Oregon Community Foundation makes C.O. arts grants

In November, The Oregon Community Foundation Board of Directors approved more than $551,000 in 75 grants to Central Oregon nonprofits. The awards include first-time grants from the Small Arts and Culture program.

Recent research revealed that of the 1,468 registered arts and culture nonprofit organizations in Oregon, more than 60 percent have budgets under $100,000.

Although these organizations are central to the vitality of Oregon’s communities, they are often not eligible or competitive for traditional grant programs from many foundations. In response to this need, OCF will invest $300,000 annually for five years to support small community-driven arts and culture organizations.

“There are many local organizations doing outstanding work to promote arts and culture in Central Oregon,” said Julie Gregory, OCF’s regional director for Central & Eastern Oregon. “We’re proud to recognize six groups from our region as part of the larger statewide Small Arts and Culture Program.”

The Oregon Community Foundation’s Central Oregon regional team serves the counties of Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson, Sherman, Wasco and Wheeler and the Warm Springs Reservation through the Foundation’s Bend office.

In Central Oregon in 2014, Small Arts and Culture grants totaling close to $17,000 were awarded to:

Archaeological Society of Central Oregon, Bend; $780 for protection of endangered archaeological sites.
Crook County Parks & Recreation Foundation, Prineville; $5,000 to offer a safe environment for adults and children to celebrate Christmas in the Pines festival of lights, and enjoy the spirit of the season.
Fossil Players, Fossil; $5,000 to purchase a new or used portable performance stage and backdrop flats for theatrical and musical performances in the community.
High Desert Chamber Music, Bend; $2,000 for general operating support of High Desert Chamber Music’s seasonal concert series. Rise Up International, Bend; $2,000 to conduct interactive art workshops with the focus on collaborative murals and screen-printing. ScaleHouse, Bend; $2,000 for general operating support.

OCF’s K-12 Student Success: Out of School Time initiative has been strengthened and expanded through a partnership with The Ford Family Foundation. The grants awarded willpromote academic success and post-secondary enrollment around the state. In Central Oregon, $68,415 was awarded to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs for year two of a three year request to support Dream Catcher, offering Native American students skills that make them successful in school resulting in positive impacts on academic achievement and higher graduation rates.

In addition to Small Arts and Culture and K-12 Student Success grants, OCF awarded more than $466,000 in 68 grants to nonprofits in Central Oregon during the recent fall grant cycle, contributing to a total of $7.6 million awarded statewide.

Additional grants in the region included:

Central Oregon Veterans Ranch, Bend; $4,500 to establish a multi-generational program that offers transitional and hospice care to aging veterans in a rustic setting while engaging younger veterans and other community members in sustainably managing the farm.
Kids Club of Jefferson County, Madras; $20,000 for capital improvements to space used for homework, the Brain Domain tutoring program operated in partnership with the Jefferson County School District, and programs that help Hispanic and Native American families bridge the digital divide.
Jericho Road, Redmond; $7,900 for food and assistance programs for homeless and hungry persons in Deschutes County.
The Landing Youth & Tutoring Center, Prineville; $10,000 for out-of-school programs for middle and high school students.
Oregon Natural Desert Association, Bend; $15,000 to increase collaboration among diverse partners and expand volunteer-driven habitat restoration work in Crook, Gilliam, Harney, Lake, Malheur & Wheeler counties.
Sisters Schools Foundation, Inc. , Sisters; $17,000 for the Seed To Table project, providing nutrition science education and access to fresh unprocessed produce to students and their families.

For full lists of grants, visit www.oregoncf.org. For information about the Small Arts and Culture grants and K-12 Student Success grants visit http://www.oregoncf.org/ocf-initiatives. To learn more about OCF grants in Central & Eastern Oregon, contact OCF’s Associate Program Officer Cheryl Puddy at 541.382.1170.

Celebrating its 40 th anniversary in 2014, the mission of The Oregon Community Foundation is to improve life in Oregon and promote effective philanthropy. OCF works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to create charitable funds to support the community causes they care about. Through these funds OCF awarded nearly $70 million in grants and scholarships in 2013.