Paul Allen Philanthropy
The most remarkable thing about Paul Gardner Allen is not so much the huge sums he consistently gives to his diverse advocacies and projects, but the fact that he is personally involved with each. Furthermore, he does not broadcast his activities and prefers instead to steadfastly work for his foundation.
Recognized as the 12th Richest American, the 55-year old co-founder of Microsoft has a current net worth of $16 billion. Currently, Paul Allen is the chairman of Charter Communications, and the founder and chairman of his private asset management firm Vulcan Inc. His generous donations now collectively run to a total of more than $1 billion.
Paul Allen’s brand of giving revolves around his personal beliefs and passions. He looks at opportunities to invest in not-for-profit, and daringly innovative projects and groups. People have appropriately named this “venture philanthropy.”
Paul Allen’s campaigns are aligned with the needs of his local community – the Pacific Northwest. He champions and funds varied sectors from education to rock music, science fiction, detailed brain and spine mapping, to sports teams.
• One of his key pursuits is Vulcan Productions, creator of compelling documentaries, interesting feature films on different relevant topics, and television programs that make the arts and sciences available to more people. The company has already produced many noteworthy material including the television series “Evolution” (2001) shown on PBS, Emmy Award-winning documentary “Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge” (2005), and “Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial,” which won the prestigious Peabody Award.
• Paul Allen also led efforts for and eventually founded several valuable institutions as part of his philanthropic commitment to the arts. One such remarkable project is the interactive music museum called the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle. Other public sites include the Flying Heritage Collection, which houses authentic World War II aircrafts that have been fixed and are even ready to be flown right out the showroom. The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame are also credited to Paul Allen’s benevolence.
• Founded in 1988, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation exists as agents of transformation in the sectors of education and youth engagement, arts and culture, community development and social change, and science and technology innovations. The Kenneth S. Allen Library, named after his father, was built in the late 1980’s with their donation of $18 million to the University of Washington. In honor of his mother, the Faye G. Allen Center for Visual Arts was erected in 2003 using the $5 million given to the school.
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