As owner of the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers, Paul fostered a sense of civic pride shared by sports fans across the Pacific Northwest. Through his foundation he gave generously to support arts and community institutions and protect the lands and waters of the region.
Seattle Seahawks
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Seattle Seahawks
Paul purchased the Seattle Seahawks NFL franchise in 1997, and since then the team has gone on to make three Super Bowl appearances.
”I get tremendous satisfaction from giving back to Seattle and the Northwest, because the region has given an awful lot to me.”
Trail
Blazers
A lifelong fan of basketball and the Portland Trail Blazers, Paul purchased the NBA franchise in 1988 and had a heartfelt commitment to the team and the Portland community.
Gardner
House
The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation funded the construction of the Gardner House and Allen Family Center, which provides both housing and services for families experiencing homelessness.
Pacific Northwest
Conservation
Many of Paul's philanthropic efforts focused on the conservation and protection of local lands, biodiversity, and waters of the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle
Institutions
Paul grew up appreciating the cultural institutions around Seattle, and went on to support them throughout his lifetime.
Additional
Stories
Tech for Good
Science
Tech for
Good
Paul believed technology could be leveraged to protect our planet, wildlife, and resources, and improve the lives of people everywhere.
MoPOP
Creativity
MoPOP
 
The Museum of Pop Culture opened in 2000 and over the years evolved into a hands-on museum experience celebrating all forms of popular culture and creative expression.
Great Elephant Census
Exploration
Great Elephant
Census
The Great Elephant Census was a massive undertaking to survey the remaining savanna elephants across the African continent. Results of this survey shocked the world into action.
Microsoft
Futurist
Microsoft
 
Paul's name is, of course, synonymous with Microsoft, the company he co-founded with his friend Bill Gates, which changed the trajectory of modern computing.
Allen Institutes
Science
Allen
Institutes
The Allen Institute and the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence lead cutting-edge science and making groundbreaking discoveries in bioscience and artificial intelligence research.
Space
Exploration
Space
 
Paul pursued making space more accessible in ways that would fuel space innovation — including SpaceShipOne, the Allen Telescope Array, and Stratolaunch, the world's largest airplane by wingspan.