Four Way Community Foundation
/OVERVIEW: This funder supports groups in Josephine and western Jackson counties of Oregon. Funding priorities include people with disabilities, education, the arts, animal welfare, historic sites, healthcare, social services and community projects.
IP TAKE: Four Way is a small, accessible foundation with a targeted local focus. Grants do not usually exceed $10,000, but grantees can receive support for multiple years. In addition to grant funding Four Way supports its grantees with board development training, resource networking, and convening. It takes its nondiscrimination policy seriously, so applicants who are deficient in this area will need to look elsewhere. All told, this is a good funder for groups serving the residents of Four Way’s limited geographic focus area to know.
PROFILE: The Four Way Community Foundation is based in Grants Pass, Oregon, and seeks to cultivate “philanthropy and nonprofit success in greater Josephine County so that [its] residents can thrive in perpetuity.” Now an independent organization, it has a history that dates back to the Grants Pass Rotary Club in the early 1970s. The foundation was incorporated in 1975 and made its first grant in 1983. The name “Four Way” refers to the four tests Rotarians use to guide decisions: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Today, the foundation has over $13 million and focuses grantmaking efforts on a range of causes, including disadvantaged people in need, education, the arts, animal welfare, historic sites, healthcare and other social services needs and community projects.
Grants for Community Development, Arts and Culture, Education, and Wildlife and Animal Welfare
The foundation primarily makes supports the needs of the local community through its Community Grants program. These grants provide up to $10,000 for capital needs to groups and programs serving the residents of Josephine County and western Jackson County. Recent grantees who have received grants of $10,000 include Bridge Street Recovery, Friends of Josephine County Children’s Advocacy Center, City of Cave Junction, Pacifica: A Garden in the Siskiyous, Illinois Valley Volunteer Firefighters Foundation, The Dome School, and Grants Pass Family YMCA, among others. Four Way also gave $250,000 to Josephine Community Library Foundation to purchase new library property. See the foundation’s annual reports for a full breakdown of grantees.
Grants for Public Health and Access, and Mental Health
Four Way supports organizations focused on health within the community, specifically those that serve intellectually and developmentally disabled residents living in Josephine County, via its Rose Douglas Grants program, named in honor of a career educator who had an intellectually disabled son. She left a trust to the foundation to support groups and programs that make life better for people with intellectual disabilities. Like Community Grants, Rose Douglas Grants go up to $10,000 and “may be operational, programmatic, or capital.” Previous grantees through this program include Crossing Bridges Therapeutic Riding, Family Nurturing Center, Greenleaf Industries, and Southern Oregon Aspire, all of whom received $10,000. For other grantees see the foundation’s annual reports.
Important Grant Details
Four Way Community Foundation holds around $13 million in funds and gave out over $300,000 in grants in a recent year. Its two grant programs have separate deadlines and application procedures. Both of which, as well as FAQs and grant guidelines, can be found here.
Only nonprofits in Josephine and western Jackson counties (Rogue River, Applegate/Ruch, and Gold Hill) are able to apply for grants. As a general rule, this foundation does not support projects outside its geographic interest area. Additionally, it will not fund general operating expenses, emergency funding, or sectarian religious purposes.
Most importantly, it will not fund groups that violate Four Way’s nondiscrimination policy, which can be found in full on its Grants Guidelines worksheet. The foundation only supports “organizations that do not discriminate in any of their activities or operations based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, age, disability veteran status or familial status.” The foundation requires applicants to submit a copy of their organization’s own non-discrimination policy that is consistent with these guidelines.
General questions can be directed to at fourwaycommfdn@gmail.com or 541-474-9774.
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