King County Awards KidsQuest Funds for Capital Campaign

November 23, 2015

Summary

Facilities to receive economic boost from Building for Culture Program

Story

KidsQuest Children’s Museum will receive a capital improvement grant for $1 million from the Building for Culture Program. The award is $500,000 more than KidsQuest had previously expected and will go to their Capital Campaign, an effort to expand their services to more families in King County.

KidsQuest has won multiple awards for their hands-on education that encourages learning through play with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM).

“KidsQuest is a world class organization and I was proud to have helped in securing their full request of $1,000,000 to help fund their expansion efforts,” said Metropolitan King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn. “These funds will increase the educational opportunities KidsQuest provides, while providing an even greater number of children and families access to their awarding winning programs.”

“The timing of these funds couldn’t have been better to meet the needs of our growing organization.” said Putter Bert, KidsQuest CEO. “It’s been an incredible opportunity to be a part of this process and we are so pleased with the support that Councilmember Dunn has provided.”

Building for Culture is a partnership between King County and 4Culture, King County’s cultural services agency, using bonds backed by the hotel-motel tax to build, maintain, expand, preserve, and improve new and existing cultural facilities.

“We are so grateful and appreciative of Councilmember Dunn’s support for the 4Culture grant of one million dollars for the KidsQuest Children’s Museum,” said Moya Skillman, incoming Co-Chair of KidQuest’s Board of Trustees. “After opening our doors in 2005 and quickly outgrowing our space, the 4Culture grant will help us build the new museum in downtown Bellevue. Our new location and building will enable us to serve thousands of additional visitors on the Eastside and all over King County. In addition, we can expand our outreach with schools and have mobile museums throughout the community. This grant will go a long way in creating a lasting legacy in not only serving the current families, but all the future families for generations to come.”

The bonds supporting these projects are made possible by early retirement of the Kingdome debt and after this year hotel-motel tax revenues directed to arts and cultural programs.