August 2025

Parents Don’t Have All the Answers. This Statewide Network Helps Them Find the Right Tools.

Mid-Valley Parenting’s Fam Jam helps Polk County families with young children find local services and schools, and have fun.

For 15 years, Oregon Community Foundation has helped lead a bold experiment — creating a statewide network so parents can get the skills, tools and community they need — no matter where they live. The Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative has supported more than 1 million Oregon families so far, making parenting education a community norm and building systems that last. Today, the State of Oregon has stepped in to sustain the Collaborative — proof that systemic change works. Find out more.

Portland United: Strengthening Oregon’s Economy

Regional leaders welcomed news that the potential new owners of the Portland Trail Blazers plan to keep the team in Oregon. This summer, Oregon Community Foundation partnered with Rip City Forever to launch the Portland United Fund — supporting efforts to protect the statewide economic and community benefits generated by the Blazers.

As Rip City Forever organizers have noted, there’s still more work ahead. OCF President and CEO Lisa Mensah adds, “Keeping the Blazers in their hometown is essential not just for Portland’s economy, but for the vitality of communities across Oregon — connecting urban and rural interests in a shared win.”

Listening to Eastern Oregon Voices

Travel Pendleton arranged for OCF staff and board members to take a ride on horse drawn carriages. Photo by Jason Hill.

The OCF Board of Directors spent its annual retreat listening to communities in Pendleton, Wallowa Lake and Joseph, ahead of a future new regional office in Eastern Oregon. Board members Bobbie Conner and Chuck Sams — both members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation — guided their colleagues through the rich, layered history of the landscape and its people. Along the way, these volunteer leaders heard firsthand how rural and urban futures are tied together. Here’s a photo gallery.

Plan Now, Give Later, Create Lasting Change

OCF in the News

• Daily Kos (July 30, 2025): How Arts Education Rewires Young Brains for Academic Success
• Baker City Herald (July 16, 2025): Experiencing the ‘wild, wild west’: Students from across America visit North Powder with the American Exchange Project

See the latest news updates in the OCF Press Room. 

Job Openings at OCF

OCF is a great place to work! Come help us improve the lives of all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy! Find our current job openings here.

Feel free to get in touch!

OCF Offices 

OCF serves the state through five regional offices. Whether you want to donate, seek grants or volunteer, your needs are important to us. Our staff is skilled at collaboration and communication and will facilitate working with you.