Grantmaking to Washington rose 60% between 2012 and 2014, driven largely by major health and education gifts from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The largest single gift to the Northwest region was the Gates Foundation’s $156 million grant to Seattle-based PATH to accelerate development of malaria vaccines that meets the needs of malaria-endemic countries. Seattle Foundation also made significant grants for health and education, including $1 million to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and $20,000 to the Snohomish County Chapter of American Red Cross in the wake of the Oso mudslide.
Other top priorities for funders to Washington included human services (11%), reflected in a $700,000 grant from The Boeing Company to the United Way of King County. Compared to overall giving to the Northwest, Washington grantees received smaller proportions of grant dollars for environment and animals (3.7% to Washington vs. 7% to the Northwest).
Top 10 Grantmakers to Washington, 2014*
1. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (WA)
2. Seattle Foundation (WA)
3. Microsoft Corporation (WA)
4. United Way of King County (WA)
5. The Boeing Company (IL)
6. Washington Research Foundation (WA)
7. Schwab Charitable Fund (CA)
8. Bloomberg Philanthropies (NY)
9. The Norcliffe Foundation (WA)
10. M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust (WA)
*Based on grants data reported to Foundation Center by January 2017
