Oregon was underprepared to ensure a complete count in the 2020 Census. An undercount could reduce funding and representation for hard-to-count populations like rural communities and people of color, as well as put a projected additional congressional seat in jeopardy. The United Way of the Columbia-Willamette and the Northwest Health Foundation, along with 15 other funders, created the Census Equity Funders Committee of Oregon (CEFCO) in 2018. They pitched in funding for census work and convinced the State of Oregon and City of Portland to pool resources into their single campaign, which totaled nearly $10 million. This Oregon Bright Spot details the story of this partnership that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, led to achieving a self-response participation rate in the 2020 Census that approximately matched the previous census. 

Trends in Northwest Giving began as a project of Philanthropy Northwest in 2002 and has been published every two years as an aggregation and analysis of grantmaking trends that shape our region — Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. The Trends in Northwest Giving 2019 report focuses on the most recent data available, through fiscal year 2016, and includes a combination of information from our membership network, Form 990s and intermediaries.

In Philanthropy Northwest's “Pacific Northwest Changemakers,” generously supported by the Satterberg Foundation, Mitchell Thomashow takes us on a tour of place-based, community-driven philanthropy, from Central Washington to Montana, from Coastal Alaska to Portland.