Baker Foundation

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Giving Back to Our Community For more than 74 years the Baker family owned and published the Tacoma News Tribune. In 1986 Elbert sold The Tacoma News Tribune to McClatchy Newspapers. Taking $1.5 million from the sale of the News Tribune, he established The Baker Trust and Foundation in 1987 to provide funding for Tacoma youth programs, arts and education. "Tacoma did so much for my father; he just wanted to give something back," said Elbert's daughter, Martine, a former director. In 1995 Elbert Baker died, leaving his family to continue the labor of love he had begun. Elbert loved the city of Tacoma, its people, and its institutions. His vision for the Foundation was that it should provide a legacy of fine arts, education, and health institution funding for the community, emphasizing programs for youth. The trust grows each year by about $100,000 in assets and it disperses at least five percent of its total annually. Recipients are determined by the Baker Foundation board, family members who each contribute to the trust financially. Services: Junior Achievement The foundation sponsored 10 middle school sites for the Junior Achievement program in Pierce County. The Economics of Staying in School program helps young people to understand that what they are learning in the classroom is relevant to their future. The ESIS program focuses on identifying individual strengths, developing a personal plan of success, enhancing students' knowledge and changing attitudes and behavior. The Success Skills program, designed for high school students, focuses on developing interpersonal effectiveness and problem solving strategies necessary for the workplace. Call for appointments