About Us: Quick Facts

Photo by Michelle Alaimo. Tribal member Peter Nelson dances during Grand Entry of the Veterans’ Powwow at the Uyxat Powwow Grounds.

Spirit Mountain Community Fund was founded in 1997 when the Tribes of Grand Ronde Tribe dedicated 6% of the profits from Spirit Mountain Casino to support community organizations. The Fund has given over $55 million since its formation.

We are a proud member of the Oregon Tribal Gaming Alliance. Oregon Tribes and Tribal casinos donated $92 million to not-for-profits through 2009.

We donate about $3 million every year to local programs and services that benefit citizens striving for self-sufficiency through the Spirit Mountain Community Fund, the Hatfield Fellowship, and the Oregon Tribal Grant program. We fund projects in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Health, Historic Preservation, Public Safety, Environmental Preservation and Problem Gaming.

Over 880 non-profits in Oregon have received project funding from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund. Non-profits play a vital role in the social and economic wellbeing of Oregon.

In 1996, the year before Spirit Mountain Community Fund was founded, there were 7,945 nonprofit organizations in Oregon. Of these, 69 percent or 5,482 were located within SMCF’s 11--county service area. Today, Oregon is home to over 22,000 nonprofits and over 16,000 of them are located in SMCF’s service area.

• 7,150 nonprofits provide employment for approximately 141,000 Oregonians.
• 10% of Oregon’s private workforce works for a nonprofit.
• Nonprofits add $4.6 billion to Oregon’s economy through paid wages.
• 12% of nonprofit employers are in the health services arena and employ 50 percent of all nonprofit employees.

The Community Fund is administered by an eight-person Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees is made up of government and civic leaders and Tribal representatives. Appointments are made every year. Trustees are appointed to serve staggered two year terms.