The KUOW Program Venture Fund (PVF) provides special support for staff and independent reporters and producers to develop new programming focused on the Puget Sound region. Programs funded by the PVF can be a series of feature reports, documentaries or a variety of short audio pieces. The PVF accepts project proposals from producers and reporters twice a year.
Applications for Round 22 of the Program Venture Fund will begin acceptance on August 27, 2012:
Instructions: PDF | Word Doc
Application: PDF | Word Doc
Deadline: October 5, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. (PT)
Grants Awarded For Radio Projects
The KUOW Program Venture Fund has awarded grants to fund two new radio productions. The projects will explore the issues of the rising number of cases of children in Puget Sound with multiple sclerosis and the challenges that young adults with autism face in Washington state as they make the transition from school to work. The projects will be produced in 2012 and air in the fall on KUOW.
(More) More Than A Tree
Grantee: Sarah Waller
(More) More Than A Tree builds on the themes and format of the original series by featuring three new stories that catapult Pacific Northwest trees into the forefront of our imaginations. We'll explore how local instrument makers are snubbing 400 years of tradition by choosing local tone woods, such as Bigleaf maple to craft fine stringed instruments. We'll meet a local man who has spent 25 years practicing an ancient — and unusual — tradition in Seattle that connects trees to two major life milestones: birth and marriage. And finally, we'll go deep underground to discover why tree roots have scientists scratching their heads.
Sarah Waller has worked for KUOW since 2006. She is thrilled to produce radio in a region that is home to both giant Pacific octopus and hummingbirds. Her stories often examine the interaction between people and the natural world.
Washington's Ferries (Working Title)
Grantee: Dominic Black
Washington state's ferry system is the largest in the United States and the fourth largest in the world. It's a crucial part of the Puget Sound region's economic and social infrastructure, but it currently faces pressures which are uniquely difficult to negotiate: increased passenger demand, volatile fuel costs, an aging fleet and calls for it to be privatized. This series explores the Washington state ferry system's cultural resonance, its economic significance, its past, present and future.
Dominic Black is the founder of Glass Island Media, an independent production company based in Seattle. He spent 10 years working for the BBC as a documentary maker before working for two years with KUOW/Puget Sound Public Radio.
Looking For A Start: Young Adults With Autism Come Of Age In The Northwest
Grantee: Bryan Buckalew
The number of students with autism enrolled in Washington state's public schools has increased 130 percent since 2004. One in every 130 kids has some form of autism. And within the next decade, almost 4,600 of those students will age out of the school system. This three–part series highlights specific aspects of the school–to–work transition as experienced by three young adults with autism.
Bryan Buckalew began reporting for radio in 2010. He has filed stories for KUOW News, Northwest News Network and NPR's All Things Considered. Bryan is originally from Ohio. He grew up on a small farm there near the center of the state.
Yesler Terrace
Grantee: Dominick Black
Yesler Terrace was completed in 1941. It was the first desegregated public housing development in the USA and was a revolutionary development. Plans are now underway to replace it with an equally revolutionary development, a development that has received mixed reviews from the community that lives there. This series explores the social history, politics, dreams and designs behind Yesler Terrace — its past, present and future.
Dominic Black is the founder of Glass Island Media, an independent production company based in Seattle. He spent 10 years working for the BBC as a documentary maker before working for two years with KUOW/Puget Sound Public Radio. His work has covered a broad range of subject areas, from the history of sarcasm to the role of women in country music. Dominic has produced two previous projects for PVF: "Behind the Cascade Curtain" and the four–part series, "The Viaduct," which was awarded the State Historic Preservation Officer's Award for Outstanding Achievement in the media category.
The Mystery Of MS
Grantee: Carol Smith
Multiple sclerosis has long been considered a "prime–of–life disease" striking young men and women between the ages of 20 and 50. But in the last year or so, a growing number of pediatric cases have been diagnosed in the Puget Sound region. This two–part series will explore the possible causes for multiple sclerosis in children, and what doctors and researchers are doing to slow the progress of the disease.
Carol Smith is editor and co–founder of InvestigateWest, a regional nonprofit journalism studio focused on the environment, public health and government integrity. Carol is a long–time print reporter who was with the Seattle Post–Intelligencer until it closed in 2009, and she fell hard for radio after doing an internship with KUOW in 2009. She was nominated for a 2010 Emmy award for her work on health–care workers who handle chemotherapy and has won a number of awards, including the 2009 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism, and was a 2006 finalist for the PEN Literary awards. When she's not reporting, Carol teaches Argentine tango in Seattle.
The KUOW Program Venture Fund was initiated in 2003 by a key gift from Paul and Laurie Ahern, long–time friends to KUOW. They encourage other KUOW members and friends to lend their financial support to this valuable and innovative program initiative. The more financial support provided to the Program Venture Fund, the more new voices and stories from our region can be heard.
Get involved in this exciting and important program initiative:
- If you are a KUOW member – make a special gift this year in addition to your regular annual membership and designate that gift to the KUOW Program Venture Fund.
- Become a new KUOW member – by designating your first gift to KUOW to the Program Venture Fund.
To support KUOW's Program Venture Fund please contact Major Gift and Grant Officers Marilyn Bucsko (206.543.7018 or 
) or JeeYoung Dobbs (206.897.1488 or 
). Thank you for your interest and support.
