What Oregon Community Foundation does

Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) is a Portland-based 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1973 that serves as the statewide community foundation for Oregon. With 101-250 employees across six regional offices (Portland, Bend, Eugene, Medford, Salem, and the new Baker City office announced for June 2025), OCF connects individual and institutional donors with Oregon's nonprofit sector and postsecondary students. Its core service offerings include Donor Advised Funds, Designated Funds (over 300 funds issuing 600+ grants annually), a Scholarship Program that awards more than $10 million to 3,350+ students per year, Community Grants, and a Professional Advisors program for estate and wealth planning. Since inception, OCF has distributed over $2.2 billion in grants, partnered with 10,000+ donors, and engaged 5,000+ volunteers.

OCF's technology footprint is intentionally limited: the proprietary MyOCF donor portal supports fund management, grant recommendations, and scholarship applications, but the organization is explicitly positioned as a philanthropic services provider rather than a technology company. Integrations are confined to standard analytics (Google Analytics), advertising (Facebook), email subscription management, and authentication services (Stellar Technology Solutions LLC). Major programmatic initiatives include Project Turnkey (transitional housing, ~900 units across 19+ properties), the $100 million Building Hope Fund for middle-income housing launched May 2026, the $21 million Arts and Culture Rebuilding Program, Fields Artist Fellowship, Creative Heights, Thriving Entrepreneurs, Black Student Success, Latino Partnership Program, and Disaster Readiness and Response grants.

OCF's revenue model is that of a community foundation: it receives tax-deductible contributions from donors, manages charitable assets through an investment program earning returns, and deploys capital via grants, scholarships, and programmatic initiatives. Administrative fees apply for certain fund types as disclosed on its website, but OCF does not charge grantees or scholarship recipients. Distribution is statewide through its six regional offices and direct-to-nonprofit and student channels. Leadership is headed by President and CEO Lisa Mensah (appointed June 2022), supported by a C-suite including Chief Philanthropy Officer, Chief Financial and Operations Officer, Chief Community Engagement and Equity Officer, and Chief People Officer. The Board of Directors has been actively refreshed through 2025-2026 with leaders from rural advocacy, conservation, regenerative agriculture (Cory Carman), and corporate Oregon (a Nike executive).

Name

Oregon Community Foundation

Legal name

Oregon Community Foundation

Website

https://oregoncf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Oregon Community Foundation is a Portland-based 501(c)(3) community foundation founded in 1973 that manages donor advised funds, designated funds, and 600+ scholarship funds statewide. It connects 10,000+ donors with Oregon nonprofits, students, and communities through grants, scholarships, and major initiatives including a $100 million housing fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Donor advised funds
• Charitable grantmaking
• Scholarship programs
• Philanthropic advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Services and Grantmaking: OCF operates as a community foundation that manages charitable funds for donors. The foundation receives contributions, manages donor advised funds and designated funds, and distributes grants to nonprofits and scholarships to students. Revenue is generated through donor contributions and investment returns on the foundation's endowment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Oregon Community Foundation operates as a community foundation that receives charitable contributions, manages donor advised funds, designated funds, and scholarship funds, and distributes grants to nonprofits and scholarships to students across Oregon. It also runs targeted initiatives such as Project Turnkey, Building Hope Fund, Creative Heights, Fields Artist Fellowship, Black Student Success, Latino Partnership Program, and Disaster Readiness and Response. Revenue is generated through donor contributions and investment returns on the foundation's endowment, with limited administrative fees on certain fund types.

Product overview

Oregon Community Foundation operates as a philanthropic services organization offering a unified platform of charitable giving products. The core offering centers on the MyOCF online donor portal for fund management, supported by various fund types including Donor Advised Funds, Designated Funds, and Scholarship Programs. These are complemented by competitive grant initiatives such as Community Grants, Creative Heights, Fields Artist Fellowship, and Thriving Entrepreneurs. Major special initiatives include the $100M Building Hope Fund for housing, Project Turnkey for transitional shelter, Black Student Success and Latino Partnership programs for equity-focused support, and the Arts and Culture Rebuilding Program. The foundation also provides Disaster Readiness and Response services, all unified under a mission to improve lives through philanthropy across Oregon's diverse communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MyOCF: Online donor portal for fund management and grant applications.

