Microsoft will make 50 grants of $50k each in Washington state for its 50th anniversary

Microsoft is rolling out a “50 for 50” program to mark its own 50th anniversary.

The company says it will make 50 grants of $50,000 each to organizations that are “addressing the evolving needs of the Puget Sound region,” the common name for the Seattle area, including Redmond, where the company is based.

The grants will be announced starting in October, and running through April 2025, which is the 50th anniversary of the company’s founding. It’s an extension of Microsoft’s longstanding philanthropic programs.

The grants will “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,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a blog post announcing the plan Monday morning.

It’s “a great opportunity for the company to say thank you for the decades of support that we’ve had here in our headquarters state,” said Kate Behncken, global head of Microsoft Philanthropies, in an interview.

Grantees were selected with help from special advisory council in the Seattle region, Behncken said.

The company is marking its anniversary with a broader program that it calls “One Future. One Sound.”

Microsoft says the company and its employees have donated a cumulative total of $1.3 billion to about 23,500 organizations in Washington state through the company’s giving campaign and matching program.

Beyond the “50 for 50” grant program, Microsoft says it will also make gifts to additional institutions in the Seattle region. The company cited its support of the Friends of Waterfront Park to support programming, construction, public safety, and maintenance of the park slated for the site of the former Alaskan Way Viaduct.