2020 Community Rebuilding Fund

Gov. Kate Brown today announced the three largest Oregon philanthropic foundations have established the 2020 Community Rebuilding Fund as a place to bring private and philanthropic donations together to work collectively for Oregonians whose communities have been leveled by wildfires this season. The goal: to gather resources and begin planning for what comes next after the extraordinary devastation brought by wildfires across a state already reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequences of racial injustice.

Extraordinary efforts by local organizations throughout Oregon are already working to meet the immediate urgent needs of Oregonians right now. Gov. Brown encouraged those who can help to offer time and donations to their local relief agencies. Contributions to the 2020 Community Rebuilding Fund, will invest in Oregon’s mid- to long-term recovery—particularly for the state’s most vulnerable communities. Other organizations can use this fund as a vehicle to help get their donations to those in need.

Gov. Brown specifically asked Meyer Memorial Trust, Oregon Community Foundation and The Ford Family Foundation to bring their combined, unique expertise and understanding of communities together to bridge the challenges our state will face in the aftermath of these fires. This powerful partnership of cumulative impact and shared values reflects a unified commitment for a stronger and more resilient Oregon, Gov. Brown said in a news conference on Monday.

The Ford Family Foundation, with its roots in Southern Oregon, has a deep understanding of rural Oregonians. For more than six decades, it has worked closely with many of the towns and communities hardest hit by the wildfires.

Meyer Memorial Trust, serving all of Oregon, centers equity in its work because when the most vulnerable Oregonians flourish, all Oregonians thrive. Meyer is committed to ensuring that particularly hard hit Latinx, Tribal, and timber communities are centered in rebuilding efforts.

Oregon Community Foundation provides deep infrastructure and experience mobilizing and deploying statewide resources where they’re needed most. OCF brings together rural and urban communities, representing diverse local voices and donors with shared values of improving lives for all Oregonians.

The recent wildfires in Oregon have exacerbated ongoing problems in the state and will require billions in state, local, and federal support. The 2020 Community Rebuilding Fund aims to leverage public investment with private and philanthropic investment to catalyze a rebuilding effort for a stronger Oregon. While local emergency work, marshaled by organizations such as United Way, American Red Cross, and others, is already underway to uplift Oregonians suffering through the devastation of the wildfires, the 2020 Community Rebuilding Fund is an important next step on the road to a recovered, resilient Oregon.