Grants Help Meet Basic Needs, Build Arts Audiences
August 20, 2012
Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Continues Emergency Relief Support As Washington Struggles To Regain Its Economic Footing
The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation made a new round of basic needs grants to Washington nonprofits in the summer of 2012. Although the economy is recovering, Washington continues to face the greatest economic distress in the Northwest region. In light of this, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation is continuing the commitment it made at the onset of the recession to provide grants that help struggling residents in our community find emergency shelter and food.
The $550,000 in grants given to five nonprofit organizations will supply 291,000 of Washingtonʼs most vulnerable people with 180,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, 200,000 hot meals, and funds to keep over 300 food banks stocked. The funds will also help provide 2,000 people with access to shelter and legal assistance to prevent foreclosure or eviction.
Since initiating its emergency relief program in 2009, the Foundation has provided 21 grants totaling $3.3 million. Most of these funds have gone to Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana agencies. The Foundation intends to continue funding food security into 2013 to help local families and individuals recover from the economic downturn and Washington State budget crisis.
Twenty arts and culture organizations in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, which reach a total of 561,000 audience members, also received summer grant support. The Foundation, which has a well-established tradition of supporting the arts, continued to fortify arts in rural areas. Theater played a leading role in this grants cycle, and several new theater grants will help groups offer thought-provoking productions of contemporary work in the Pacific Northwest.
Beyond the stage, literary arts support has also long been a priority for the Allen family. Four grants in this cycle will support literary arts including the creation of new works in Seattle, bringing acclaimed writers to Boise, and supporting the Montana Festival of the Book.
View the full grants press release to see where to follow grantees on Facebook and Twitter.