Posted on December 16, 2012

Gates Foundation Awards $7.5 Million to Groups Fighting Poverty in Washington State

The Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced that it awarded $7.5 million in 2012 to community-based organizations working to reduce poverty in Washington State.

In 2012, the foundation awarded $5 million to nine organizations that re-granted the funds to local programs and $2.5 million to seven organizations working to reduce intergenerational poverty. Grant recipients included the Blue Mountain Community Foundation, the Community Foundation of North Central Washington, the Greater Everett Community Foundation, the Pride Foundation, the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound, the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties, and the United Way of Snohomish County.

The Gates Foundation also announced that it is accepting letters of inquiry from nonprofits in the state working to improve student achievement. Those grants will focus on the role of family and community in supporting student success.

"The Gates Foundation has a longstanding commitment to supporting community philanthropy," said David Bley, director of the foundation's Pacific Northwest program. "These organizations have established networks of nonprofits that serve families and children quickly and efficiently. Local partners know their community needs."