This year would have marked Bill Gates Sr.'s 100th birthday. As the foundation celebrates its own 25th anniversary, there's no better time to honor the man who ensured our commitment to the Seattle region has remained as steadfast as our global work. To mark these twin milestones, we recently awarded 25 one-time grants of $25,000 each to local organizations that embody Bill Sr.'s vision of being a "good neighbor."
Bill Sr.'s belief in lifting up others secured the funding over the decades to support many of the incredible nonprofit organizations working throughout the Seattle region today. His vision established what we now call our Community Engagement grant program, and his legacy continues to shape everything we do in our local work, guided by one of his most common refrains: "But how does it help people?"
Bill Sr. truly embodied the principle: "think globally and act locally." Thanks to him, our local work continues to reflect the same belief that drives our work everywhere around the world: that everyone deserves the chance to live a healthy and productive life. The 25 partners who received these grants in honor of Bill Sr. represent the hundreds of remarkable organizations that have shaped our local history over the past quarter century.
Meet our 25 local community partners
The 25 organizations listed below recently received their one-time anniversary grant and joined our Community Engagement team for a reception honoring their work and partnership at the Gates Foundation Discovery Center.
- ACRS
- Building Changes
- Chief Seattle Club
- College Success Foundation
- Educare Seattle
- El Centro de la Raza
- FareStart
- Food Lifeline
- Greater Tacoma Community Foundation
- Leadership Tomorrow
- Legal Foundation of Washington
- Neighborhood House
- PATH
- Philanthropy Northwest
- Rotary Club of Seattle
- Seattle Foundation
- Seattle Public Libraries
- Snohomish County Community Foundation
- United Way of King County
- University of Washington
- Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
- Washington State Charter Schools Association
- Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- YMCA of Greater Seattle
- YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish
Developing this list of 25 partners was not easy. Over the past 25 years, the foundation has supported hundreds of organizations in the greater Seattle region. These organizations are not our "best" or "favorite" partners. Such distinctions would be unfair as well as impossible. Rather, they represent the hundreds of organizations that have shaped the foundation's local history and made a meaningful impact in our community.
Our selection process honored five key principles:
- Connection to Bill Gates Sr.'s legacy: Organizations that embody his commitment to community leadership and local impact.
- Alignment with foundation values: Partners who demonstrate rigor in their approach, innovation in their solutions, collaboration in their methods, and optimism in their vision.
- Reflective of foundation strategic priorities: Organizations that represent both our historical focus areas and current strategic direction, highlighting the evolution of our shared work.
- Community representation: Partners that reflect the beautiful diversity and breadth of needs in the greater Seattle community.
- Sustained impact: Organizations with demonstrated community presence, measurable impact, and organizational strength.
Mark Suzman's Post "Think globally, act locally"
The real work happens on the front lines
As I shared at the event honoring these local partners, from our side, our efforts are primarily tied to money. And as the great 20th-century poet Neil Diamond said, "money can't sing; money can't dance." Well, our funds do sing and dance through the careful stewardship and hard work of these 25 organizations. Our funds do help people, because of the incredible leadership and staff at these nonprofits.
Our CEO Mark Suzman emphasized this point beautifully: "You are on the frontlines of that work, ensuring families and individuals in our community have what they need to build the lives they want for themselves." He highlighted how during the COVID-19 response, many of these same organizations stepped up like never before, helping our community provide access to health care and meet critical basic needs.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of these partners and so many others, more children have access to early learning and the nutritious meals they need to grow. More families have safe and stable housing. More young people have a pathway to opportunity, and more people seeking refuge find community and hope.
Our community is stronger, more resilient, and more equitable because of organizations like these 25.
Looking to our final chapter
In May, Bill announced that our foundation will commit $200 billion to our work over the next 20 years, and then the Gates Foundation will complete its work in 2045. As we look ahead to this final chapter, Mark reaffirmed our commitment to our local neighbors during our reception and pledged to continue working with local organizations—listening, learning, and building a better Seattle for everyone.
As we close out the year, I hope you’ll join me in celebrating what Bill Sr. started, and what the Community Engagement team strives to continue: an unwavering dedication to ensuring our neighbors have access to the opportunities they need to design the futures they want. Together, we honor the past while building the future: one partnership, one community, one life changed at a time.