libraries serve as centers for educational, cultural and civic engagement. Our funding helps support the continued ability of libraries and librarians to better serve diverse populations in our growing communities.”
The inaugural grants include: $150,000 to Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma, Wash.); $85,000 to Sno-Isle Libraries; $90,000 to Seattle Public Library Foundation (Seattle, Wash.); $50,000 to Port Townsend Public Library (Port Townsend, Wash.); $35,000 to North Central Regional Library; $10,000 to Neill Public Library (Pullman, Wash.) and $6,000 to Lopez Island Library (Lopez Island, Wash.).
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 $428 million in grants benefitting over 1,400 diverse nonprofit groups to support and advance their 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 amid the downturn. For more information, go to www.pgafamilyfoundation.org.
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