The Pride Foundation is an

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

philanthropic foundation in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

. It was founded in 1985, and has issued over $8 million in grants and over $1.65 million to the more than 50 scholarships it manages. In 1993, when The Pride Foundation first began granting scholarships it partnered with the

Greater Seattle Business Association The Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) is an LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce based in Seattle, Washington. The majority of the organization's membership are small businesses located throughout the Puget Sound area. The association's stated ...

(GSBA) to collaborate on a joint application process.

History

The Foundation's first president was Allan Tonning, a small businessman who donated $1.2 million, dying just a year after helping set up the organization. In 1995, the Foundation was part of a shareholder proxy initiative which convinced

McDonald's Corporation McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger st ...

to extend its non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation. In March 2000, the initiative convinced

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

to include orientation in both its policy and its diversity training program. On February 24, 2008, Pride Foundation announced that former

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

employee

Ric Weiland Richard William "Ric" Weiland (April 21, 1953 – June 24, 2006) was a computer software pioneer, programmer and philanthropist. He was the second employee at Microsoft Corporation, joining the company during his final year at Stanford Un ...

(d. 2006) had bequeathed $65 million to support gay rights and HIV/AIDS organizations - the largest-ever single bequest for the LGBT community. Through his estate, Weiland established a fund at the Pride Foundation that will provide $46 million over the next eight years to 10 national LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations that he personally selected and $19 million directly to Pride Foundation for their scholarships and grants supporting the Northwest's LGBT community. Weiland, one of the first five people to work at Microsoft, was a Foundation Board member for several years. On December 10, 2009, the Foundation was given a Seattle Human Rights Award seattle.gov, ''Seattle Human Rights Day''
/ref> for its advocacy for the LGBT community.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Organizations established in 1985 Foundations based in the United States LGBT political advocacy groups in Washington (state) 1985 establishments in Washington (state)

History

See also

References

External links