The John and Ginger Niemeyer Foundation concentrates its giving in Oregon, prioritizing education across the lifecycle (early childhood, K–12, community colleges) and services that support vulnerable or rural populations (re-entry housing, workforce development, economic development). It also consistently funds children’s out‑of‑school-time and mentoring programs and regional arts and cultural organizations, indicating an interest in youth development and community vitality. Grants skew toward place‑based investments in small cities and rural counties rather than national organizations.
A $500,000 grant to Helping Hands Re-Entry Outreach Centers stands out as the John and Ginger Niemeyer Foundation’s largest recent award and points to a clear interest in housing and re-entry supports. Across the recent grants list, the foundation backs education from early childhood through higher education, with recurring support for Oregon school districts, community colleges, and youth-serving organizations. It also funds workforce development, arts education, and community organizations that serve rural places and smaller cities across Oregon. The foundation’s recent giving shows a practical, place-based pattern. Oregon school districts such as Santiam Canyon, Bethel, and Pine Eagle received support for K–12 education, while Linn-Benton Community College and Clackamas Community College Foundation were funded for higher education. Early childhood and family support appears through grants to The Family Nurturing Center and Pendleton Children’s Center. Beyond education, the foundation has also backed organizations serving jobseekers, children outside school hours, and local arts groups, including Friends of the Children - Central Oregon and Lane Arts Council.
Education is a consistent theme across multiple stages. The John and Ginger Niemeyer Foundation gave $85,000 to Linn-Benton Community College for higher education and $75,000 to Bethel School District for K–12 education, showing support for both postsecondary and school-age learning. Early childhood and family support is another visible area. A $50,000 grant to The Family Nurturing Center and a $40,000 grant to Pendleton Children’s Center both support young children and caregivers in Oregon communities. The foundation also supports arts and enrichment. It gave $50,000 to Northwest Children’s Theater & School for performing arts and $40,000 to Arts in Education of the Gorge for arts education. In workforce and community development, grants to J Bar J Youth Services and Illinois Valley 2010 Community Response Team point to interest in employment pathways and local economic conditions.
Typical awards cluster in the tens of thousands: the p25 is $25,000, the median grant is $35,000, and the p75 is $49,858. That said, the distribution includes a large outlier at $500,000. The recent list shows repeat funding across years for several recipients, including Clackamas Community College Foundation, suggesting some continuing relationships rather than only one-time awards. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. The recent grants shown are all to U.S. organizations.
$941K
$246K
$4
$1.2M
Most grants fall between $25K and $50K, with a median of $35K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$35K
75th Percentile
$50K
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Mixture of one large, catalytic gifts and many mid‑sized operating or program grants: a single very large $500k housing gift alongside numerous $40k–$137k awards. Funding is geographically concentrated in Oregon with multiple repeat grantees and several multi‑grant recipients, indicating sustained relationships and preference for place‑based, programmatic support rather than broad national giving.
Notable grantees: Helping Hands Re‑Entry Outreach Centers, Clackamas Community College Foundation, Pendleton Children’s Center, Junior Achievement of Oregon and SW Washington, Northwest Children’s Theater & School
Giving is entirely concentrated in Oregon, with 100% of grants going to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Recent awards reach a range of Oregon places, including Albany, Eugene, Bend, Portland, Medford, Ashland, Hood River, Pendleton, Klamath Falls, Newport, and Halfway. The pattern leans toward small cities and rural counties rather than out-of-state recipients or national intermediaries.
The recent grants show support for K–12 schools, community colleges, early childhood providers, youth mentoring groups, arts organizations, housing and re-entry services, and workforce or economic development groups. Examples in the data include school districts, higher education foundations, children’s centers, and community arts organizations.
Typical grants are in the tens of thousands of dollars. The reported distribution is p25 $25,000, median $35,000, and p75 $49,858. The recent list also includes a much larger $500,000 grant, indicating a mix of mid-sized awards and occasional major support.
The grant data shown is entirely Oregon-based. All listed recipients are in Oregon, and 100% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Recent recipient cities include Albany, Eugene, Bend, Portland, Medford, Ashland, and Pendleton.
No. The profile data states that the foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its recent grant list shows institutional grantees such as school districts, colleges, nonprofit service providers, and arts organizations.
