2002 Annual Report - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

P R O G R A M S
Pacific Northwest
provide services such as after-school mentoring for at-risk youth, education
and tutoring for homeless children, emergency shelter for adolescents, job
training, and abuse-prevention programs.
In addition to community grants, the foundation supports two primary initiatives
in the Pacific Northwest. Sound Families is a public-private partnership
designed to create 1,500 new housing units plus support services for families
in transition out of homelessness in Pierce, King, and Snohomish counties. The
Community Access to Technology (CAT) program provides access to digital
technology through nonprofit organizations that work with underserved populations
in Washington.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Community Grants. This past year the foundation made 82 grants to
nonprofit organizations that are helping improve the lives of children and families
in Washington and Oregon by offering after-school mentoring for at-risk
youth, education and tutoring for homeless children, emergency shelter for
adolescents, job training, and abuse-prevention programs.
• Challenge Grants. Sixteen area nonprofits that serve children and families
successfully completed challenge grants, enabling them to broaden their
funding base to provide essential social services.
• Community Access to Technology. The foundation committed $2 million
for 16 technology projects in 30 different communities providing persons
with disabilities, Native Americans, homeless persons, immigrants, and vulnerable
youth greater access to technology information. These 30 locations will
join the 125 locations previously funded, which are already serving 32,000 persons
annually across Washington state.
• Rural Technology Training. CAT-funded projects enabled 150 rural
Washington nonprofit organizations to receive technology training and support
in 2002.
• Sound Families. Approximately 2,850 formerly homeless people have
safe, stable homes and access to support services through the Sound Families
initiative. In addition to funding 380 new housing units this past year, Sound
Families provided essential services such as on-site case management, job
search and referral services, and tenant education to help people out of homelessness.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also hosted quarterly briefings to
raise awareness about regional homelessness and the Sound Families initiative.
2002 Annual Report 22