Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation Awards $606,815 to Southern Oregon Nonprofits

ROSEBURG — The Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation awarded $606,815 to nonprofit organizations across Southern Oregon on Tuesday, supporting groups that provide basic needs, education, health services, community support and abuse prevention.

The grants were presented during an awards ceremony at Seven Feathers Casino Resort in Canyonville. In total, 87 nonprofits received funding.

The latest round of giving brings the foundation’s total contributions over nearly 30 years to $27,806,803. The foundation supports organizations serving Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Coos, Lane, Deschutes and Klamath counties. Eligible nonprofits may apply for grants of up to $10,000 twice each year.

Carla Keene, chairman of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, addressed nonprofit representatives during the ceremony and acknowledged the pressure many organizations are facing.

“Organizations that were already stretched thin are now being asked to do more with less,” Keene said. “We know that during times like this, you rise to the occasion. You get creative with how to spend each dollar. Even more creative than you may be used to. Inflation may be eroding your budgets, but it doesn’t seem to affect the number of people you’re able to reach.”

Foundation Director Carma Mornarich also spoke about the role nonprofits play in supporting communities.

“When I feel the weight of the world in my life, I think of the Cow Creek Foundation and recall its mission: giving to philanthropies that feed, educate and strengthen our community,” Mornarich said. “I envision all the benefits that are achieved by giving to these basic needs and remember how the hard work of non-profit organizations eases hard lives. It quiets me and I am once again aware of how much goodness there is in this world.”

Several recipients shared personal stories during the ceremony, highlighting how grant funding supports services throughout the region.

Hearts with a Mission, based in Jackson County, received $7,500 for a program assisting vulnerable seniors with physical and emotional needs. A staff member with the organization told attendees that she and her daughter had received services from Hearts with a Mission eight years earlier while she was struggling with addiction.

“You have been supporting us for 15 years,” the staff member said. “Thank you for helping us keep the doors open and keep the lights on so more families become stories like this.”

Magdalene Home also received $7,500 to help staff a shelter serving pregnant and parenting homeless teens. Kathleen Wilson, director of Magdalene Home, said the organization is celebrating a volunteer who is graduating from high school this month and had lived at Magdalene Home with her mother as a baby.

County Totals

The foundation reported the following grant totals by service area:

• Multiple counties: $93,500
• Coos County: $13,000
• Deschutes County: $135,050
• Douglas County: $92,610
• Jackson County: $77,655
• Josephine County: $35,000
• Klamath County: $32,500
• Lane County: $127,500

Douglas County Recipients Highlighted

Several Douglas County organizations were included in the latest round of funding, including:

• Glide Revitalization, $10,000
• Elkton Community Education Center, $7,110
• YMCA of Douglas County, $10,000

Other highlighted recipients across the region included Bay Area Hospital Kids HOPE Center in Coos County, La Pine Community Health Center in Deschutes County, Ronald McDonald House in Jackson County, The Motherline in Josephine County, Klamath Advocacy Center in Klamath County, and FOOD For Lane County in Lane County.

The Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation was formed in 1997 and began issuing grants in 1998. Its guiding principle is to support philanthropies that directly address basic needs, including food, housing, education, health and wellness, community support and abuse prevention.

For more information, contact Communications Director Lindsay Campman at 541-529-9159 or lcampman@cowcreek-nsn.gov.