McKenzie River Gathering, Oregon’s leading social justice funder, has given out over $11 million in grants since 1976. MRG Foundation pools money from Oregon’s progressive community and distributes it back to grassroots groups working on a wide range of social change issues.

MRG funding supports the most strategic work unfolding at the local level to address globalization, poverty, war, racism and environmental destruction. We currently provide well over half a million dollars in funding to progressive organizations a year.

MRG Foundation’s grassroots grantmaking is unique. We recruit our board and grantmaking committee members from the communities we serve throughout Oregon. With the direct knowledge these grantmakers bring, we are able to respond to new ideas and fresh thinking. MRG Foundation makes grants that other foundations may view as “risky” but are often funding years later.

Using our grassroots grantmaking process, we have been an early funder on key issues including HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, immigration, and globalization.

Quick Facts about MRG:

• MRG Foundation has given away more than $11 million in grants since 1976
• We have over $7 million in assets and an annual budget of just over $1 million
• We make over 50 grants per year across the state of Oregon.