Nonprofit and community leaders throughout Oregon are seeing their work strengthened through new grants that provide important operational support. The funding is flexible, allowing organizations to direct it to where it is needed most. The 2024 Spring Cycle of Community Grants from Oregon Community Foundation has awarded $5,266,908 to 281 nonprofits making an impact across the state.
For 27 years, OCF’s Community Grants program has supported nonprofits, tribal organizations and government agencies in all 36 counties of Oregon. Grants in this cycle support responses to community needs in the areas of food insecurity, housing, health, environmental stewardship, arts and culture, community development and more. This year’s grants prioritized small rural nonprofits and organizations that are culturally specific and responsive.
“As a statewide foundation, we rely on the wealth of local expertise our communities show in finding solutions and opportunities,” said Marcy Bradley, Chief Community Engagement and Equity Officer, Oregon Community Foundation.
“We know our nonprofit partners find flexible operating funding increasingly useful. These grants support Oregon’s smallest communities – such as Tygh Valley, with a population of 54 – to our largest in the Portland metropolitan area and everywhere in between. This is what responsive grantmaking looks like.”
Fun Fact: OCF Community Grants are distributed so widely that if you were to travel to all four corners of the grants map for this cycle – east, west, north and south – it would take 25 hours to drive 1,432 miles.
A full list of grantees can be found on the OCF website. The list below of representative grants from each region of Oregon demonstrates the breadth of impact these grants have on nearly every aspect of life for Oregonians. The funding is possible because of donors to Oregon Community Foundation.
The 2024 Fall Cycle of Community Grants will focus on capacity building, small capital and new or expanding projects. Program applications will open June 24, 2024. Grants will be awarded in November.
Madras Community Food Pantry: $20,000 Community Grant
MCFP is a USDA/Oregon Food Bank that manages a shopping style pantry at their primary location, three school pantries in Jefferson County. They are piloting a home delivery program for individuals with limited mobility. Services are provided in both Spanish and English, and they are intentional about requesting culturally specific foods when they place orders and when necessary, they use grant funding to shop for culturally specific staples at local stores.
Black United Fund of Oregon: $20,000 Community Grant
The mission of the Black United Fund of Oregon (BUF-OR) is to assist in the social and economic development of Oregon’s underserved communities and to contribute to a broader understanding of ethnic and culturally diverse groups. Primary activities include culturally congruent one-on-one postsecondary mentorship; culturally specific workshops and professional development for BIPOC youth and young professionals; postsecondary scholarships for students of color; and support for small businesses and grassroots and BIPOC-led nonprofits via sponsorship, fiscal sponsorship, and workplace giving.
Condon Arts Council: $20,000 Community Grant
The Condon Arts Council plays a critical role in the community and has gained a reputation for providing unexpected and unique activities. Whether it is a haunted house built by youth, a music concert at the historic Liberty Theatre, or a ceramics class for seniors – the Condon Arts Council is helping to improve livability and cultural enrichment to local people. In addition, the Condon Arts Council has been working with the Oregon Arts Commission on a project to create an Arts and Culture District through the Oregon Legislature. Condon was selected as one of six cities for the pilot project. Their work in advocacy helped bring this issue to the Oregon Legislature and to educate elected officials on the power of arts and culture in underserved communities.
From the Condon Arts Council Board of Directors: “With the support of Oregon Community Foundation’s Community Grant, the Condon Arts Council will continue to bring creative and cultural engagement opportunities to our frontier community. Condon is a town of 716 people, but our programming and activities stack up with larger towns and cities. We have big goals for 2024, and this grant puts us one step closer to making them a reality.”
Siletz Tribal Arts and Heritage Society: $20,000 Community Grant
The mission of the Siletz Tribal Arts and Heritage Society is to support and promote the practice, conservation, and restoration of the tribal cultures of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. The Siletz Tribe possesses a rich and vibrant culture, woven from 38 bands of Tribes. Yet, decades of displacement and assimilation have threatened the vitality of these traditions. The Crooked River Coffee Shop & Boutique project aims to bridge this gap through community outreach providing a space that will enrich the lives of the community by providing a platform to teach and learn history, language and cultural practices of the Siletz Tribe.
