Background & History
Grantmaking Philosophy
Grantmaking Committees
Board
Staff
Volunteer Opportunities
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 (MRG Foundation) pools the financial resources of Oregon's progressive community and distributes it back to grassroots groups working on a variety of social change issues. MRG Foundation's activist controlled decision making process is unique. We recruit board and grant making committee members from the communities we serve throughout Oregon. As a result, our funding supports the most strategic work unfolding at the local level. Examples of funded issues include globalization, poverty, war, racism, sexism, homophobia and environmental destruction.
MRG Foundation acts as a bridge between Oregonians with resources and a progressive vision for social change and activists employing innovative strategies to eliminate the root causes of racism, poverty, violence, militarism, and environmental degradation. That bridge has served as a conduit for needed resources, and as a unifying force among communities too long divided by prejudice, economic inequality, and geography.
There are many organizations working throughout Oregon who will never receive funding from more traditional sources -- either because they are too radical or they are too small or they just don't know the "right" people. MRG Foundation is an important link between activist organizations and donors who want to support social change in Oregon. MRG Foundation provides seed funding to newer organizations, increases organizations' capacity to fundraise effectively, and funds cutting edge organizing projects that might not otherwise attract support.
MRG Foundation creates a partnership between activists and donors to address fundamental problems in our state. For donors faced with multiple appeals from various groups, MRG Foundation's grantmaking process provides assurance that dollars are targeted strategically and that the most qualified organizations receive funding. For activists, MRG Foundation provides an important source of revenue and can be a critical step in leveraging other support.