Our Mission
Everyone deserves time outside.
Gray Family Foundation was founded on the belief that fostering an understanding and appreciation of our natural world is a fundamental part of a child's education.
We believe nature is crucial for quality of life.
As a supporting organization of Oregon Community Foundation, Gray Family Foundation funds initiatives that give youth access to the physical, emotional, and social benefits of connecting to our natural world.
Three things we hold true:
01
When we make the benefits of outdoor experiences accessible to everyone, everywhere, we build stronger connections and communities.
02
Young people deserve opportunities to learn in, thrive in, and appreciate the outdoors, so they can become informed and engaged champions for our environment and natural resources.
03
Time spent in nature positively contributes to human well-being, providing a respite from the stress of modern life.
"From an early age, I knew that there was something very special about Oregon and felt a strong loyalty to my homeland. Later in life I recognized that, if I wanted my great grandchildren to have this same connection to the land, I needed to be active in protecting this incredible place before it is too late."
John Gray
Getting more people outside.
We see Oregon as a vibrant, inclusive, and civic-minded society and work to improve the wellbeing of our communities by supporting opportunities to connect to nature.
Our mission is to engage people in Oregon as active stewards of our communities and natural environments.
Our vision is an inclusive, equitable, and diverse state with opportunities for all people living in Oregon to strengthen their connection to place through meaningful experiences.
The values that guide us
Place matters: We focus on Oregon.
Stewardship: We commit to the highest levels of integrity, humility, and responsibility as stewards of our human, financial, and natural resources.
Curiosity: We seek multiple perspectives; we embrace and encourage creativity, calculated risk-taking, and the challenging of perceptions.
Collaboration: We actively seek out opportunities to partner with others; we encourage cooperation and coordination to leverage collective experiences, networks, and ideas that deepen our impact and effect long term, transformational change.
Flexibility: We strive to embrace risk-taking and the benefits of it in meeting the ever-evolving nature and needs of the community; we place a high value on being nimble and able to respond quickly to new opportunities while being deliberate and strategic.
Inclusion: We foster and promote a culture where everyone can engage authentically, there are opportunities to grow our effectiveness, and our efforts reflect a strengthened sense of common purpose.
Our commitments to all people
Gray Family Foundation acknowledges that systemic racism and other biases are embedded within our institutions, policies and practices.
We must address these if we want to ensure everyone has the same opportunity to define, support, and benefit from what a healthy, thriving, and sustainable Oregon means to them and their community.
Gray Family Foundation commits to examine, challenge, and activate to dismantle the systems, practices, and policies that reinforce inequities.
We believe this work is essential to achieving our vision of an inclusive, equitable and diverse state with opportunities for all people living in Oregon to strengthen their connection to place through meaningful experiences.
Gray Family Foundation provides equitable access to funding free from discrimination in any form.
We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, political or union affiliation, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected status recognized by local, state or federal law. Grant applicants must similar standards. Grant applications from organizations known to have discriminatory policies will not be considered.