A Better Future

By Carol Cheney

Tree branches with sunlight shining through

Dear Friends,

The Collins Foundation was created by the wealth that was generated by the freedom to play out a certain American Dream. Recognizing that others in our state faced significant barriers to achieving their dreams, the Collins family established the foundation in 1947 and even more recently, grappled with the persistence of inequity and shifted our resources to create a more fair playing field for everyone.

The freedom of the family to start a business, to build and pass on wealth to the next generations, to have what is needed to thrive, and to trust the institutions we count on to safeguard our dreams are protections we deeply value. 

We know how fragile these freedoms are and how quickly we can lose them. But we also know that a better future is possible.

At The Collins Foundation, we have been preparing for this future utilizing all the tools we are afforded by our unique position. After a thoughtful strategic planning process, we launched a new approach to grantmaking that centers the communities that have faced the brunt of systemic injustice. 

In 2025, we awarded $14,778,614 to 275 organizations across the Black Equity Movement Committee (BEM), GO Grants, Emergency Response, The Oregon Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative (OIRFC), and Matching Grants. 

Our new grantmaking tool, the Partnership Alignment Screener, is easier to complete than traditional grant applications, focuses more deeply on the work of grantees, and creates real opportunities for partnership. We look forward to hearing from grantseekers as we continue to make our emerging grantmaking process more responsive to the needs of community.

The Collins Foundation remains strong in our commitment to all of Oregon’s diverse communities. The continual process of learning and growing has helped us understand deeply how we have benefited from systemic injustice. The Foundation uses grant funding as a tool to right systemic wrongs by supporting community changemakers to improve or strengthen their services. 

A future American democracy that truly lives into the principles of freedom, liberty, equality, and justice can only become reality when we work together. Philanthropy plays a role in this effort as part of the vast network of civil society - the organizations, institutions, and individuals in community, in business, and in government dedicated to the public interest and the public good. The work to safeguard freedoms will take all of us. We’re looking for partners who want to work across differences in social identities, geography, faiths, and ideologies to ensure the future we create is one where we can all fulfill our dreams, whatever they may be. 

In gratitude,

Carol Cheney