Allen Family Philanthropies Announces Nearly $7M in Funding for Arts and Culture Organizations at Seattle Center
Allen Family Philanthropies is providing nearly $7 million in funding for nonprofits leading eight projects at the Seattle Center campus, the city’s treasured destination for arts and culture. Projects will increase exposure to and participation in the arts among young people by growing opportunities for diverse creators, increasing access to arts programming and engagement, and reimagining spaces.
The assortment of grants focuses on empowering the next generation of artists and audiences. Recent research from ArtsFund finds significant correlations between an accessible and well-funded arts and culture landscape and a vibrant community overall.
“By investing in arts organizations that engage young people, we invest in the creators, audiences, and advocates who will contribute to and sustain a vibrant arts and culture sector in Seattle for years to come,” said Anh Nguyen, director of arts, youth and community for Allen Family Philanthropies. “These organizations excel at engaging young artists and young audiences – and know how to ignite curiosity. The grants will ensure youth arts and culture programming can continue to grow and evolve to meet community needs.”
Projects are led by KEXP, Museum of Pop Culture, National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY, a program of SIFF), Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pacific Science Center, Seattle Repertory Theatre & Seattle Children’s Theatre, TeenTix, and The Vera Project.
All organizations operate on the Seattle Center campus. For over 60 years, Seattle Center has been Seattle’s hub for arts, culture, and entertainment – home to some of the nation’s most prestigious arts and culture institutions. With over 12 million visitors annually, Seattle Center is the most visited arts and cultural destination in the Pacific Northwest.
“Seattle Center is a place where many young Seattleites engage in the arts and learn about community building,” said Nguyen. “Campus organizations and their programs create varied spaces for young people and families from across the region to engage in arts and culture as a tool to build a community that is rooted in creativity, expression, and collaboration."
Funding for the suite of grants totals $6,868,990 over three years. Grantees, and their respective projects, include:
KEXP will support emerging artists and cultural workers and enhance audience diversity through extended programs for youth and their families, including the youth DJ programs, all-ages events, expanded youth outreach and programming engagement, and live music events and other activations in the KEXP Gathering Space and courtyard ($879,700 in funding).
Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) will develop a residency program that will expand free youth access to interactive, culturally relevant learning experiences ($696,176 in funding).
National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) will scale and grow festival programming into year-round, accessible opportunities for film education, mentorship, and professional development for aspiring youth filmmakers at Seattle Center ($480,882 in funding).
Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) will unify PNB’s emerging artist efforts into a singular choreographic dance program with more technical training and performance opportunities, increasing engagement for young artists aged 10-26, and expanding the Community Stages program ($1,250,000 in funding).
Pacific Science Center (PacSci) will connect arts and culture with science, reimagining spaces with public artwork and cultural installations commissioned by Pacific Northwest Indigenous artists and culture bearers, through a new artist-in-residence program within the Maker & Innovation Lab ($997,632 in funding).
Seattle Repertory Theatre & Seattle Children’s Theatre will expand their theatrical partnership model with a multi-year initiative to co-produce one mainstage show each season aimed at teens and their families ($1,320,000 in funding).
TeenTix will support a new Teen Connectors program in partnership with Seattle Center arts venues to increase access and engagement of teen audiences in arts and culture experiences ($250,000 in funding).
The Vera Project (Vera) will launch All Ages / All Access, a new slate of all-ages music and arts programming centered on concerts, gallery openings, and creative workforce development opportunities by and for young people ($994,600 in funding).
Allen Family Philanthropies recognizes that arts and culture contribute to a deeper understanding of ourselves and others, helping to foster connection and strengthen communities.
The funding for Seattle Center organizations follows previous arts investments from the foundation locally – including $9 million to eight downtown arts organizations to support nearly 1,200 public events that have drawn an estimated 230,000 attendees in the past year alone – and the Community Accelerator Grant Program administered by ArtsFund, which has awarded $30 million in funding to more than 1,000 arts and culture organizations across Washington state over the last three years.
About Allen Family Philanthropies:
Founded in 1988 by Jody Allen and the late Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, Allen Family Philanthropies (formerly known as the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation) invests in communities across the Pacific Northwest and beyond to strengthen arts and culture, empower the next generation of changemakers, and support a global network of partners working to advance biodiversity and human well-being. Learn more at www.allenphilanthropies.org.
