Qualified employees may annually apply for grants in the spring or fall, and grants of up to $5,000 per person are determined by a three-member Selection Committee. Since the fund commenced awards in spring 2007, grants have been provided to 25 employees.

In April 2006, Colonial Williamsburg received a $250,000 gift from Deborah S. Pulliam of Castine, Maine, a longtime friend of the Gonzales family and former Colonial Williamsburg employee, to establish the fund. Ms. Pulliam died in May 2007.

Pulliam established the fund in memory of the late Donald Gonzales, retired Colonial Williamsburg senior vice president, and in honor of his wife Mary, a musician and community activist.

Pulliam worked for Colonial Williamsburg as a basketmaker in Historic Trades from 1976 to 1983 after completing her undergraduate studies at the College of William and Mary. She later worked for the Daily Press prior to moving to Maine to live and work for the newspaper, the Castine Patriot. She was the youngest of three children of the late Eugene S. Pulliam, former publisher of The Indianapolis Star and the Indianapolis News, and his wife, the former Jane Bleecker.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the not-for-profit educational institution dedicated to the preservation, interpretation and presentation of the restored 18th-century Revolutionary capital of Virginia. This town-sized living history museum tells the inspirational stories of our journey to become Americans through programs in the Historic Area and through the award-winning Revolutionary City program. Explore The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg and discover the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum featuring the best in British and American decorative arts from 1670 – 1830 and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum home to the nation’s premier collection of American folk art, comprising more than 5,000 folk art objects made during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Colonial Williamsburg Hotels feature conference spaces and recreation activities from spa and fine dining to world-class golf. Colonial Williamsburg is committed to expanding its thought-provoking programming through education outreach on-site and online. Purchase of Colonial Williamsburg products and services supports the preservation, research and educational programs of the Foundation.

Williamsburg is located in Virginia’s Tidewater region, 20 minutes from Newport News, within an hour’s drive of Richmond and Norfolk, and 150 miles south of Washington, D.C. For more information about Colonial Williamsburg, call 1-800-HISTORY or visit Colonial Williamsburg’s Web site at www.history.org.

Media Contact:
Penna Rogers
(757) 220-7121