It all started as a result of a surprise. A few years back, I made a donation to Polish Home Association, a venerable Seattle institution promoting Polish cultural heritage in the Pacific Northwest. At that time I was stunned that despite being around for over 80 years, the PHA did not have the 501(c)(3) tax exemption status that many non-profit organizations would have. The lack of the status disqualified PHA from receiving an additional donation from my employer’s gift matching fund. In my effort to rectify this situation, I ended up as one of the founders of Polish Home Foundation and then became its first president.

Our initial motivation for creating the Foundation was to provide financial assistance to the PHA in its multifaceted activities. Besides being a promoter of Polish culture and arts, PHA owns and runs the Polish Home on Capitol Hill in Seattle that has been a real hub for the Polish-American community of the Puget Sound region. Polish Home serves as a performance auditorium and a meeting hall, a shelter in need and a place where many other organizations find a harbor. It’s a place where one can come to sing Polish carols at Christmas or bring a child to learn Polish. Last but not least, it is a friendly place where one can eat traditional Polish food and chat about the old country.

While the Foundation is affiliated with PHA, we embrace and support all the organizations that promote Polish culture. We recognize the diversity of such organizations active in our region. To name only those based in Seattle: there is the Polish School, the Ladies' Auxiliary, Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association, the Society for Polish Culture, the Chopin Foundation  NW, a Polish church of St. Margaret, a chapter of Polish National Alliance as well as Polish Veterans and Polish Scouts. Most of these organizations do not enjoy benefits of the tax exemption status. Hence, it is only natural that the Foundation aims to serve the whole community by assisting all of them. In fact, our mission is to support events promoting Polish heritage regardless of who stages an event.

This year, the first goal of the Foundation is to raise money for the Polish School in Seattle. The Polish School was established in 1990 and in the recent years has had an attendance about 40 to 60 students, ranging from kindergarten to the 8th grade. To keep the tuition affordable, the school relies on financial support of the community. The biggest need at this moment is to pay for books and other teaching materials. More information.

The Foundation does not have an endowment or a source of steady income. It relies on your generosity to support its goals. To support the Foundation sponsored events, please write a check to "Polish Home Foundation" and don’t forget a matching gift form, if applicable. Please attach a note if you would like your donation to be applied in a specific way, like towards the Polish School fundraiser.

Thank you very much for your support!

Yours sincerely,

Ryszard Kott