Seattle radio station, KEXP, gets $10 million anonymous gift

The staff at KEXP Public Radio is celebrating a transformative donation – $10 million – from a woman we will only know as Suzanne.

“She was very generous but also very humble about her giving,” said Tom Mara, KEXP executive director.

Mara told KIRO 7 the station knew KEXP was in Suzanne’s estate planning but they did not know the amount was so large.

The donation is one of the largest ever made to any public radio station in the country, and according to Mara, the funds are unrestricted -- meaning KEXP can use the money any way it wants.

Mara said part of the donation will go directly into education and outreach programs for local students and up-and-coming musicians.

It will also be used to develop the station’s digital content, which will allow more people to access KEXP online. And a big part of the money will be set aside in a strategic endowment to benefit the station in the future.

Mara said Suzanne didn’t live in Seattle but had ties to the Pacific Northwest.

She had donated to the station for many years, and helped in the “new home” campaign bringing the station to its new location at the Seattle Center two years ago. Suzanne's donation also inspired a new "giving club," which will allow other donors to include the station in their wills.

“If anything, her gift is a reminder of how special music is in our lives,” said Mara.

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