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Excerpt from 7/15/10 Press Release: Philanthropist Paul G. Allen Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Family Foundation
Five Anniversary Grants Awarded to Nonprofit Founders
In recognition of its 20th anniversary milestone, the Foundation is awarding five special Anniversary grants totaling $100,000 to honor founders of nonprofits it has supported in the Pacific Northwest. The grants recognize change agents who created organizations that continue to deliver high impact programs for local communities.
"Through our Anniversary grants, we are recognizing leaders who exemplify passion, dedication and the entrepreneurial spirit that has made their organizations succeed," said Jo Lynn Allen, president of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
Each of the founders' nonprofits has been awarded $20,000 to support the organization's programs.
The five recipients of the Foundation's Anniversary grants are:
- Rachel Bristol, Founder and CEO of Oregon Food Bank (Portland, Ore.)
In 1988, Bristol led an effort to merge Oregon Food Share with the Interagency Food Bank to form Oregon Food Bank. Two years later, she became the organization's executive director based on the strength of her leadership in creating the food bank, developing the statewide network and leading its advocacy efforts. Since then, she has built the food bank into a national model as the largest emergency food supplier in Oregon and southwest Washington and advocate of programs and policy to address hunger and its root causes.
- Bridget Cooke, Founder and Executive Director of Adelante Mujeres (Forest Grove, Ore.)
Cooke founded Adelante Mujeres with Sister Barbara Raymond in 2002 as a small, grassroots organization dedicated to the holistic education and empowerment of Latina women and their families to increase their economic stability. The award-winning organization is a pioneer in promoting the self-sufficiency, creativity and viability of Latina immigrants as small business owners through its microenterprise and education programs.
- Jeanne Harmon, Executive Director and Founder of Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession (Tacoma, WA)
Harmon has worked tirelessly to increase the effectiveness of teachers in the classroom, particularly new teachers. Through her work, Washington has established a stronger system for supporting new teachers, leading to greater job satisfaction and retention in the profession. Harmon has actively engaged teachers in examining and improving the effectiveness of teacher evaluations as reflected in recently passed state legislation.
- Myra Platt and Jane Jones, Founders of Book-It Repertory Theatre (Seattle, WA)
As founding co-artistic directors of Book-It, Platt and Jones have achieved regional and national acclaim for their successful ability to transform great literature into great theatre through simple and sensitive productions which preserve the narrative text in the spoken word. Their innovative approach, and their mission to inspire people to read, have resulted in the growth of a small artists collective into a prolific production company with over 60 world-premiere adaptations of novels and short stories, as well as one of the most prolific educational outreach programs in the region.
- Ken Stuart, President and Founder of Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (Seattle, WA)
Stuart founded Seattle Biomedical Research Institute in Issaquah in 1976 as Seattle's first global health organization. Now known as Seattle BioMed, they are the largest independent non-profit focused on infectious disease research in Seattle. With active research programs in tuberculosis, malaria, HIV and others, Seattle Biomed is on the leading edge of breakthrough discoveries.
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