ArtsWest has been awarded a grant from The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation of $50,000. The grant will go toward Full Speed Ahead, ArtsWest’s capital campaign.
 
“The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation is proud to make a grant of $50,000 to ArtsWest,” said Susan M. Coliton, the vice president of The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. “In these tough economic times, we need to ensure that we leverage every dollar to have the greatest possible impact so we can continue the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to the arts. Our grant to ArtsWest recognizes its valuable commitment to strengthening its West Seattle community and transforming lives.”
 
“The Allen Foundation grant is a great indicator of the buy-in ArtsWest has from our community,” said KayLee Jaech, ArtsWest’s development director, “It’s that support that both drives us and allows us to continue enriching the culture of West Seattle. I think it will lead directly to support from other foundations, civic-minded corporations, and individuals who value ArtsWest and support Full Speed Ahead.” 
 
Funding from Full Speed Ahead will pay for crucial maintenance projects, payment of no less than minimum wage to actors and other artists, and enhancing the administrative infrastructure to assist with customer service issues, all allowing for successful strategic growth for ArtsWest. 
 
“Over the years, dozens of Puget Sound nonprofit arts organizations with facility or capacity issues have been forced to move into a new facility, and consequently, a new neighborhood,” said Alan Harrison, ArtsWest’s executive director. “We love our neighborhood. ArtsWest wants to stay, maintain its facility, and grow its artistry and its impact. The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation grant will help us achieve those goals.”
 
“Full Speed Ahead is a capital campaign designed to create a less-expensive option for capital needs with a priority of remaining in the West Seattle Junction,” said Sheila Weaver, the President of the ArtsWest Board of Trustees.  “That’s why this is such a smart investment, and why the city, county, state, the Seattle Foundation and now The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation have signed on.”