Since 2000, the RealNetworks Foundation has made grants to more than 200 community-based organizations serving the greater Puget Sound Region.
Although we have always appreciated the valuable contributions that our grantees make to the common good, the need for programs – like the ones that our grantees deliver – has never been greater.
This is truly an unprecedented time in our country’s history. We are facing both unique challenges and unique opportunities. We want to step-up to these challenges and help create positive, meaningful and long-lasting social change. We think we can best do this by reinforcing and deepening our relationships with our existing (and in many cases, our long-time) community partners.
Specifically, we have decided to focus on building our relationships with a core group of community partners and will no longer open our application to the general public. Until further notice, we will invite select organizations to submit a shorter, modified grant application. Our sincere hope is that this approach will enable us to be a better partner by focusing everyone’s time on what matters most: the vital work of our grantees.
Our overall goal is to focus our resources on programs that help people who face systemic barriers to success for many reasons. Toward this goal, we will invest in programs across a variety ofsectors from the environment, to housing, to legal aid, to education, and employment training etc. We will specifically focus on programs that advance equity and access in creative ways within each sector. In this way, we will support community-based organizations that serve a wide variety of people especially those who historically have been underrepresented.
We anticipate that we will be inviting grant proposals by mid-March. If you have questions please review our Guidelines and FAQ pages as they provide additional information that you may find helpful.
Because the Foundation has only one staff member, we are not able to personally meet with prospective applicants and will necessarily have to make tough decisions in the coming months. We want to sincerely assure you that whether your organization receives an invitation to apply for a grant or not, we truly value your organization’s contributions to the common good.
Thank you.