Project LOOK Receives $700,000 Grant to Support Vulnerable Families

BURIEN, Wash. -- Project LOOK, a Burien-based nonprofit organization, today announced that it has received a four-year, $700,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant will be used to develop programs that strengthen at-risk children and families in Burien, White Center and SeaTac. The programs include after-school tutoring, family advocacy, parenting skills training, leadership development and economic stabilization.

"The generosity of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will make a lasting change in the lives of these kids, their families and communities," said Roxanne Hood Lyons, Project LOOK's executive director. "Our approach is to help children succeed by addressing the multitude of factors that impact them. When their families and communities are strong and stable, children have a much better chance to do better in school and eventually achieve their dreams," Hood Lyons said.

The grant is the largest multi-year award in Project LOOK's history. In addition to funding new programs, the grant will be used to increase the number of people served in current programs.

"Project LOOK has demonstrated results over its ten years by listening to community needs and then working with community members to respond," said Jaime Garcia, senior program officer for Pacific Northwest giving at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "We're pleased that more children in South King County will have access to valuable after-school activities and that more parents will benefit from Project LOOK's services as a result of this grant," Garcia said.

Project LOOK operates "safe-haven" family learning centers in low-income, high-crime apartment complexes. In these centers, through strategic partnerships with other private and governmental organizations, Project LOOK provides comprehensive academic, social, and health services for children and families. Project LOOK as been recognized by the United States Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities with their "Award for Excellence in Community Collaboration for Children and Youth" and by King County with its "Mental Health Chemical Abuse and Dependency Service Award."

On the Internet:
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, www.gatesfoundation.org
Project LOOK, www.projectlook.org