Central Oregon Community College’s (COCC) “Growing Together” fundraising campaign has received a major grant of $300,000 from the Roundhouse Foundation to support the college’s long-planned and shovel-ready Madras campus expansion. The significant investment will help COCC’s development of a 24,000-square-foot building designed for early childhood education programs, registered nurse and other health career pathways, and a 100-capacity child care center to serve the community.
Groundbreaking for the new Madras campus facility is expected this spring, with completion anticipated by the fall of 2025.
COCC’s expansion project in Madras is a response to Jefferson County’s needs related to early childhood education and health care workforce gaps, along with a major shortage of child care options in the region. Learn more at cocc.edu/growing together.
“This gift from the Roundhouse Foundation will directly impact individual lives and families while strengthening the well-being of Central Oregon communities,” said Tim Green, co-chair of the “Growing Together” campaign and a trustee of the COCC Foundation. “We are profoundly grateful for this grant as we build momentum toward the site-development phase.”
The Madras campus expansion will be funded through a mix of federal, state, institutional and other public resources. The COCC Foundation is seeking the remaining funds from private philanthropy and grants.
“Roundhouse Foundation and COCC share a common goal of empowering rural communities through access and opportunity,” said Erin Borla, executive director and trustee of the organization. “We are excited to be a partner in this facility for the region.”
The Sisters-based Roundhouse Foundation, a private family foundation, began in 2002. It has since distributed more than $43 million to over 800 organizations throughout rural Oregon.
