No images? Click here JUNE 2020 Dear friends, These are tumultuous times. In the midst of a pandemic, our nation is struggling to address longstanding racial inequities and chart a course forward. As opportunity gaps leave too many children behind, we want to highlight efforts to advance and strengthen educational systems for children, especially for students of color and low-income students. This critical work lifts up and empowers our state’s young people, and is among the many ways that together we’re helping Oregonians move toward a more just and equitable future. Supporting Children, Families and Education With parents simultaneously serving as teachers, care providers and income earners, families are strained. With support from donors, OCF is rapidly funding nonprofits helping children impacted by COVID-19. Learn more. View Grantmaking Details in Latest Pooled Fund Report Learn who's benefiting from grants from OCF’s recovery funds—Oregon Community Recovery Fund, Oregon Small Business Stabilization Fund and Oregon Arts and Culture Recovery Fund. Download the report. New Grants Work for Equity in Latino Education Disparities between children of color and their white counterparts show up early and persist through graduation. COVID-19 may be deepening these disparities. Learning from the Latinx community about students’ needs is more important than ever. Read more. Oregon Black Student Success Community Network Addresses Educational Inequity In an era of uncertainty, fear and economic disparity because of COVID-19, OCF is spearheading a groundbreaking initiative focused on developing a community-centered approach to systemic reform to improve opportunities for Black students in Oregon. Read more. Educator: Learning Should Never Stop “School closures due to COVID-19 turned life upside down,” says Deena Pierott, iUrbanTeen founder. “It’s why we provide all teens stuck at home with the opportunity to continue learning in an interactive and engaging online experience.” Read more. Engaging Students in Community Grantmaking in the Age of COVID-19 In a time when teachers must take the very social job of educating our youth on notoriously impersonal digital platforms, they’re engaging more than 900 students at 40 schools around the state in another challenging task: making grants. Read more. Scholarships: Investing in an Equitable Future OCF manages one of the largest scholarship programs of its kind in the country, awarding 3,900 scholarships last year alone. As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds, post-secondary education remains a powerful pathway to prosperity. Read more. |