Skip to content

Seattle Culture

Microsoft To Grant $50,000 to 50 Nonprofits For Its 50th Birthday

50 for 50 program seeks ‘community champions’

By Rob Smith November 13, 2024

Microsoft's 50 for 50 campaign celebrates the company's 50th anniversary.
Microsoft's 50 for 50 campaign celebrates the company's 50th anniversary.
Courtesy of Microsoft

Microsoft turns 50 next April, and the software giant wants to celebrate.

The company will make 50 grants of 50,000 apiece to 50 local “changemakers” across the Puget Sound region “who are making a difference in the lives of their neighbors.”

In a letter titled “Thank you, Puget Sound,” Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said the grants focus on organizations that protect civic “jewels and iconic places,” as well as those that help people in need. Microsoft launched its first employee giving campaign in 1983, which raised $17,000 for nonprofits.

Over the past five decades, Microsoft and its employees have donated a total of $1.3 billion, including $114.2 million in 2024, to more than 23,400 organizations across Washington state. Globally, employees this year donated $250 million and volunteered 1 million hours in support of 35,000 nonprofits.

Microsoft is also using its 50th anniversary to identify opportunities for its AI for Good Lab, which seeks to leverage AI and data science to “create new opportunities” across the region. Partners in that effort include the University of Washington and Fred Hutch Cancer Center.

“We may not know what the next decade has in store,” Smith wrote, “but we’re excited to tackle the opportunities that lie ahead, together.”

 

Follow Us

Microsoft Awards $5M Worth Of Grants To AI innovators

Microsoft Awards $5M Worth Of Grants To AI innovators

The grants are part of the company’s 50th anniversary this year

Microsoft has given 20 organizations $50,000 each as part of its AI for Good grants program. The grants — part of an initiative to celebrate Microsoft’s 50th anniversary this year — recognize organizations for their innovations in artificial intelligence. The organizations — who applied for the grants earlier this year — receive resources to help…

Seattle Commute Survey Shows More Office Activity

Seattle Commute Survey Shows More Office Activity

Both transit travel and driving trips are on the rise

Downtown Seattle foot traffic still isn’t nearly what it was prior to the pandemic, but more people are commuting to offices on a regular basis. The 2024 Commute Seattle Survey finds that both transit travel and drive-alone trips are on the rise as remote working drops. Citywide, the percentage of people reporting that their jobs…

Seattle Pride Seeks Support As Sponsorships Dry Up

Seattle Pride Seeks Support As Sponsorships Dry Up

The nonprofit has launched a fundraising campaign to make up for a $350,000 deficit

For Patti Hearn, no amount is too small. Every little bit helps. Hearn, executive director of Seattle Pride, is working feverishly to bridge a $350,000 fundraising gap because of shifts in corporate sponsorship. Seattle Pride — a nonprofit foundation that produces the annual Seattle Pride Parade and a slew of other events, including Seattle Pride…

Tapped Out

Tapped Out

Washington lawmakers propose doubling beer and wine taxes

You might be paying significantly more for your pint next year.  House Bill 2079, introduced by Representative Lauren Davis (D–District 32), would raise the tax on beer from $4.78 to $9.56 per barrel for most breweries. The bill also proposes doubling taxes on wine from 1 cent to 2 cents per liter and increasing taxes…