$475,000 from Washington Women's Foundation awarded

In addition to combining their giving dollars for the large impact grants, members will distribute another $475,000 this year in individual grants to nonprofits as part of their annual membership contribution.

SEATTLE, June 18, 2010 -- Washington Women's Foundation has awarded grants to five local nonprofit organizations totaling $475,000. This year marks the Foundation's 15th year of collective giving, and represents over $10 million dollars granted to the community by its members, both through individual grants of up to $1,000 each and through Pooled Fund Grants of $50,000 - $100,000.

"Reaching the $10 million mark in cumulative grants is a testament to the power and leverage of our collective giving model." said Carla Lewis, President of Washington Women's Foundation. "Our members have combined their resources, their knowledge and their passion for improving our community to have an enormous philanthropic impact in the region."

Pooled grants of $85,000 - $100,000 were awarded in each of the Foundation's five giving areas: arts and culture, education, environment, health and human services. Here's a closer look at the award-winning organizations and the purpose of the grant funds:

• Seattle Music Partners provides free, after school music lessons to underserved children in Seattle's Central District schools, with musically-skilled, volunteer teen and young adult musicians serving as instructors and mentors. The $85,000 foundation grant will provide general operating support for the growing organization, including funds for additional staff, curriculum development and evaluation tools. www.seattlemusicpartners.org
  
  
• Healthy Start provides intensive, home-based parenting education for low-income, first-time parents under age 23 with children age 0-3 years. Healthy Start's early intervention model ensures that both parent and child develop solid foundations for family and school success. The $100,000 grant will support the expansion of this program into Snohomish County and increase their grant writing capacity. www.healthystartfamily.org
  
  
• Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition leads a collaborative effort to ensure a Duwamish River Superfund cleanup that is accepted by and benefits the community, and protects fish, wildlife, and human health. The $90,000 grant will support general operating activities, including education, increased public involvement in the cleanup decision process, and advocacy on behalf of the Duwamish-area community. www.duwamishcleanup.org
  
  
• Refugee Women's Alliance promotes inclusion, independence, personal leadership and strong communities by providing refugee and immigrant families with culturally and linguistically appropriate services. The $100,000 grant will support the Refugee & Immigrant Family Health Project specifically to conduct outreach and improve the health of the Somali, Burmese and Nepalese populations in King County. www.rewa.org
  
  
• Emergency Food Network works to obtain, produce, transport, process and store food for free distribution, providing 85% of all food distributed to Pierce County feeding programs. The $100,000 general operating grant will help maintain EFN's critical operations and to effectively procure greater quantities of food. www.efoodnet.org

New this year, the Washington Women's Foundation presents the WWF Merit Award to the five finalists who were not awarded the Pooled Fund Grants. The Merit Award is in recognition of the Grant Committee's strong endorsement of these organizations and includes a $2,000 grant in appreciation for the time and effort invested in WWF's rigorous grant process. The 2010 Merit Awardees are: Theatre Off Jackson, Para Los Niños, Groundwire, Neighborcare Health, and Eastside Domestic Violence Program.

In addition to combining their giving dollars for the large impact grants, Washington Women's Foundation members will distribute another $475,000 this year in individual grants to nonprofits of their choice as part of their annual membership contribution. Total foundation giving for 2010 will approach $1,000,000.

About Washington Women's Foundation

The mission of Washington Women's Foundation is to educate and expand the number of women engaged in philanthropy, and to build and strengthen community through individual and large impact grants. The foundation's members, now more than 500 strong, have invested $10 million of their own resources in nonprofit organizations since 1995 ($5.2 million in pooled grants; $4.8 million in individual grants). Membership is open to all women interested in philanthropy. For more information, visit www.wawomensfoundation.org.


Washington Women's Foundation
Marion DeForest, 206-340-1710
marion@wawomensfoundation.org