WF received approval of its 501 (c) (6) status from the IRS in November of 2006, allowing it to begin seeking contributions. In just 6 weeks Washington State businesses contributed close to $2.5M (receiving a B&O Tax credit in a dollar amount equal to the contribution). Contributions have been both big ($1M) and small ($2K) and include a variety of businesses statewide including: Alpha Cine Lab, Avista Corp., Crowne Plaza, Holland America Line, IMDb, Inventive Pictures, Media Agents Inc., Microsoft, Oppenheimer Camera, Sheraton Seattle, Starbucks Coffee Company, Sterling Savings Bank, US Bank, and Washington Trust Bank.
Since launching the program in February 2007, the organization has received over 25 applications and 24 projects have completed production, including 12 feature films, four movies of the week for television and eight national television commercials. Production has taken place statewide including filming in Spokane, the San Juan Islands, Tacoma, Seattle, and the Olympic Peninsula. The organization has committed $6.5M and in return estimates that productions have spent more than $20.5M in the state of Washington.
Note: These numbers accurate as of June, 2009.