Vulcan Inc. and the Paul G. Allen Foundation on Friday announced several donations and initiatives to support Seattle’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The foundation is committing $500,000 to The Seattle Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund, which is quickly deploying resources to community organizations on the front line of the epidemic in the Puget Sound region. Vulcan, the business arm of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s wide-ranging enterprises, will match the first $25,000 donated by its employees to the fund.
“We are all witnessing the impacts of COVID-19 and how it is harming the health, vibrancy, and economic well-being of our communities,” Jody Allen, chair of Vulcan and the foundation, said in a statement. “We are thoughtfully assessing ways we can help mitigate some of these impacts …”
The foundation is also donating $100,000 to the COVID-19 Arts Emergency Relief Fund, a mix of public and private money to provide grants to impacted arts and cultural organizations.
Vulcan, which is headquartered in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, is also committing $100,000 to support restaurants in the neighborhood that have been hard-hit since outbreak began.
The fund will be administered by the Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Association and several other organizations. Vulcan is launching a public fundraising effort to bring in more money. Cash grants will be distributed quickly, with little red tape.
Jody Allen also owns the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers, which have committed to pay their part-time event staff for scheduled shifts at games that have been canceled or postponed.