One of my favorite moments of the year takes place late in the summer. Love Portland is an event led by the Luis Palau Association and the Imago Dei Community that brings hundreds of volunteers together to help clean up underfunded schools across the city so that classrooms and campuses look and feel their best as students and teachers begin a new year. For more than a decade, this community activation has leveraged tens of thousands of community service hours in the faith community to serve and support local neighborhoods and families.
Love Portland is a perfect example of the power of collaboration and how we can create an outsized impact when we work together. If one of us showed up at the door of a local school one summer afternoon, we might be able to clean up some landscaping or paint one classroom. If five of us showed up, we might be able to paint an entire hallway. But if dozens of us pitch in, an entire school building can be refreshed. Volunteerism is a critical factor in helping build healthy neighborhoods and communities.
We are fortunate to live in a region where so many individuals, families, businesses, nonprofits and government agencies volunteer to serve the common good through collaboration and partnership. The impact of this mindset is on display across a wide variety of projects and programs that serve the diverse needs of our region.
The Northwest Health Foundation recently achieved a significant milestone, awarding its largest grant ever through its Health and Education Fund in partnership with CareOregon, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Meyer Memorial Trust and Oregon Community Foundation. The $1 million investment will support a campaign to build an affordable childcare system in Oregon.
Our friends at the Rasmuson Foundation shared the inspiring story of how a team of 11 funders invested nearly $700,000 into Alaska nonprofits to help rebuild and restore communities after the region was rocked by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake at the end of 2018.
The Bullitt Foundation has rallied partners around individuals and nonprofits that are redefining the way we think about conservation and leveraging these collaborations to help generate 10x returns on targeted initial investments.
It’s also been a busy time at the Murdock Trust as our Trustees recently met and approved 60 new grants totaling nearly $16 million to nonprofits serving the Pacific Northwest. These organizations all possess a collaborative spirit and are partnering with like-minded leaders and organizations to serve the diverse needs of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
We’ve highlighted a few examples of their work and you can find a complete overview of our most recent grants in the linked list below. We are grateful to play a small role in supporting their work and mission, and we are grateful to all of you who are working to build partnerships, foster collaboration and serve the common good of the Pacific Northwest.
Steven G.W. Moore
Executive Director
Alaska
- The beauty and inspiration of choral music will reach more members of the Alaska community through the introduction of new staff to the Alaska Chamber Singers.
- Individuals and families will have increased access to the vast array of information and exhibits at the Anchorage Museum following the hire of a new curator for innovation and engagement.
- Alaskan community individuals and families will receive increased care and support by the Southcentral Foundation through the addition of new dental staff to the Alaska Native Medical Center.
- Alaska Trails will increase access to the region’s natural recreation spaces through the hiring of new staff focused on volunteer management and their deployment of volunteers to build and maintain trails around the state.
Idaho
- Medical equipment and furniture for the new Health West Pediatric and OBGYN Clinic will help provide more care for vulnerable mothers and children in Southeastern Idaho.
- Families of children suffering from significant injury or illness will have the opportunity to remain closely connected during treatment thanks to the construction of a new, 40,000-square-foot facility, expanding the current Idaho Ronald McDonald House and creating additional volunteer opportunities for community members.
- Children and adults living with disabilities will receive support and therapeutic opportunities through the construction of a new facility and arena at Rising Stars Therapeutic Riding Center.
Montana
- At-risk and vulnerable children in Gallatin County will receive increased support and mentorship through the expansion of programming and facilities by Big Sky Youth Empowerment.
- A new therapy program offered by Montana Rescue Mission will bring critical mental health resources to homeless community members.
- Billings Family YMCA and the volunteers who support its mission will serve substantially more community members by renovating and updating its current space.
Oregon
- The introduction of new staff and technology improvements will support efforts to combat human trafficking in Oregon and across the Pacific Northwest by In Our Backyard.
- Pacific Forest Trust will streamline and expand its pipeline of conservation projects by adding critical new staff and increasing volunteer opportunities.
- The new Campus for Rural Health will expand efforts by Sky Lakes Medical Center to create an innovative inter-professional educational learning environment for OHSU students as they rotate to rural areas of Oregon, with Klamath Falls as the hub.
Washington
- Year Up Puget Sound will bring its innovative professional education program that helps develop young leaders to Seattle Central College through a targeted program expansion.
- Children who are hard-of-hearing or deaf and their families will receive increased support as the Northwest School for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children adds new staff.
- KNKX will continue its service to the Seattle region through diverse programming and community engagement as the public radio station moves into a new home.
- Children with developmental needs in the Snoqualmie Valley will have access to increased services and support following the creation of a new facility by Encompass Northwest.
- New staff will help Degrees of Change provide increased support to a wider collection of college students, the vast majority of which represent communities of color and are first-generation college attendees.
