RealNetworks Foundation Commits Additional $1M in 2020 Grants to Help Address Racial Injustice and the COVID-19 Pandemic
SEATTLE, July 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The RealNetworks Foundation, the philanthropic arm of RealNetworks, Inc., has allocated an additional $1M in grants for 2020 to help address the immediate needs stemming from Racial Injustice and COVID-19, two historic challenges that have disproportionally impacted communities of color. The RealNetworks Foundation has directed $500K to each cause, applying the funds to both local and national recipients. Earlier this Spring, the Foundation distributed $1M in Community Enhancement Grants to 100 community-based organizations serving the greater Puget Sound region. The Foundation has accelerated the timetable of these new grants, reflecting the urgency of these causes.
"The most vulnerable populations in the United States are facing profound economic and social hardship," said Rob Glaser, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of RealNetworks. "The crushing weight of systemic racial injustice, and the compounding challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic are causing even deeper pain, suffering, and injustice. We believe that our support of important charitable organizations through the RealNetworks Foundation is a small but meaningful positive step forward for our community."
Since its inception in 2000, the RealNetworks Foundation has made grants to more than 200 charitable organizations serving communities where RealNetworks employees live and work. In addition, the Foundation matches RealNetworks employee donations to a wide range of philanthropic programs and initiatives at a rate of $2 for every $1 employees personally give. The Foundation has traditionally focused its efforts on local communities. Today's grants mark an expansion of the Foundation's efforts to address racial justice on a national stage.
Racial Justice Grants totaling $500K are being made to the following organizations:
- Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund
- Equal Justice Initiative
- Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
- ACLU Trone Center for Justice and Equality
- Pacific Science Center (Stem Programs)
COVID-19 Grants totaling $500K are being made to the following organizations:
- Seattle Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund
- King County Memorial Society
- NW Harvest
- Solid Ground
- YWCA: Passage Point
- El Centro de la Raza
- International Community Health Services
- Odessa Brown Children's Clinic
- Seattle Indian Health Board
- City Harvest
"A primary goal of the RealNetworks Foundation is to assist people who face barriers to success for many reasons," said Kathryn Shields, Executive Director, RealNetworks Foundation. "These additional grants are likewise focused on helping to bring real and lasting change to communities bearing the brunt of inequality and systemic racism."
About RealNetworks Foundation
The RealNetworks Foundation is funded by RealNetworks Inc., as part of its 1997 pledge to donate five percent of its after-tax profits to charity. The Foundation began operating in 2000 and has contributed over $20M since its inception. For more information about the RealNetworks Foundation or to learn more about Community Enhancement Grants visit: www.realfoundation.org.
For More Information:
public_relations@realnetworks.com