The Oregon Community Foundation has announced that its 2020 Community Rebuilding Fund awarded grants totaling more than $4.4 million to forty organizations across eight Oregon counties ravaged by fires during 2020.

Led by OCF in partnership with the Meyer Memorial Trust, Ford Family Foundation, and American Red Cross, the fund has raised $9.3 million to date, including $235,000 this year in support of rebuilding efforts. OCF has received more than a hundred applications for more than $16 million in assistance.

Recipients include the McKenzie Valley Long Term Recovery Group, which was awarded $149,600 to assist survivors of the Holiday Farm Wildfire and Straight-Line Wind Event who do not have adequate support from FEMA, insurance, and other assets; Glide Revitalization, which received $150,000 to serve a broad rural community that has high rates of poverty as well as vulnerable populations, including elderly community members and people living with disabilities; and Coalicion Fortaleza, which was awarded $100,000 to serve Latinx families impacted by the Almeda fire in the areas of Talent, Phoenix, and rural Jackson County, including a diverse community of farm workers and seasonal workers.

"Fire is inevitable, catastrophes are not," said OCF chief community impact officer Sonia Worcel. "Working together, we can reduce the risks of devastating fires now and in the future while ensuring that communities and philanthropic organizations are able to respond effectively. We will continue to be collaborative, nimble, and forward-thinking, as we support community-led solutions to address crisis in our state."

(Photo credit: Coalicion Fortaleza)