Unrestricted Funds
In general, charitable donations are either restricted or unrestricted in their purpose. Your unrestricted gift to the Foundation is most often used to offset our operating expenses - people and overhead.
A restricted gift is given with a specific purpose in mind. Be it an existing or future project, the Foundation must abide by the donor’s wishes and use their gift for the explicit purpose they’ve identified.
There are occasions when the Foundation cannot fulfill the intended purpose of a charitable gift. Please consult our Development Manager if you’re interested in making a restricted donation to the Foundation for a purpose other than those we’ve already identified.
We currently have pooled assets (funds) that are both unrestricted and restricted in their purpose. Donations to our unrestricted or restricted funds are welcomed and will be used in the ways identified.
Our unrestricted funds include:
Oregon Wildlife Foundation Endowment Fund
Established through gifts from long-time supporters, our operating endowment fund helps us keep our administrative costs as low as possible. Continued growth of our endowment, through gifts and capital appreciation, ensures the lion’s share of the funds we receive for projects are used for on-the-ground work, not overhead costs.
Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation Fund at Oregon Community Foundation
The late Beulah Drake, an emerita member of our Board of Directors, gifted her estate to the Foundation. We, in turn, used those assets to establish an endowment fund at Oregon Community Foundation.
Give to our Unrestricted Fund
Restricted Funds
Funds restricted in their purpose include:
Deschutes River Basin Fund
A bequest from the Fiske family created this endowment whose earnings support projects within the Deschutes River basin.
Nehalem River Basin Fund
Established with funds from a mitigation settlement, this spend-down fund is being used to improve aquatic habitat and riparian zone function within the Nehalem River basin.
Oregon State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) Fund
This spend-down fund was created by a long-time donor to support projects benefiting non-game, non-fish species in Oregon, including insects, other invertebrates, and their habitats with priority given to:
strategy species identified in Oregon’s SWAP
species listed or considered endangered or threatened at the Federal or State level
keystone species including beaver, coyote, grey wolf, brown bear, California lynx, wolverine, and California condor
Watch for Wildlife Fund
Funded primarily by the sale and renewal of our Watch for Wildlife specialty license plate, this spend-down fund supports wildlife passage and habitat connectivity projects for the multitude of wildlife species that must move to survive. Your purchase and renewal of the Watch for Wildlife license plate supports this work. If you operate a car or pickup truck registered in Oregon go here to order your license plate or here to make a donation to the Watch for Wildlife fund.
OSP Conservation K-9 Fund
Through the generous support of our donors, the Foundation provided startup funding for each of Oregon State Police’s Conservation K-9 teams. While the Department is responsible for ongoing operating expenses, this fund helps offset costs associated with the canine members of the teams including veterinary care, grooming, training tools, and toys. Your gift to this fund helps ensure that Buck and Scout are healthy, happy, and ready for duty!
