Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation Awards $759,930 to 93 Southern Oregon Nonprofits

The Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation held its winter awards ceremony Thursday at Seven Feathers Casino Resort, awarding $759,930 in grants to 93 nonprofit organizations serving Southern Oregon.

The foundation said grant recipients operate in Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Coos, Klamath, Lane, and Deschutes counties. With this round of funding, the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation’s total philanthropic giving since its founding in 1997 has reached $27,199,988.

Organizers said the ceremony brought together nonprofit leaders working on a range of community needs, including food insecurity, housing instability, youth programs, and access to healthcare.

Carla Keene, chairman of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, thanked nonprofit leaders for their work and described the challenges many organizations face, including limited staffing and funding, administrative barriers, and burnout.

Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation Executive Director Carma Mornarich also addressed attendees, comparing the foundation’s work to a woven blanket created through the efforts of nonprofits across the region.

The foundation said it awards grants twice each year and focuses on core priorities that include reducing hunger, improving child safety, supporting education, and promoting healthy communities.

Grant recipients apply for funding tied to specific projects outlined in their applications. The foundation highlighted several organizations funded this term:

• Furnish Hope in Deschutes County received $5,000 to provide free furnishings to low income individuals and families transitioning from homelessness
• Adventure! Children’s Museum in Lane County received $7,500 to help offset costs for reduced or free admission for families
• Grants Pass Family YMCA in Josephine County received $10,000 to help organize summer day camp field trips for children
• Dora Public Library in Coos County received $2,930 to create a multi generational cooking class for local families
• Cobb Children’s Learning Center in Douglas County received $10,000 to help close tuition gaps for low income families needing childcare
• Friends of the Children of Klamath Basin in Klamath County received $10,000 to continue pairing mentors with children who have experienced severe trauma

Of the 93 organizations funded, 47 received grants of $10,000. The foundation said the funding comes from a percentage of gaming revenue generated by Seven Feathers Casino Resort and is dedicated to charitable giving within the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians’ seven county service area.

In addition to the foundation’s twice yearly grant awards, the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribal Government’s board also makes donations throughout the year. The article cited recent contributions including $34,000 to Douglas County food pantries and more than $130,000 to local school districts to help provide meals for children and families during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday breaks.

Seven Feathers Casino Resort is located in Canyonville within Cow Creek Umpqua ancestral territory, about six miles from where tribal leaders signed a treaty with the U.S. government in 1853.