“Rural communities are inspiring—so resourceful and full of can-do spirit.”

As The Ford Family Foundation’s grants manager, Carol Dalu ensures that grant-making policies and procedures are running smoothly and the door to grants is wide open to communities in rural Oregon and Siskiyou County, California.

Carol also manages the Visual Arts program, which supports visual artists and the visual arts ecology of Oregon.

Grantmaking can be complex and technical, but Carol works to ensure that it is as easy, accessible and friendly as possible. “Over the past 10-15 years, philanthropy has evolved to be more open and approachable,” she says. “That’s a wonderful change, allowing us to walk alongside the communities and our grantees and be less prescriptive.”

Among the hundreds of grants awarded by the Foundation each year, there are three for Hallie Ford Fellowships under the Visual Arts, a program established in honor of Foundation founder Hallie Ford’s interest in the visual arts. The arts are a personal passion of Carol’s, who believes that engaging with the arts can bring us joy, challenge our perspectives and help us better understand the world around us.

Carol is a graduate of the University of California at Davis, where she received her bachelor’s degree in textiles. She grew up in Northern California, in what at the time was a small, fruit-growing community, which cemented her love of the small rural town.
Back to team