Oregon Community Foundation is addressing the needs of children and families of BIPOC and under-resourced communities by announcing its successful distribution of $41.2 million in state-funded summer education and early-childhood learning grants in all 36 Oregon counties.

“The rapid and thoughtful deployment of these resources is possible thanks to the ongoing collaboration and counsel from numerous local leaders and community members who shared their experience in education, racial equity and connections to under-resourced communities,” said Sonia Worcel, the foundation’s chief community impact officer.

In mid-March, the state of Oregon announced a plan to allocate $250 million to support summer learning and enrichment for children and asked the foundation to take on the role of awarding $40 million for K-12 summer programs and $1.2 million for parent-child programs serving children birth to age 5 and their parents.

“Given the crises over the last year, this summer has been a critical time to nurture and mentor children in our state,” OCF president and CEO Max Williams said. “OCF is proud to have delivered much-needed support to disproportionately impacted families and communities across Oregon.”