The Museum of Pop Culture is one of the grant recipients through Allen Family Philanthropies. MoPOP will use its funding to develop a residency program that will expand free youth access to interactive, culturally relevant learning experiences.
Allen Family Philanthropies is providing nearly $7 million in funding for nonprofits leading eight projects at the Seattle Center campus.
The undertaking aims to increase exposure to and participation in the arts among young people by growing opportunities for diverse creators, increasing access to arts programming and engagement, and reimagining spaces, according to an announcement today.
The grants focus on empowering the next generation of artists and audiences, according to a news release from Allen Family Philanthropies, which noted recent research from ArtsFund that finds significant correlations between an accessible and well-funded arts and culture landscape and a vibrant community.
“By investing in arts organizations that engage young people, we invest in the creators, audiences, and advocates who will contribute to and sustain a vibrant arts and culture sector in Seattle for years to come,” Anh Nguyen, director of arts, youth and community for Allen Family Philanthropies, said in the release. “These organizations excel at engaging young artists and young audiences – and know how to ignite curiosity. The grants will ensure youth arts and culture programming can continue to grow and evolve to meet community needs.”
Projects are led by KEXP; the Museum of Pop Culture; National Film Festival For Talented Youth, or NFFTY, a program of SIFF, home of the Seattle International Film Festival; Pacific Science Center; Seattle Repertory Theatre & Seattle Children’s Theatre; Pacific Northwest Ballet; TeenTix; and The Vera Project.
All organizations operate on the Seattle Center campus, which attracts about 12 million annual visits, making it the most visited arts and cultural destination in the Pacific Northwest, according to the release.
About 25% of those visitors come from King County, outside of Seattle. Of that 25%, about 40% are from the Eastside, including Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, and Issaquah; 30% from North King County, including Kenmore, Shoreline, and Lake Forest Park; and 30% from South King County, including Renton, Kent, Federal Way, and SeaTac, according to data provided by Seattle Center.
Seattle Center’s other visitors roughly comprise those from Seattle, 25%; elsewhere in the state, 25%; and out of state and international, also 25%. Of the Washington segment, about 45% are from Snohomish County, 30% from Pierce County, and 25% from Kitsap, Spokane, and Whatcom counties, and Vancouver.
“Seattle Center is a place where many young Seattleites engage in the arts and learn about community building,” Nguyen added. “Campus organizations and their programs create varied spaces for young people and families from across the region to engage in arts and culture as a tool to build a community that is rooted in creativity, expression, and collaboration.”
Funding for the suite of grants totals about $6.9 million over three years. More information on grantees and their respective projects can be found on the Allen Family Philanthropies website.
Allen Family Philanthropies’ funding for Seattle Center organizations follows previous arts investments from the foundation locally, including $9 million to eight downtown arts organizations to support nearly 1,200 public events that have drawn an estimated 230,000 attendees in the past year, and the Community Accelerator Grant Program administered by ArtsFund, which has awarded $30 million in funding to 930 arts and culture organizations across Washington over the last three years.