Scan Design Foundation Announces Latest Cycle of Grants

Jan 11, 2021

To kick-start this new year, I am delighted to share that our Board of Directors has approved our latest grant cycle, awarding a total of $2,400,000 to a dozen grantees. This investment will provide critical support for US-based non-profit organizations and academic programs to continue the exchange between Denmark and the US. Through a broad array of twenty-four programs, these grants will provide continued support for long-standing cultural exchange programs and much needed capital to spearhead new innovations to thwart the effects of the current global pandemic as well as support new research in climate change and pain management.

Our President, Fidelma McGinn, said the Foundation is inspired by the work of the grantees, in the midst of what has been a very challenging time. “2020 will go down in the annals as perhaps one of the most tumultuous years of our generation. The tenacity of our community partners to pivot and adapt in light of the consequences of a global pandemic, civil unrest, accelerating climate change and financial uncertainty, is a testimony to their agility and perseverance.”

This cycle of grants includes targeted support for COVID-19 relief funds, as well as on-going support to a roster of established programs with long-standing partners in the Pacific Northwest and further a-field. Read the full press release here.

2020 was a difficult and challenging year for all our partners as all travel plans were cancelled, and stay-at-home orders forced all businesses and education to quickly shift to and develop virtual programs and explore new avenues to reach our communities.

It has been encouraging to see how our partners pivoted quickly to develop online content and tested new approaches to provide alternative experiences and learning opportunities for students, public employees, and the general public. Some examples include;

• The outstanding effort by the faculty at the University of Washington, College of Built Environments who collaborated with our partners in Denmark to develop a weekly online seminar focused on Danish Design and Architecture, featuring interactive sessions with the leaders of world-renowned Danish firms.

• The team at COurban who continued to work with Bellingham Technical College, City of Bellingham, Port leadership, and the Lummi Nation to develop a joint approach to develop online content and facilitate partnering with several Danish institutions in clean energy, city planning, and waterfront restoration.

• The National Nordic Museum which quickly shifted to providing online exhibit content, speaker series, artists interviews, and found a worldwide audience!

• The Seattle Symphony reimagined our sponsorship of Maestro Thomas Dausgaard as the on-line streaming sponsor and we partnered with the Danish Embassy to promote the Symphony resulting in a growing worldwide following.

“We are honored to begin another new year — still bringing music to our community — with Scan Design Foundation by our side. Our orchestra is still here, because of you. We are excited to begin sharing new performances with you again. We'll continue streaming concerts online on Seattle Symphony Live for now, and welcome audiences back to Benaroya Hall as soon as it's safe to do so.”

--Krishna Thiagarajan, Seattle Symphony President & CEO

"As Dean of the UW College of Built Environments, I have the unique position to witness the college-wide impact of partnership with the Scan Design Foundation. Spanning more than 13 years, our long-standing work with the Scan Design Foundation has enabled a space for ingenuity, immersive educational opportunities, and the cultural exchange of novel ideas and scholarly work. Whether understanding how the built environment and design influence our perception of the world around us or developing custom Danish-inspired furniture pieces, this partnership has created transformational experiences for our students and faculty. On behalf of the College, I want to extend my gratitude to the Scan Design Foundation for their years of collaboration and investment in our programs. We look forward to continuing this great work in the years ahead."

--Renée Cheng, Dean, College of Built Environments, University of Washington

The list of the grantees and the specific programs can be found here.

In keeping with our mission to advance the relationship between Denmark and the United States, with this round of funding, more than $22,000,000 in grants have been distributed to over 50 partner organizations in the U.S. and Denmark.

Scan Design Foundation acknowledges that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past and present, and honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.

See our grant investments on our website.