Kitsap Historical Society Museum Receives $70,000 Award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

BREMERTON, Wash. -- The Kitsap County Historical Society Museum is pleased and proud to announce a major grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in the amount of $70,000.

The gift is a partial-match to the state heritage grant of $70,000, which was announced this summer. The state grant is administered through the Heritage Resource Center, an office of the Washington State Historical Society. The Museum will receive each of these two grants, on the condition that an additional $70,000 is raised by June of 2002.

The Gates family has deep roots in Kitsap County. William H. Gates Sr., was born and raised in Bremerton; his father was a long-time successful businessman and one of the founders of the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce. The Society is grateful for this gift, which is an enormous support for the preservation of the history of Bremerton and Kitsap County.

The Millennium Fund donation will be used for the final completion of the Society's Museum. This includes the installation of compact, movable storage units, which will provide much needed efficient storage space as well as safety and disaster protection for the Museum's significant and extensive collection of artifacts and archives. The storage units will also help in the continued preservation of these items, and will enable the Museum to continue to accept historical artifacts, greatly aiding the Museum's educational mission.