Seattle Polish Foundation
Seattle Polish Foundation (SPF) is the main Polish American charity in Seattle and Washington State. Its mission is to promote Polish culture and language in the Pacific Northwest by sponsoring local events involving Polish culture and arts, by taking part in events important to the Polish American community, and by assisting Polish American organizations in the area. SPF partners frequently with other organizations when staging or sponsoring events promoting Polish culture and traditions to the general public.
The most important event produced by the Foundation is the annual Polish Festival Seattle, held in July at Seattle Center. Started in 2012, it is a part of Festal, a series of twenty-four biggest ethnic festivals in Seattle. We are proud to participate in Festal and to be able to showcase Polish culture at such a prominent venue. About 5,000 to 10,000 people attend the festival. The festival is organized in co-operation with Seattle Center, Polish Home Association (PHA), Polish Women’s Club (PWC), and several other organizations.
Another big event organized since 2006 by SPF in partnership with PHA & PWC is the annual Pierogi Fest, held at the Polish Cultural Center on Capitol Hill in Seattle each May. This event typically draws about 800 to 1000 guests and is very well known in the neighborhood.
An important part of SPF mission is helping Polish organizations in fundraising for different goals in line with the SPF mission. The most important of those was raising over $800,000 in cash and in-kind donations for the 2010 building extension of the Polish Home, now the Polish Cultural Center – Dom Polski. More recently, SPF raised $70,000 for a Steinway grand piano for the Polish Cultural Center and to support its concert programs. As the 501(c)(3) organization, SPF also helps to obtain grants from other sources, such as the 4Culture Foundation or the City of Seattle Neighborhood Fund and receive matching funds from many local companies with such programs.
Since its inception in 2000, SPF has been supporting concerts, exhibitions, presentations, and performances with Polish themes. Examples include Seattle Polish Film Festival, local Polish schools, University of Washington Polish Studies, Polish Choir Vivat Musica, Polish Theater, the folk group Young Polanie, the Polish Scout troop, and a multitude of events at the Polish Cultural Center. We have also given grants supporting Polish cultural events organized in Seattle by non-Polish organizations.
SPF is an all-volunteer organization, and that includes all the Directors and Officers. We welcome volunteers whether they are of Polish origin or not. Polish Festival alone needs 150-200 volunteers to stage it, so please get involved!
All SPF events are open to the public and highly attended by King County residents of many diverse backgrounds.
SPF is a public charity with the 501(c)(3) tax exempt status; donations to SPF are tax-deductible as permitted by the law. Our IRS tax identification number is EIN 91-2152458.