QuickTake:

Oregon Community Foundation grants went to a range of groups, including those that work in crisis intervention, the arts, disaster preparedness and youth programming.

Oregon Community Foundation awarded $5.1 million statewide through its community grants program to organizations that aid education, health care, economics and the arts.

In Lane County, the grants have a wide reach and range. The money will help rural communities still recovering from the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire and aid an organization hoping to provide a replacement to the CAHOOTS mobile crisis program in Eugene. 

In all, $395,000 in grants went to 22 organizations that are either based in Lane County or serve county residents in full or part. That figure is likely an undercount because some organizations in neighboring counties received grants and also serve people in Lane County.

In the southern Willamette Valley $848,700 went to 46 organizations. That region includes Lane, Benton, Douglas and Linn counties; the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians; and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. For the full list of grantees, go here.

Grants to organizations that will help Lane County residents

  • $40,000 for Community Alliance of Lane County: workforce development and entrepreneurship training for youth in minority communities
  • $32,000 for Opportunity Oregon Inc. in Springfield: expand staffing needed for resource fairs
  • $25,000 for Western Lane Crisis Association in Florence: expand transportation services
  • $20,000 for ARC of Lane County in Springfield: expand preschool services
  • $20,000 for Hope and Safety Alliance: hire a consultant for coalition members
  • $20,000 for Back2Youth in Eugene: hire a trauma-informed educator
  • $20,000 for The Burrito Brigade in Eugene: increase staffing
  • $20,000 for Every Child Lane County in Eugene: expand respite program for foster families
  • $20,000 for Siuslaw Outreach Services Inc.: hire staff for new resource center
  • $20,000 for Friends of Family Farmers in Junction City: provide educational resources for producers
  • $20,000 for Instaballet in Eugene: expand staffing and support strategic planning
  • $20,000 for Lane Education Service District: expand Native youth wellness program
  • $20,000 for PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center Foundation in Springfield: support telestroke program
  • $15,000 for McKenzie Valley Long Term Recovery Group in Blue River: disaster preparedness
  • $15,000 for Mount Pisgah Arboretum: improve accessibility for mobility-limited communities
  • $15,000 for Reality Kitchen in Eugene: fund a center manager
  • $13,000 for Lane Workforce Partnership in Eugene: add consultant to aid program coordination
  • $10,000 for Willamette Valley Crisis Care: mobile integrated health response in Eugene & Springfield
  • $10,000 for Occupy Medical: add a second mobile clinic unit
  • $8,500 for STEM Like a Girl: workshops in Douglas and Lane counties
  • $6,500 for Generations Theater Company in Junction City: support for the deaf community
  • $5,000 for Oregon Community Asylum Network in Eugene: support for asylum seekers

The next cycle of community grants will prioritize general operating support for small rural organizations, culturally specific organizations and culturally responsive organizations. Program applications that opened on Dec. 2 will close at 5 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2026. Grants will be awarded May 2026. Learn more here.

Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.