Compass House: $20,000 Community Grant
Compass House offers adults living with mental illness purposeful opportunities to rebuild lives, hope and self-respect. Through the Clubhouse International Recovery Through Work model, Compass House fosters a sense of community among members and staff, while providing insight to offer appropriate member support. The Clubhouse model encourages teamwork and cooperation, exposing each other to a wide variety of attitudes, beliefs and life choices, thereby promoting a culture of acceptance and inclusion for everyone.
“Members of the Compass House courageously walk through our doors because they belong,” said Compass House Executive Director, Anna Wayman. “As they pursue recovery, they set foot on a path of self-discovery, dignity and connection. Every engagement in the clubhouse leads to the achievement and purpose needed to pursue personal and professional goals for an empowered life.”
Constructing Hope: $40,000 Community Grant
Constructing Hope’s mission is to rebuild the lives of community members by encouraging self-sufficiency through skills training and education in the construction industry. Constructing Hope helps people of color, returning citizens (formerly incarcerated), and low-income adults enter careers with middle-class wages and defined benefits to support themselves and their families through quarterly, no-cost, ten-week construction skills and life skills pre-apprenticeship training programs, placement services and career advancement support. The youth summer program provides skills, motivation, awareness and access for construction career pathways.
Safe Shelter for Siuslaw Students: $20,000 Community Grant
Safe Shelter for Siuslaw Students works to mitigate the effects of homelessness and poverty, by supporting school success through the provision of temporary shelter, support services and community awareness. The organization aids student households facing housing crises with prevention/diversion programs: rent/mortgage assistance, crisis lodging and diversion support.
“This grant is essential for our organization’s mission as it provides crucial flexible funding and continues our client/community-led approach in addressing housing crises in the Siuslaw region,” said Jennifer Ledbetter, Associate Director of Safe Shelter for Siuslaw Students. “With this support, we can expand our efforts of creating temporary housing solutions and continue serving families with students and youth within the Mapleton and Siuslaw School District boundaries.”
Gold Beach Main Street: $15,000 Community Grant
Gold Beach Main Street’s mission is to enhance the livability and safety of the community while restoring and preserving the town of Gold Beach. The team partners with citizens and partner organizations to promote economic development, enhance quality of life and achieve shared community goals.
“We are excited that OCF’s grant support will help us continue the transformation of our small town’s main street to a thriving and inviting tree-lined street, with benches, banners, and someday underground power,” said Linda Pinkham, Business Coordinator, Gold Beach Main Street. “This grant will help our growing organization expand into a larger office space to accommodate new staff for many of the larger projects currently underway, such as daycare, facade improvements, way finding signs and development of community gathering places.”
Fortaleza Atravez Barreras: $30,000 Community Grant
A first-time OCF grant recipient, Fortaleza Atravez Barreras provides peer support, trainings, support groups, community activities, and advocacy to underserved and underrepresented populations in Marion and Polk Counties, with a focus on Hispanic, Chicano, Latino and Indigenous people of all ages who identify or experience emotional, behavioral, physical and/or risk behaviors or have lived experience.
About OCF’s Community Grants Program
For 27 years, OCF’s Community Grants program has invested in community livability and vitality by listening and responding to people closest to innovating opportunities they want to advance. As Oregon has grown, so too has the complexity of issues facing so many Oregonians. Compounding these challenges is a history of systems that have not benefited everyone equitably. OCF recognizes this reality. The Community Grants program continues to provide flexible funding for nonprofits addressing the pressing needs of communities across Oregon, informed by the voices of people who know their communities the best.
About Oregon Community Foundation
Since 1973, Oregon Community Foundation has worked to improve the lives of all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy. In partnership with donors and volunteers, OCF strengthens communities in every county in Oregon through grantmaking, scholarships and research. In 2023, OCF distributed $225 million in grants and scholarships. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations can work with OCF to create charitable funds to support causes important to them. To learn more, please visit oregoncf.org.
