Gates money feeds the need in Valley

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was produced during the Journalism Summer Workshop at Seattle University June 19-26.

Fifteen teenagers from across the state got to experience journalism and photojournalism during the program, organized by Tomás Guillen, a Seattle University professor and former Seattle Times investigative reporter. Workshop mentors included Yakima Herald-Republic reporter Adriana Janovich. For more information, visit www.seattleu.edu/jsw.

College scholarships for hundreds of students. Funding for local libraries. Programs to help kids get ready for kindergarten.

Throughout the last 10 years, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pumped at least $15 million into the Yakima Valley. The foundation has given money to about a dozen local organizations since 1999, primarily funding scholarships and educational programs.

And more money could be on the way.

"Yakima has a high need," said Valisa Smith, a senior education program officer for the foundation's Northwest region. "It has a history of collaboration and strong leadership."

And that stands out on grant applications, like one from the Catholic Diocese of Yakima. In 2007, the foundation donated $800,000 to repair aging school facilities throughout the diocese.

"We are committed to a good quality education and working with the Gates Foundation," said the Rev. Robert Siler, chief of staff for the diocese. "It was a blessing to have the money."

Improvements included remodeled restrooms, a new boiler and new roof. The grant made a huge impact, Siler said. "It made the schools more energy efficient."

The foundation started in 1994 as the William H. Gates Foundation, named for Bill Gates' father. Now known as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation after the Microsoft founder and his wife, the Seattle-based charity donates about $2 billion a year.

The organization has given more than $20 billion in grants since its inception. The money has gone to more than 100 countries.

Close to $225 million has gone to high school reform in Washington state. And about $482 million has gone to meet the needs of at-risk youth and families throughout the Pacific Northwest.

These days, the foundation's total endowment is worth $27.5 billion, which is down $2 billion from last year due to the weakened economy.

Although the Yakima Valley has received a fair amount of money, it's not just handed over. The Gates Foundation has a rigorous process for selecting grant recipients. Each application is closely scrutinized.

"The foundation looks beyond one grant application in addressing a problem," said Megan Sather, a communications director for the charity.

According to its Web site at www.gatesfoundation.org, a proposal must be in alignment with the foundation's priorities. That means it must be for the public good and have a proven method behind it.

Proposals also must follow one of the foundation's key values: combating homelessness, improving education or reducing hunger.

In the last four years, the foundation has focused on early childhood education. Smith, the education officer, said the organization wants kindergartners "to be ready for school on the first day."

Yakima's Ready by Five program is part of the effort. Construction on a new early learning center is scheduled to begin next spring, and the charity is likely to help pick up part of the cost.

Along with its partner Thrive by Five Washington, the foundation is also expected to continue funding early childhood education programs already under way. The charities have made a 10-year commitment, according to executive director Helen Marieskind.

So far, the foundation and Thrive by Five Washington have given $10.2 million for the early learning initiative in Yakima. And another $4 million is slated for 2010, Marieskind said.

Other local grant recipients include La Salle High School, Planned Parenthood of Central Washington, St. Joseph Parish, Enterprise for Progress in the Community and the Northwest Learning and Achievement Group.

The Wapato-based achievement group used its 2002 grant to set up a high-tech computer center to help, among others, GED and ESL students. It received almost $250,000.

"We would've been significantly diminished" without the grant, said Barbara Peterson, co-executive director of the program.

At Davis High School, grant money has provided scholarships to about 75 low-income students each year for five years.

"A lot of (the students) wouldn't have gone to college," without the scholarships, said Mary Masten, director of secondary education for the Yakima School District.

Many recipients came from families in which the parents didn't have a college education or, in some cases, a high school education.

"The Gates Foundation donations helped the success of the Yakima schools," Masten said.

And more proposals to the Gates Foundation are in the works.

Yakima County commissioners are working on a grant for a new program to expand anti-gang efforts throughout the county.

The project is a partnership between the county, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, the city of Yakima and Educational Service District 105.

* Andrew Taylor, 18, is a senior at Shorewood High School, where he works on his school newspaper, The Kolus."His interests include Frisbee, stencil art and British spoken-word hip-hop.

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