Funder Profile: The John and Linda Shelk Foundation - Come Be Our Partner

Creating Connections - The John and Linda Shelk Foundation


Grant, Wheeler and Crook counties have some of the most rugged and spectacular scenery in Oregon. People here are resilient and self-sufficient. They need to be when resources are limited and help from an ambulance, fire engine, sheriff, and neighbors can take hours to arrive.

These are our people and the John and Linda Shelk Foundation (JLSF) is proud to have a mission to help the nonprofits that serve them. We are inviting you to join us as a funding partner and experience the rewards of helping rugged individualists who can do, make do, and don’t expect someone else to do it for them.


Ever heard of the Boob Bus? Every month a busload of Wheeler County women take a six-hour trip to Bend for mammograms. On the drive over they learn about health issues: diet, stress, disease treatment and prevention. They have lunch and do some “big city-style” shopping. If someone receives bad news from her screening, she has support from friends on the way home.
 
Photo credits: The Oregonian

Ninety percent of women who’ve ridden the bus say they wouldn’t have had a mammogram on their own. One 74-year-old rode the bus to her first screening, saying, “I would have never driven all that way by myself to do this.” The program is sponsored by the nonprofit Asher Community Health Center. Wheeler County provides the bus at cost, a volunteer drives, and a small grant covers other expenses.

“Would you consider a small grants program offering more flexibility and a simpler process with shorter applications and faster timelines for small, rural nonprofits?”

Programs here don’t cost much. A $2,000 grant is a lot of money in a place where unemployment has been as high as 21.6% and per capita income is around $20,000. The thing is that people here are so busy running their nonprofits (usually all volunteer, sometimes with limited paid staff), they don’t have time to complete complicated grant applications.

There is great need here and people have the interest and desire to reach out for grantmakers’ support, if the grantmaking process were simpler. For example, JLSF recently received 13 one-page applications for a $250 mini-grant with a two-week timeline!

One model that works in Grant County is Grant Action Partners (GAP). GAP receives funding and disburses it locally with a simple application. A school received $650 for personal hygiene products for students in need. A youth group received $250 to purchase a tent. CASA received $480 for locking file cabinets. A little bit of money has a big impact.

Access to small grants is what our nonprofits need the most. Would you consider a small grants program offering more flexibility and a simpler process with shorter applications and faster timelines for small, rural nonprofits? JLSF will work with you, help with research and evaluation, and connect you with these amazing people and the critical services they provide. Come be our partner. Contact Kristi or Linda at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 541-447-6909. Visit our website.

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