Gray Family Foundation

First Foods class is an instrumental (and fun!) part of Salem-Keizer Public Schools Native Education Program. On Cultural Enrichment nights, Native students and their families learn how to prepare foods such as sunflower cookies from an Indigenous chef using Oregon ingredients! Gray Family Foundation is excited to support the NEP program where students learn about Indigenous foods, harvest traditions, and nutritional and medicinal value of local foods.

What a gathering! A big THANK YOU to all Oregon outdoor school leaders for a wonderful 2 1/2 days of learning, sharing, and connecting at the 2024 Oregon Outdoor School event. We appreciate the Oregon 4 H Conference & Education Center for hosting this convening as well as our partners Oregon Outdoor School and Friends of Outdoor School.

The 2024 Oregon Outdoor School Gathering has officially begun. We are thrilled to partner with OSU’s Oregon Outdoor School and Friends of Outdoor School for this event!

We had an opportunity to visit one of the newest members to our Youth Leadership for the Environment Learning cohort. Thank you Supa Fresh Youth Farm for the wonderful tour and fantastic lunch. To learn more visit https://supafreshyouthfarm.org/

Congratulations Friends of Tryon Creek on your groundbreaking celebration ceremony for your new Education Pavilion. We look forward to seeing the progress!

Oregon Conservation Corps work continues for the 2023-2025 biennium. The Oregon Conservation Corps Advisory Committee and Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) staff have completed their evaluation of the July and August applications for Oregon Conservation Corps funding awarding over $10.7 million dollars to communities across the state. Oregon Conservation Corps awards reduce wildfires, create fire-adapted communities, and train the workforce of tomorrow.

HECC is pleased to announce that it intends to award 10 grant agreements to the entities listed below.

This funding is provided by the Oregon State Legislature and philanthropic partners including the Oregon Community Rebuilding Fund, Portland General Electric Foundation, Pacific Power, Oregon Community Credit Union Foundation, the Roundhouse Foundation, the Gray Family Foundation, and more.
On behalf of the HECC, we want to thank all program supporters, program applicants and grant reviewers for their time and effort in this process.

Congratulations and thank you for committing to serving Oregon!

AntFarm, $1,000,000.00
Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, $1,670,000.00
Community Services Consortium, $1,000,000.00
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, $973,018.20
Eastern Oregon Workforce Investment Board, $28,047.60 (planning grant)
Fortaleza Atravez Barreras, $49,858.20 (planning grant)
Integral Youth Services, $1,000,000.00
Lomakatsi Restoration Project, $1,669,952.10
Northwest Youth Corps, $1,669,579.35
Phoenix School of Roseburg, $1,670,000.00

It’s programs like Columbia Slough Watershed Council that encourage kids to explore the outdoors. Keep up the great work!

Spirit of Community: Outdoor School - KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2 NBC5 is partnering with Oregon Community Foundation to bring you Spirit of Community Moments, showing how Oregon Communities grow through the power of philanthropy. In this Spirit of Community Moment, we learn about the efforts of the Gray Family Foundation to give every child in Oregon an outdoor s...

"We should all be working to create a world that is more equitable than the one we inherited." - Shelby Chestnut, executive director, Transgender Law Center.

Today is Transgender Day of Visibility. Gray Family Foundation believes that every person deserves to live a life of dignity as their full selves. Trans people have made significant contributions to making our world a better place. Yet, today they are facing tremendous backlash across our country and our state. We all play a critical role in supporting human rights and showing up for our most marginalized communities. We hope you will join us in becoming more educated and a stronger ally for the transgender community.

We are thrilled Executive Director, Nancy Bales, has been chosen to represent the important work of land grant universities as a CARET delegate for OSU Extension Services. To learn more visit:

Coba, Bales appointed to represent OSU Extension on national land-grant advocacy council Coba and Bales will represent Oregon State University Extension Service on the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching

As we celebrate and honor Martin Luther King Jr., there are many opportunities in Oregon to reflect, connect, and volunteer.

Where to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2023 in Oregon Check out our list of events celebrating MLK Jr. Day.

In celebration of this year’s Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month, we pay tribute and acknowledge the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latinx community. Gray Family Foundation wants to recognize the inspiring work of grantees like Adelante Mujeres, CAPACES Leadership Institute, Euvalcree - Southeast Oregon, Latino Network, and Vámonos Outdoors who use their platform to uplift and provide access as well as opportunities for many in the Latinx community.

We had a great time volunteering at Zenger Farm today! We greatly appreciate the opportunity to support their great work and connect with the land.