Carpenter Foundation Home

HISTORY AND PURPOSE

As of July 1st, 2023 the Carpenter Foundation began our online grant application process.  You can click on the Application tab in the menu to access the online portal.

The Carpenter Foundation was established by Alfred S.V. Carpenter and Helen Bundy Carpenter in 1942.  It was then called the Jackson County Recreation Agency and provided recreational activities for servicemen at Camp White.  The Foundation was reorganized in 1958, evolving from a personal vehicle for charitable giving to a general purpose family foundation.  In 1972, four public trustees were added to the family members on the board to achieve a broader base of experience for decision making.  The foundation continued its growth and

 

 

development as a community partner under the leadership of Jane and Dunbar Carpenter who guided the Carpenter Foundation for over 30 years.  The purpose of the Carpenter Foundation is to add opportunity, choice, inclusiveness, enrichment, and a climate for change for those living in the Rogue Valley.  The Foundation works in partnership with other agencies, organizations and public entities.

Presidents Report

The major focus of the Carpenter Foundation has remained constant over the past 60 years and that is to make grants in four areas: human services, education, the arts and certain public interest issues. The Foundation limits funding to these activities and to the geographic area of Jackson and Josephine Counties in order to make more effective and focused use of limited resources.

The Carpenter Foundation is a private family foundation governed by a Board which includes family members and public trustees who represent a wide range of experience and interests. Trustees make policy, grant, and financial management decisions.

The Foundation is deeply concerned with the well-being of children and families and their relationship to their neighborhoods and communities. A parallel concern is the health of the web of agencies and organizations which serve them. It is vital that these agencies, public and private, work together to assist with the broad array of complexities that face families and communities today.

Of keen interest to The Carpenter Foundation are the nature and the characteristics of community life. These are evidenced by the opportunities offered low-income citizens, the quality of education, the breadth of experience in the arts, and such public policy issues as the environment and community planning, with emphasis on the long-range view.