Foundation awards $453K to C.O. nonprofits
The Oregon Community Foundation Board of Directors recently approved $453,752 in grants to 19 Central Oregon nonprofit organizations, officials said Wednesday. The grants target a wide range of causes in the communities of Bend, Sisters, Redmond and Madras.
“The nonprofit community in Central Oregon continues to show strong collaborative efforts in addressing key issues in our communities,” said Cheryl Puddy, associate program officer/Regional Coordinator for The Oregon Community Foundation in Central and Eastern Oregon.
“They are designing programs that provide unique solutions through the arts, youth mentoring, work force housing and greater access to health care,” Puddy said. “Our non-profit partners work passionately to improve quality of life and build community resiliency in our region. The Oregon Community Foundation is proud to partner with them in their efforts,”
Some of the grants awarded this fall include:
Base Camp Studio , Bend; $15,000 to help fund a full-time executive director and part-time studio manager to expand art therapy programs and increase services for youth and people with disabilities. Bend Art Center , Bend; $15,000 to hire a development consultant and part-time grant writer to work with staff and board to improve fundraising strategies, data tracking, and donor development. Better Together Central Oregon, Redmond; $26,500 to support The Education Data Collaborative, which is a streamlined system that combines data from local school districts to create access, increase knowledge, and measure impact on how to best serve children and youth in Central Oregon. Camp Fire USA, Central Oregon Council , Bend; $60,000 to improve Camp Fire’s program which aims to help teens thrive through year-round programs that focus on service, nature, leadership and youth empowerment. Deschutes River Conservancy, Bend; $20,000 to develop a water marketing strategy focused on restoring stream flows in the Upper Deschutes River while meeting agricultural and municipal demands. High Desert Chamber of Music , Bend; $10,000 to increase staff hours and attract new patrons through alternative marketing avenues and promotion of the 10th-anniversary season. Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest , Portland; $20,000 to launch a new health-focused volunteer community in Bend, to build the capacity of four local nonprofits, better addressing the needs of economically disadvantaged residents of Central Oregon, particularly those with barriers to affordable health care. Kids Club of Jefferson County, Madras; $25,000 to promote out-of-school enrichment for underserved youth in a teen center program that expanded last year after moving to Jefferson County Middle School. Kor Community Land Trust , Bend; $20,000 for a staff person to deliver homebuyer training and to help with fundraising for development of a 12-home, owner-occupied cottage community, providing work force housing opportunities. Latino Community Association , Bend; $21,500 to add a program coordinator and expand an English tutoring program for Latino immigrants in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties. REACH Redmond , Redmond; $25,000 to transform a garage into a games room and create additional classrooms in the main building, serving 30-40 more youth through after-school programming. REACH Redmond , Redmond; $56,752 to improve the after-school program that promotes academic success by providing academic, social, and developmental support to low-income and rural youth in Deschutes County. Sustainable Northwest , Portland; $20,000 to partner with the Oregon Water Resource Department to host a spring workshop and independently offer one-on-one guidance to three pilot communities that enhances their capability to complete a science-based, locally-informed, and implementable plan in 2018. United Way of Deschutes County , Bend; $20,000 to educate service providers about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and to build community resiliency. Wheeler County Community School , Spray; $35,000 to improve Mitchell and Spray Schools’ after school academic support, knowledge and skill experiences to enhance and deepen learning outside of the school day.
For full lists of grants awarded around the state and more information about OCF initiatives visit http://www.oregoncf.org/grants-scholarships/grants/community-grants/recent-awards.
