Three Rivers Casino Resort’s Foundation Donates $1.4 Million In Grants

The Three Rivers Foundation is the current charitable arm of the Three Rivers Casino Resort. Recently, it announced it will donate a whopping $1.4 million to 100 organizations in six Oregon counties.

The foundation hands out grants every year, but this year’s grant total is unprecedented. Moreover, the $1.4 million gift is the single biggest donation the program has been given since its inception in 2012.

Doug Barrett, chair of the Three Rivers Foundation Board of Trustees, said the money will work its way into communities to create a “positive impact.”

“These grants trickle down and make a positive impact on communities in Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane, and Lincoln counties,” Barrett continued, in a statement. “It has been great to work with our board to give away this money to so many great organizations and Tribes that help so many families and individuals.”

The Three Rivers Foundation was established by the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians.

100 organizations in six counties receive funding

As a result, the money that the foundation donated will be sent to organizations in six Oregon counties:

• Lane – 50 organizations
• Coos Bay – 28 organizations
• Douglas – 10 organizations
• Curry – 7 organizations
• Lincoln – 5 organizations

Donation amounts vary for each organization. For example, Food Backpacks for Kids in Florence received $10,000. The organization provides food supplies to schoolchildren.

Dale Edwards, CEO of Food Backpacks for Kids, also said in a statement that he was grateful for the donation.

“It is the remarkable generosity of people and businesses like Three Rivers that allow us to make this program sustainable,” Edwards, said. “These children find themselves in food insecurity at no cause of their own.”

The foundation’s $25,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley will go toward the club’s science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) program.

Furthermore, Matt Sorenson, CEO of the club, said the donation will help in expanding its STEAM programs to reach more children.

“Three Rivers Foundation understands the urgent need to help ignite the imagination and interest of kids, especially traditionally underrepresented groups like girls and young people of color, to the possibility that STEAM learning can provide for enhancing their fundamental skills at school,” Sorenson said.

New funding round will start in December

The foundation typically announces grant recipients in the first few months of the year. In general, applications for the grants start late in the year. Specifically, for 2022, organizations interested in applying for a grant can submit an application starting December 1.

Eligible applicants include:

• 501(c)(3) organizations in Coos, Lane, Douglas, Curry, and Lincoln counties
• 501(c)(3)s throughout Oregon that have projects that will focus on those counties
• Other types of 501(c)(3)s doing beneficial work in the state
• Federally recognized tribes in Oregon

Donations bring good news amid a strenuous year for the tribes

It’s no secret that Oregon’s federally recognized tribes have had a controversial year so far. In fact, the tribes have just recently endured a lengthy battle with local billionaire Travis Boersma.

Boersma had hoped to open an entertainment facility that would have had 200 historic horse racing machines.

Unfortunately, those machines would’ve posed a threat to the revenue generated by the tribes’ Oregon gaming operations.

Additionally, were it not for a late-stage opinion piece from the Oregon Department of Justice, the facility, known as The Flying Lark, may have opened.

Amid that battle with Boersma, the tribes faced criticism from Boersma backers. As such, the recent announcement of the unprecedented donation serves as a reminder to opponents that the tribes are doing good deeds for Oregon communities.