Community Grants: Responding to Community Needs
For 26 years, and with strong support from donors, the OCF Community Grants program has invested in community livability and vitality by listening and responding to the people closest to the problems we’re working to address.
As our state has evolved and grown, so too has the complexity of issues facing us as Oregonians. Compounding these challenges is a history of systems that have not benefited everyone equitably, an issue that has been exacerbated by the difficulties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. OCF recognizes this reality, and the 2024 Community Grants program will continue to provide flexible funding for nonprofits addressing the pressing needs of communities across Oregon, informed by the voices of people who know their communities best.
The relationships we're building across the state will only help our grantmaking improve.
Throughout the last few years, we’ve spent time with countless nonprofits, learning how flexibility, clear priorities and adaptable funding sources can better meet the needs of Oregon’s most diverse communities.
Oregon’s nonprofits exemplify the hope, strength and opportunity that can make our state better, from supporting music and art programs for Native youth to promoting STEM education for rural children, and from offering entrepreneurial internships for low-income high school students to providing culturally responsive mentoring for Black youth.
These are just a few of the thousands of ways Oregonians are helping Oregonians. Our needs are great, but so is our willingness to work together to advance opportunities that will help our neighbors thrive.