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It's more important to leave my children a better society than to leave them a trust fund.
-- Leslie Brockelbank, Founder, MRG Foundation
The McKenzie River Gathering Foundation inspires people to work together for justice and mobilizes resources for Oregon communities as they build collective power to change the world.
Founded in 1976 by a gathering of individuals along the McKenzie River, the McKenzie River Gathering (MRG) Foundation has given out over $10 million in grants to create social change.
MRG Foundation pools money from Oregon's progressive community and distributes it back to grassroots groups working on a variety of social change issues. Our funding supports the most strategic work unfolding at the local level to address globalization, poverty, war, racism, and environmental destruction.
MRG Foundation's activist-led decision making is unique. We recruit our board and grant making committee members from the communities we serve throughout Oregon. As a result we are able to respond to new ideas and fresh thinking — making grants that other foundations view as "risky." Using this insight, we have been early funders on key issues, including HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, immigration, and globalization.
MRG Foundation connects Oregonians with resources and a progressive vision for social change with activists employing innovative strategies to eliminate the root causes of injustice. We unite communities that have been divided too long by prejudice, economic inequality, and geography.
Quick facts about MRG:
You can learn more about our history, meet our staff, or see our most recent grantees.