Products and services

• Donor Advised Funds Charitable funds where donors recommend grant recipients while OCF handles administration, due diligence, and distributions. Targeted at individual and family philanthropists seeking tax-effective giving vehicles.
• Designated Funds Donor-created funds supporting predetermined nonprofit organizations, with over 300 funds making 600+ grants annually. Designed for donors who want to direct gifts to specific nonprofits in perpetuity.
• Scholarship Program One of the nation's largest scholarship programs awarding over $10 million annually to more than 3,300 students across Oregon for postsecondary education, including four-year, two-year, and career certificate programs.
• Community Grants Flexible operational funding to nonprofits across Oregon through competitive grant programs supporting various community needs.
• MyOCF Donor Portal Online donor portal enabling fund management, grant recommendations, scholarship applications, and account access for donors and fund holders.
• Creative Heights Initiative Grant program investing in visionary arts and culture projects, typically $1 million annually to 14+ recipients across Oregon.
• Fields Artist Fellowship Partnership with Oregon Humanities providing $150,000 over two years to Oregon artists and culture-bearers to develop and deepen their creative work.
• Thriving Entrepreneurs Investment supporting small business innovation and underrepresented entrepreneurs across Oregon, including $903,000 in recent funding rounds.
• Project Turnkey Initiative converting motels into transitional housing, having added nearly 900 units of emergency shelter across 19-32 properties in partnership with Oregon Housing and Community Services.
• Building Hope Fund $100 million investment fund launched in May 2026 to develop middle-income housing across Oregon.
• Black Student Success Multi-year capacity support to culturally led organizations helping Black students succeed in Oregon schools.
• Latino Partnership Program Support for Latino/x-serving organizations with record $1.2M investment strengthening community services.
• Disaster Readiness and Response Grants supporting disaster preparedness and recovery efforts, including $120,000 for wildfire readiness.
• Arts and Culture Rebuilding Program Landmark $21 million investment plus $7 million second wave to rebuild arts and culture infrastructure across Oregon.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2.2 billion granted since 1973
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCF partnered with Oregon Housing and Community Services on Project Turnkey, a program that converted motels into transitional housing. Project Turnkey 1.0 resulted in 19 properties in 13 counties, adding nearly 900 units of emergency housing. Project Turnkey 2.0 invested additional funding to serve often overlooked communities including tribal members.
• Oregon HumanitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCF partners with Oregon Humanities on the Fields Artist Fellowship, providing $100,000 over two years to artists and culture-bearers in Oregon to develop and deepen their creative work.
• Oregon's Nine Federally-Recognized TribescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCF is working with Oregon's nine federally-recognized Tribes to support an array of language, arts, and cultural heritage projects.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cleveland Foundation: The Cleveland Foundation is one of the largest US community foundations by assets, with similar statewide/regional philanthropic services including donor advised funds, scholarship programs, and competitive grant cycles. OCF and Cleveland are direct peers in scope, structure, and community foundation model.
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: Silicon Valley Community Foundation is a peer-scale community foundation managing large donor advised fund assets, scholarship programs, and regional grantmaking across its service area. Comparable to OCF in operating model and product mix.
• Chicago Community Trust: The Chicago Community Trust is a long-established community foundation offering donor advised funds, scholarship administration, and competitive community grants within a defined region, comparable to OCF's statewide Oregon scope.
• The Boston Foundation: The Boston Foundation is a 100+ year old community foundation with donor services, scholarship funds, and discretionary grantmaking across its region, directly comparable to OCF's community foundation operating model.
• Greater Houston Community Foundation: Greater Houston Community Foundation is one of the largest US community foundations, offering donor advised funds, scholarship administration, and regional grantmaking with a comparable operating model to OCF.
• San Francisco Foundation: The San Francisco Foundation is a Bay Area community foundation that combines donor advised fund services with equity-focused regional grantmaking, comparable in mission and product structure to OCF.
• California Community Foundation: California Community Foundation is a large Los Angeles-based community foundation with scholarship programs and donor advised fund administration, comparable to OCF in scale and product mix.
• Maine Community Foundation: Maine Community Foundation is a statewide community foundation serving a primarily rural geography, making it a closer structural peer to OCF's statewide Oregon coverage than urban-focused national community foundations.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: Fidelity Charitable is the largest commercial donor advised fund sponsor in the US, competing with OCF for donor advised fund dollars. While not a community foundation, it is a critical competitive comparison because it captures the same donor giving behavior through a different channel.
• Schwab Charitable: Schwab Charitable is the second-largest commercial donor advised fund sponsor, providing low-fee DAF services that directly compete with OCF's donor advised fund offering for high-net-worth Oregon donors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheOregonCF

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oregon Community Foundation