About the Foundation
The PGE Foundation is charged with a singular mission: To improve the quality of life for Oregonians. To achieve this wide-ranging objective, we award grants to organizations that support what we consider pillars of a vibrant society — education, arts and culture, and healthy families. These focus areas provide us generous latitude in our ability to reach out to individuals and communities that may be otherwise overlooked. We are fortunate to work with a permanent endowment that will help us add to the lives of Oregonians for years to come.

The Community 101 youth leadership program created by the PGE Foundation in 1997 is expanding to more students in Oregon through a partnership with The Oregon Community Foundation. This philanthropy education program involves high school students in distributing student grants to agencies of their choice. To read more about Community 101, please visit our Community 101 section.

PGE Foundation board and officers

Foundation Staff
Carole Morse, president
Carol Reed, program officer

Areas of Giving
Whether it’s a call to fulfill an immediate need or a request for a long-term investment, we respond to the needs of organizations throughout Oregon. From coastal towns to rural outposts in the Wallowas; from the high desert communities of central Oregon to the busy urban centers of Portland and Salem; and points in between, we hope each grant in some way bolsters each community and its unique needs.

Education Education, in all its guises, lays the foundation for a successful society. We support programs and organizations that open doors to worlds of learning. The Oregon Building Congress Academy for Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE), a public charter school, provides integrated, hands-on education in the areas of architecture, construction and engineering. With an overriding goal to become a regional center for advanced engineering education, the ACE school model prepares graduates for successful post-secondary learning that will lead to professional design-build careers. This PGE Foundation grant went toward outfitting their engineering lab with supplies and materials that will help support the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) engineering curriculum, which offers dynamic content to engage a broad range of bright students.	Organization: Oregon Building Congress ACE Public Charter School, in Gresham, Oregon Grant: ACE Academy Engineering Lab Outfit Project
Healthy Families The PGE Foundation recognizes that healthy individuals and families build strong communities in Oregon. Therefore, we support programs and organizations that work to promote access and services in all areas of health, including hunger, mental health, homelessness, domestic violence, health care and more. The Rinehart Clinic provides high-quality comprehensive primary health care to individuals living in communities north of Tillamook County. Twenty-five percent of the Rinehart Clinic patients are considered low-income and have no health insurance. The Rinehart family has provided medical care to this community since 1913, and as of 1996 reorganized the clinic as a rural health clinic to be able to offer health care coverage to all, regardless of their financial circumstances. This is the third grant given to the Rinehart Clinic since 2005. This PGE Foundation grant funded X-Ray equipment repair and updates that will allow the clinic to keep pace with health technology advancements.	Organization: The Rinehart Clinic, federally qualified rural health clinic in Wheeler, Oregon Grant: X-Ray Equipment Repair and Update
Arts and Culture Our arts giving is about educating all ages — not only through pure enjoyment, but also through the development of critical problem-solving skills, imagination, and creativity when woven through curriculum and performances. Our grants recognize and support the works of artists, and increases accessibility. This spring, the Foundation brings the arts to Oregon youth by supporting the following programs: White Bird brings dance curriculum to Portland Public Schools that culminates in an April 1st performance by Bahia-based Dance Brazil group free for students. Portland Chamber Orchestra brings violinist, Lindsay Deutsch to Hillsboro schools and offers students the opportunity to attend a PCO concert at the Venetian on April 9th as a culmination of her work with them. Oregon Symphony Young People’s concerts for Oregon’s sesquicentennial, provides access to everyone by eliminating barriers to participate, whether geographic, financial, cultural, or perceptual. Concerts will be held in downtown Portland on April 23 & 24; Salem on April 27 and Tillamook on May 1. Third Rail Repertory Theatre’s show Fabuloso provides discounted tickets, study packets, panel and post-show discussions to Portland area students. The show runs May 8th through 30th.	Organization: Oregon Symphony Grant: Young People’s concerts for Oregon’s sesquicentennial