Thank you, Puget Sound

This coming April, Microsoft celebrates our 50th anniversary, a milestone that would not have been possible without the support of the place we call home. We grew up in the Puget Sound, and we’ve been through good times and tough times together. We are proud of where we come from and believe that our continued success depends on the health and vibrancy of this community. Simply put, Microsoft would not be where it is today without all of you, our friends and neighbors.

As we look toward our 51st year, we are launching an initiative to say “thank you” for the decades of support and to invest in the community in ways that will strengthen it for years to come. Between now and April we will work across the Puget Sound to honor the people and organizations that help make our region such a vibrant center of innovation, creativity, and inclusion. And we will invest in new and existing partnerships to help ensure that we move forward, together, to One Future, One Sound.

One Sound

Starting in October, we will highlight 50 local changemakers in the Puget Sound who are making a difference in the lives of their neighbors. These community champions will receive grants of $50,000 each to support the important work they do to address the needs of the region, focusing on efforts that benefit the community, protecting civic jewels and iconic places, and supporting our neighbors in need. These grants will honor individuals and organizations that have contributed to the success of the region, and who are shaping a future we can all be proud of.

These grants build on Microsoft’s legacy of giving and community engagement, which started in 1983 when the company launched its first employee Giving Campaign, raising $17,000 for nonprofit organizations. This commitment to philanthropy was inspired by the charitable values instilled by our founder Bill Gates, whose parents were avid supporters of United Way. Over the last five decades, Microsoft and our employees have donated more than $1.3 billion ($114.2 million this year alone) and supported more than 23,400 organizations in Washington State through direct grants, technology donations, and corporate match of employee giving and volunteer time. This year alone, globally, our employees donated a record $250 million and volunteered 1 million hours to support 35,000 nonprofits with direct grants. This culture of giving extends to the 375,000 nonprofits we have helped digitally transform with $4.7 billion in donated and discounted technology.

Making a difference through giving. Microsoft employees are passionate about giving time, money, and skills to address the issues facing our world. It’s part of our culture and how we live our mission. 

One Future

This anniversary is not just about looking back. It’s about looking forward to build on our collective success. As Seattle looks forward to a new waterfront with vibrant, accessible, and sustainable public spaces, we’re excited to announce our gift to Friends of Waterfront Park. This project has been ongoing since the City of Seattle began construction of the park after removing the Viaduct in 2019 and has already become a place where locals meet, and tourists come to learn what is so special about the city. This grant will help support programming, construction, public safety, and maintenance at the park—leaving a physical legacy for the community to enjoy for generations to come.

Innovation has long been a hallmark of the region, one that Microsoft has both benefited from and contributed to. We are continuing that tradition with community partners at the University of Washington and Fred Hutch, among others, working together to identify opportunities for our AI for Good Lab to leverage the power of AI and data science to create new opportunities for our community to grow together. We will be sharing more about these projects in the month ahead, and we can’t wait to see what impact they will have right here in our backyard.

The support of the greater Puget Sound community has been instrumental in shaping Microsoft, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the people and organizations that have stood by us for almost 50 years. Thank you. We share a vision of one future, our future that is a resilient, inclusive Puget Sound where everyone thrives and where innovation flourishes. We may not know what the next decade has in store, but we’re excited to tackle the opportunities that lie ahead, together.