A Community Endowment in Wallowa County?

The Northeast Oregon Economic Development District is in the process of developing a community endowment for Wallowa County.  Please see the information below for more information on the endowment and how it could impact Wallowa County!

Wallowa Community Endowment Info Sheet

Information about community endowments in other places

Are you interested in serving on the fund's advisory committee?

We are now accepting applications!

Applications are due by April 1, 2010.

Applications may be submitted in the following ways:
•   in person at our office, downstairs in the Enterprise Public Library
•   by mail, to NEOEDD, 101 NE First St., Ste 100, Enterprise, OR 97828
•   by email to anniethompson@neoedd.org
•   online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J7SMVKF

Application: FACApplication.pdf

For more information on what is expected of Fund Advisory Committee members, click on the following links:

     Chair     Vice Chair     Secretary     Treasurer     General Member

PUBLIC MEETING:  We are hosting a public meeting at Community Connection in Enterprise on March 13th from 9:00am - 12:00pm to offer more information about the community endowment and to gain feedback on what YOU think the fund could do for Wallowa County.  Please join us!

Residents Invited to Discuss Community Endowment at March 13th Public Meeting

How many times have you worked on a promising project and heard the words: “We just don’t have the funding to do that!”  Programs that could greatly impact Wallowa County are often dropped or delayed due to insufficient funding.  NEOEDD is pursuing an idea that could permanently alleviate funding shortages for important local projects and we need your input.  Please join us for a public meeting on March 13th from 9:00am – 12:00pm at Community Connections in Enterprise to learn about the community endowment and to tell us what you think the fund could accomplish in Wallowa County.  

A community endowment is a permanent fund created by the people of Wallowa County for projects in Wallowa County.  The fund is considered to be permanent because only the annual interest is used to support community programs and projects, while the principal is reinvested so the fund can continue to grow.  An open community grant application process will be used to select projects with grant decisions made by an independent local advisory committee that is broadly representative of the community.

The March 13th public meeting follows on the heels of two focus groups meetings that were held in February. “We started out with a couple of focus group meetings where we specifically invited people from across the community to try to get the broadest possible range of ideas. We invited residents from different parts of the county, age groups, backgrounds, etc. and it was interesting that the majority of the ideas shared were very similar,” says Annie Thompson of NEOEDD.  So far, the top priorities for goals that endowment funds might help support are: vibrant local economy/family wage jobs; maintain rural lifestyle/opportunities; sustainable use of natural resources; healthy schools/education and youth opportunities; and recreational opportunities.

To RSVP for the public meeting on March 13th,  or to learn more about the community endowment, contact NEOEDD at 541-426-3598 or email Annie Thompson at anniethompson@neoedd.org.