Yes. The recent grant list includes repeat funding across years for some recipients, such as Clackamas Community College Foundation, which appears in both 2023 and 2024. That suggests at least some ongoing relationships rather than strictly one-time grants.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linn-Benton Community College | Albany, OR | $85,000 | 2024 | Higher Education |
| Bethel School District | Eugene, OR | $75,000 | 2024 | K12 Education |
| Clackamas Community College Foundation | Oregon City, OR | $69,992 | 2024 | Higher Education |
| J Bar J Youth Services | Bend, OR | $68,200 | 2024 | Workforce Development |
| The Family Nurturing Center | Medford, OR | $50,000 | 2024 | Early Childhood |
| Northwest Children's Theater & School | Portland, OR | $50,000 | 2024 | Performing Arts |
| Pine Eagle School District 61 | Halfway, OR | $49,431 | 2024 | K12 Education |
| Oregon 4-H Foundation | Corvallis, OR | $48,300 | 2024 | OST and Mentoring |
| Pendleton Children's Center | Pendleton, OR | $40,000 | 2024 | Early Childhood |
| Arts in Education of the Gorge | Hood River, OR | $40,000 | 2024 | Arts Education |
| Illinois Valley 2010 Community Response Team | Cave Junction, OR | $40,000 | 2024 | Economic Development |
| Lane Arts Council | Eugene, OR | $40,000 | 2024 | Arts Education |
| Friends of the Children - Central Oregon | Bend, OR | $40,000 | 2024 | OST and Mentoring |
| Autism Family Support of Rural Clackamas County | Damascus, OR | $40,000 | 2024 | Mental Health and Substance Abuse |
| ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum | Ashland, OR | $40,000 | 2024 | Educational Entertainment |
| Samaritan House Inc | Newport, OR | $30,000 | 2024 | Housing |
| Lutheran Community Services Northwest - Klamath Falls | Klamath Falls, OR | $30,000 | 2024 | Child Welfare |
| Friends of the Historic Union Community Hall | Union, OR | $30,000 | 2024 | Cultural Heritage |
| Family Relief Nursery - South Lane | Cottage Grove, OR | $25,000 | 2024 | Early Childhood |
| Condon Early Learning Center | Condon, OR | $25,000 | 2024 | Early Childhood |
| Columbia Pacific Economic Development District | St Helens, OR | $25,000 | 2024 | Economic Development |
| Helping Hands Re-Entry Outreach Centers | — | $500,000 | 2023 | Housing |
| Santiam Canyon School District | — | $75,500 | 2023 | K12 Education |
| Clackamas Community College Foundation | — | $67,428 | 2023 | Higher Education |
| Connected Lane County | — | $63,000 | 2023 | K12 Education |
| Junior Achievement of Oregon and SW Washington | — | $60,000 | 2023 | OST and Mentoring |
| St Andrew Nativity School | — | $50,000 | 2023 | K12 Education |
| Oregon Tech Foundation | — | $40,000 | 2023 | OST and Mentoring |
| Teaching Preschool Partners | — | $40,000 | 2023 | Early Childhood |
| Caldera | — | $30,000 | 2023 | Arts Education |
| Friends of The Historic Union Community Hall | — | $30,000 | 2023 | Cultural Heritage |
| Malheur Education Service District | — | $30,000 | 2023 | K12 Education |
| Southern Oregon ESD | — | $30,000 | 2023 | K12 Education |
| Baker Relief Nursery | — | $25,000 | 2023 | Early Childhood |
| The Gilbert House Children's Museum Inc | — | $25,000 | 2023 | Educational Entertainment |
| St Francis Shelter | — | $25,000 | 2023 | Housing |
| McKenzie School District #68 | — | $25,000 | 2023 | K12 Education |
| Families First of Grant County Inc | — | $20,000 | 2023 | Early Childhood |
| Columbia Pacific Economic Development District | — | $20,000 | 2023 | Economic Development |
| Audubon Society of Portland | — | $20,000 | 2023 | Environment |
| Glide Revitalization | — | $20,000 | 2023 | Civic Engagement |
| Center for Hope and Safety | — | $20,000 | 2023 | Violence Prevention |
| Lutheran Community Services Northwest - Klamath Falls | — | $20,000 | 2023 | Early Childhood |
| Pendleton Children's Center | — | $20,000 | 2023 | Early Childhood |
| Sunset Park & Recreation Foundation | — | $20,000 | 2023 | OST and Mentoring |
| Street Roots | — | $10,000 | 2023 | Human Services |
Linn-Benton Community College
$85,000Higher Education
Bethel School District
$75,000K12 Education
Performing Arts
Pine Eagle School District 61
$49,431K12 Education
Oregon 4-H Foundation
$48,300OST and Mentoring
Pendleton Children's Center
$40,000Early Childhood
Arts in Education of the Gorge
$40,000Arts Education
Illinois Valley 2010 Community Response Team
$40,000Economic Development
Autism Family Support of Rural Clackamas County
$40,000Mental Health and Substance Abuse
ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum
$40,000Educational Entertainment
Friends of the Historic Union Community Hall
$30,000Cultural Heritage
Family Relief Nursery - South Lane
$25,000Early Childhood
Condon Early Learning Center
$25,000Early Childhood
Columbia Pacific Economic Development District
$25,000Economic Development
Santiam Canyon School District
$75,500K12 Education
St Andrew Nativity School
$50,000K12 Education
Oregon Tech Foundation
$40,000OST and Mentoring
Teaching Preschool Partners
$40,000Early Childhood
Caldera
$30,000Arts Education
Friends of The Historic Union Community Hall
$30,000Cultural Heritage
Malheur Education Service District
$30,000K12 Education
Southern Oregon ESD
$30,000K12 Education
Baker Relief Nursery
$25,000Early Childhood
The Gilbert House Children's Museum Inc
$25,000Educational Entertainment
McKenzie School District #68
$25,000K12 Education
Families First of Grant County Inc
$20,000Early Childhood
Columbia Pacific Economic Development District
$20,000Economic Development
Pendleton Children's Center
$20,000Early Childhood
Sunset Park & Recreation Foundation
$20,000OST and Mentoring