Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation shares details for greater Seattle area coronavirus response grants

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced grants totaling $3.7 million to support efforts in the Seattle-King County region to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

The funding is part of a local commitment of up to $5 million that the foundation announced in early March. Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company founded by Melinda Gates, is committing an additional $500,000 to support Seattle-area communities disproportionately impacted by the disease.

“The pandemic feels like a universal experience, but we have to recognize that not all of us will experience it equally,” said Melinda Gates, co-chair of the foundation. “By supporting local community response efforts, we can help make sure that, in this moment of crisis, we’re not leaving the most vulnerable behind.”

As part of ongoing technical assistance to Public Health – Seattle & King County (PH-SKC), the foundation will provide $1 million to help the agency disseminate timely and accurate information so the public can take appropriate measures to help prevent further spread of the disease. To accommodate an anticipated increase in confirmed cases, the funding may also help the local public health authority set up temporary housing or support complementary services for non-severe patients and people experiencing homelessness.

“We’re in awe of the heroic efforts of all those working around the clock to detect, treat, and safely isolate those diagnosed with COVID-19 in the greater Seattle area,” said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “Seattle is not just our headquarters, it’s our home. And as a local organization with relevant expertise and resources, we have a unique responsibility to help. This funding will help public health agencies and community partners fill the critical needs they’ve identified, and we hope it catalyzes further action in the area.”

Since January, the foundation has been providing disease modelling and other technical support to PH-SKC to enhance its capacity to conduct effective COVID-19 surveillance and case detection. The funding will complement these efforts by helping PH-SKC sustain ongoing communication of priorities and best practices with the public.

To expand local capacity to address broader effects of the outbreak and meet the needs of those disproportionately impacted, the foundation is contributing to six regional COVID-19 response funds. The Seattle Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund will receive $1 million from the Gates Foundation and $500,000 from Pivotal Ventures. The foundation will also support efforts across Washington state, contributing $250,000 each to the Community Fund of Snohomish County, the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation serving Pierce County, the Innovia Foundation serving Spokane County, the Yakima Valley Community Foundation, and Philanthropy Northwest.

These funds will help community-based organizations responding to the state’s coronavirus outbreak meet the immediate needs of people who are economically or physically at risk, such as service industry and gig workers, healthcare workers, people with limited English proficiency and communities of color. Because people experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable, the foundation is also contributing $160,000 each to three of Seattle’s homeless service providers: Mary’s Place, Plymouth Housing, and the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC).

In addition to the funding announced today, the foundation is providing technical assistance to the Seattle Flu Study as it shifts some of its capacity from a research study focused on seasonal influenza to a surveillance platform for COVID-19.

Each year, the foundation provides about $300 million in grants to community-based organizations in Washington state. Seattle is also home to 1,100 foundation employees who are parents, neighbors, and active members of the Seattle community.

Original source: Gates Foundation
Published on 24 March 2020