The Pride Foundation is an LGBT philanthropic foundation in the Pacific Northwest. It was founded in 1985,[1] and has issued over $8 million in grants [2] and over $1.65 million to the more than 50 scholarships it manages.[3]. In 1993, when The Pride Foundation first began granting scholarships it partnered with the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) to collaborate on a joint application process.[4]
The Foundation's first president was Allan Tunning, a small businessman who donated $1.2 million, dying just a year after helping set up the organization.[5]
In 1995, the Foundation was part of a shareholder proxy initiative which convinced McDonald's Corporation to extend its non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation. In March 2000, the initiative convinced General Electric to include orientation in both its policy and its diversity training program.[6]
On February 24, 2008, Pride Foundation announced that former Microsoft employee Ric Weiland (d. 2006) had bequeathed $65 million to support gay rights and HIV/AIDS organizations - the largest-ever single bequest for the LGBT community.[7] Through his estate, Weiland established a fund at the Pride Foundation that will provide $46 million over the next eight years to 10 national LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations[8] that he personally selected and $19 million directly to Pride Foundation[9] for their scholarships and grants supporting the Northwest's LGBT community.[8][10] Weiland, one of the first five people to work at Microsoft, was a Foundation Board member for several years.[9]
On December 10, 2009, the Foundation was given a Seattle Human Rights Award [11] for its advocacy for the LGBT community.