Five Community Groups honored with "Real Impact Award" from the RealNetworks Foundation

SEATTLE, June 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The RealNetworks Foundation, the philanthropic arm of RealNetworks, Inc. has chosen five community organizations to receive a special "Real Impact Award" for exhibiting best practices that lead to social change. The five organizations deliver services in four sectors: health, legal aid, education and the environment. 

The Real Impact Awards are part of the $505,000 the RealNetworks Foundation distributed this spring as part of its regular, competitive grants program.  In addition to a $10,000 local Community Enhancement Grant, each of the five non-profits also received a $10,000 Real Impact Award to help the organizations further leverage their work. 

The ongoing support of Washington community organizations was recognized by the Puget Sound Business Journal last month, naming RealNetworks and the RealNetworks Foundation as the top "Corporate Philanthropist" in the mid-size company category for the second year in a row.  

"The Real Impact Awardees were recommended by our employees who volunteer on the Foundation's Grant Review Team," said Thomas Nielsen, RealNetworks president and CEO.  "Not only do RealNetworks employees evaluate and recommend grants, but they also volunteer untold hours working directly with the non-profit organizations in our communities."

All of the Real Impact Awardees serve regions where employees of RealNetworks live and work. Three of the five awardees serve the Greater Seattle Area, where approximately 80 percent of RealNetworks U.S. employees are based.  The remaining two agencies serve the Metro Washington D.C. Area and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The five organizations receiving a Real Impact Award are:

• King County Sexual Assault Resources Center (WA)  KCSARC's legal advocates help victims of sexual assault and their families by providing  an array of services including counseling and support in navigating the legal process. KCSARC advocates accompany victims to interviews and court hearings.
• Girls Inc. of Alameda County (CA):  The organization's Eureka! Teen Achievement Program is an intensive five-year program for girls in grades 8-12 which encourages students to pursue careers in science, math and technology.  All of the girls are from low-income families. Most will be the first person in their family to go to college. Some are even the first in their family to graduate from high school. Since 2009, 100% of the girls in the Eureka! Program have gone on to college.
• Puget Soundkeeper Alliance (WA):  A leader in the environmental community, the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance actively patrols and monitors the waters of Puget Sound. The agency has a tip line to report polluters and helps ensure that the Clean Water Act is enforced through education, advocacy and legal action.
• Bailey-Boushay House (WA):  A program of Virginia Mason Medical Center, this 20-year old Outpatient Program helps marginalized people manage a complicated medical regime to help treat and curb the spread of HIV AIDS.  Bailey-Boushay House's services, which include providing nutritious meals, housing assistance and case management, have resulted in high rates of compliance with outpatient treatment plans.
• DC Law Students in Court (DC):  DCLSIC works to ensure justice for low-income people through free, high-quality legal assistance.  With a focus on avoiding home foreclosure and eviction, the organization helps prevent homelessness by reaching resolutions that allow clients to avoid costly court procedures and stay in their homes. The Real Impact Award will help to support the work of a Spanish-speaking staff attorney.

Since August of 2009, the RealNetworks Foundation has made about $2.8 million in competitive grants.  This is in addition to approximately $500,000 per year that is distributed through the Foundation's employee gift-matching program, volunteer-matching program and the anniversary grant program, which allows RealNetworks employees to designate a charity to receive a $500 grant at their five-year anniversary.

The Foundation accepts applications twice a year as part of its competitive grants program. The Fall 2012 application deadline is October 11, 2012. The application will be available in September on the Foundation's website where the guidelines and FAQ are posted.  www.realfoundation.org

About the RealNetworks Foundation
Since its inception in 2000, the RealNetworks Foundation has made charitable grants and matched RealNetworks' employee donations to a wide range of philanthropic programs. The Foundation is solely funded through RealNetworks Inc., as part of its pledge to donate five percent of its profits to charity. 

For more information:  www.realfoundation.org

SOURCE RealNetworks, Inc.