White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Day after the White Center Community Development Association put up that hip-hop video about green job opportunities, a news release just in from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation includes word of a $200,000 grant for WCCDA’s “green jobs initiative” (and other nonprofit endeavors):

Providing foreclosure counseling for distressed homeowners in southern Oregon and supporting the development of a green jobs initiative for young adults in Seattle’s White Center neighborhood are among the grants recently awarded by The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. These latest grants reflect the Foundation’s continued focus on strengthening the social safety net for those living on the financial edge as well as supporting longer-term initiatives to help low-income families and individuals achieve economic stability.

“During one of the most dramatic economic downturns in history, we remain committed to helping our nonprofit partners and the communities they support respond and adapt to these growing challenges,” said Susan M. Coliton, vice president of The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. “Our latest grants will help people build the long-term social and economic assets they need for economic stability in these uncertain times.”

As part of its latest round of grants awarded in 2009, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation announced $4.6 million in grants to nonprofit organizations. The Foundation awarded grants to 66 diverse non-profit organizations in the Pacific Northwest region (including 38 nonprofits in Washington, 18 in Oregon, four in Alaska, four in Idaho, and two in Montana).

Providing Economic Relief and Building Family Assets

The Foundation continues its focus on helping nonprofit organizations meet growing community needs during the current economic crisis. The latest grants include $50,000 to the Umpqua Community Development Corporation (Roseburg, Ore.) to help it meet increasing demand for foreclosure counseling, with the goal of assisting 700 Oregon homeowners facing foreclosure.

In addition to helping individuals in crisis, the Foundation’s latest grants will also help people build income streams and learn new skills to create long-term financial stability. The Foundation awarded $200,000 to Hacienda Community Development Corporation (Portland, Ore.) to expand its entrepreneurial micro-enterprise program called Micro Mercantes that provides mentoring to Latina women in becoming successful food vendors at local farmers’ markets; and $200,000 to White Center Community Development Association (Seattle, Wash.) to develop a green jobs initiative that will take advantage of federal stimulus funding to train young adults in home weatherization as a foundation for additional education, training, and employment security.

Expanding Educational Opportunities for Youth

The Foundation’s latest grants continue to support initiatives that test new models within the K-12 public education system and expand opportunities for youth to develop new interests, skills, and abilities. Grants include $400,000 to the Washington State STEM Education Foundation (Kennewick, Wash.) to support comprehensive professional development for teachers at Delta High School, a new high school focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the Tri-Cities region; $100,000 to the Portland Schools Foundation to support Ninth Grade Counts, a broad-based program to increase high school graduation rates and workforce readiness for Portland youth; $150,000 to Business Education Compact (Beaverton, Ore.) to increase capacity and facilitate expansion of their Proficiency-Based Teaching and Learning program to reach more than 1,300 educators; $50,000 to IslandWood (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) to support a two-year pilot program called Stewardship Stories in partnership with the Seattle Park and Recreation Department to provide hands-on environmental education programs for Seattle youth; and $60,000 to the National Wildlife Federation (Anchorage, Alaska) to expand a green jobs program for teens in rural Alaska.

Continuing a Longstanding Commitment to the Arts

Arts and culture grants in the latest round of giving include support for many of the Foundation’s longstanding nonprofit partners, including the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle and Perseverance Theatre, among others. The latest grants include support for annual arts programming as well as initiatives that help arts organizations strengthen their financial condition and sustain themselves during the recession and beyond.

Arts and culture grants include $75,000 to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival (Boise, Idaho) to support the Tessitura Consortium project, an initiative that creates a technology-sharing partnership with the Boise Contemporary Theater to integrate ticketing, donor, educational and financial data systems that improve operational efficiencies and customer service; $40,000 to the Contemporary Crafts Museum & Gallery (Portland, Ore.) to support the organization’s integration with the Pacific Northwest College of Art by providing improved infrastructure, training and staffing support.

Other key grants include $25,000 to the Seattle Chamber Music Festival for marketing initiatives to increase ticket sales and expand the organization’s 2010 Summer Festival audience base at its new Benaroya Hall location; $50,000 to the Northwest African American Museum (Seattle, Wash.) to develop a strategic marketing and outreach program to promote the museum’s exhibits, membership and services; $50,000 to the Holter Museum of Art (Helena, Mont.) to support a two-year audience and resource development project that honors the military and veteran community in Helena and greater Montana; and $75,000 to the Alaska Native Heritage Center (Anchorage, Alaska) to support the commissioning and presentation of four culturally significant works honoring Alaskan Native heritage and culture.

“Our commitment to supporting the continued vitality of the local arts sector has not changed,” said Coliton. “Like other nonprofits, arts and culture groups are grappling with new economic realities. It is encouraging that attendance at local museums and performing arts organizations remains strong. Clearly, even in challenging times, audiences find value and meaning in the creative work being developed and presented in our communities.”

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. Mr. Allen has contributed $378 million to the Foundation since its inception, benefitting over 1,370 diverse nonprofit groups to support and advance their critical charitable endeavors in the Pacific Northwest. A complete list of the Foundation’s latest grants is found at www.pgafamilyfoundation.org/grantlist.

Tags: Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, White Center Community Development Association

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