CEO Messages Content

This week is a momentous time here at the Trust. Gerry Pratt – the last remaining trustee who was named in Fred G. Meyer's will establishing a charitable trust from his personal estate – is stepping down from his role as trustee.

When Meyer Memorial Trust invited Oregonians to give us their advice on how best to spend a million dollars for Oregon, we heard a wide range of ideas that address one big issue: economic development. Given Oregon's higher than average unemployment and food insecurity rates, rising poverty rate and falling median household income, this was not surprising.

It might not feel like the beginning of a new year to most of you, but here at Meyer Memorial Trust we celebrate the beginning of our fiscal year on April 1. And for some reason, it always feels a bit like an opportunity to start over. Not as in Groundhog Day, more like another chance to get it right, be the best we can be.

You may be wondering what’s going on with MMT’s continuing response to our ideas4oregon project in which we asked for your ideas about how we should spend the first million dollars of the second $500 million we award.Quite a lot, as it turns out. I’m excited to announce today the launch of our first project rising from ideas4oregon. (We’ve given short updates on our other two ideas4oregon projects in this week’s news alert.) READ MORE

There's no getting around it, 2010 has been a harsh year for Oregon and Clark County, Washington. We continue to suffer effects of The Great Recession with an unemployment rate stuck higher than the national average... Despite these and other sobering realities, I remain very optimistic about our state's future. And it's not just holiday cheer leading me down that yellow brick road. Nor is it merely

While there have been some signs of economic recovery in recent months, we still hear and see much evidence that the Great Recession continues to limit many nonprofits’ ability to raise funds while demand for their services remains great. So we at MMT continue to look for ways to provide extra support to help meet these challenges. As a result, we’re pleased to announce we are offering a special Operating Fund grants program again this year.

You may notice we have a new look for spring. Welcome to our new website. We hope you feel at home here. Spring is a universal metaphor for the start of better times. And this year, opportunities for growth seem especially appealing.

My message this month continues our promise to keep you informed about MMT’s ongoing efforts to find strategic ways to help nonprofits in Oregon and southwest Washington navigate the economic recession that has affected our area so significantly.

Since I shared our initial response to the changing economic landscape with you in early October, the economy has continued to deteriorate, affecting us all. A recent Chronicle of Philanthropy survey found that many foundations lost nearly one-third of their assets due to the steep decline in the stock market over the past year. Meyer Memorial Trust experienced a 23% decline in the value of assets during this period, leaving a balance on December 31, 2008 of $530 million.

Let’s start with the numbers that show up in the rear view mirror. Fiscal year 2007-08 (which ended March 31, 2008) was a milestone year for us in a number of ways: we awarded a record amount in new grants and PRIs ($32.4 million), we paid out a record amount ($37 million), we grew our PRI program significantly, awarding more than twice the previous record amount.

Recently one of our trustees and I attended a conference on "Creating & Operating Multi-Tenant Non-Profit Centers". We were impressed and intrigued by what other foundations have done along these lines (e.g., the Tides Foundation in San Francisco/New York and the Meadows Foundation in Texas).

Below we summarize our work thus far on implementing the three intitiatives we adopted – Quality K-12 Public Education, Access to Affordable Housing and Willamette River Resoration – as part of our strategic plan to guide our work for the next few years.