Gay Microsoft Employee Leaves Amazing $65 Million To Support LGBT Orgs

Gay Microsoft employee leaves amazing $65 million to support LGBT orgs

Pam's House Blend
by: pam
Sun Feb 24, 2008 at 12:00:00 PM EST



This is the largest single bequest ever to the LGBT movement. The estate of Ric Weiland, who was one of the first five employees at Microsoft, announced the establishment of a sizable new fund through the Pride Foundation, which serves the Northwest's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. These are the organizations that will receive gifts from the Weiland Designated Fund; providing $46 million over the next eight years to 10 national LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations that Mr. Weiland personally selected:

* amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research
* Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
* Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
* In The Life
* International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)
* Lambda Legal
* National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
* Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
* Project Inform
* Servicemembers Legal Defense Network

"As one of Microsoft's first employees, having joined the company that was started by two of his high school classmates Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Ric Weiland used philanthropy to strengthen his community by giving generously to many organizations. When Weiland died in June of 2006, he made sure that the work he cared about in his life would continue, leaving the vast majority of his estate to LGBT, HIV/AIDS, environmental and education organizations. Pride Foundation is honored to be one of the organizations receiving a tremendous bequest from Ric Weiland for our grants, scholarships and leadership development work and for distribution to organizations working to advance LGBT equality.

"Ric was one of Pride Foundation's closest supporters, not just as a donor, but as a board member and volunteer," said Audrey Haberman, executive director of the Pride Foundation. "All of us feel such a tremendous loss with him gone. Ric's bequest will do what he always wanted-inspire others to give to the causes they care about to the full extent that they can."

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