Letter from the President

Dear community,

Each year that I serve in this role, I write a letter to speak to what’s happening across our communities and how it relates to our mission as a Foundation. In 2024, I shared that our country was in a period of rapid change in our economy, demographics, environment, technology and more, causing us to wrestle with how we engage as a partner across our region. The pace of that change is accelerating in 2025. 

Urgent action is needed for kids growing up in rural Oregon and Siskiyou County. I hear this message loud and clear across communities and sectors and around our office halls. Child care is unaffordable for families and unsustainable for providers. Pandemic-era impacts continue to affect learning outcomes for students. Too many working families struggle to make ends meet. By being rooted in the communities we serve, amplifying rural stories and data, we know that the scope of the challenges we face is immense and demands strong public-private partnerships and allies from all corners of our region to solve them.  

I also know we’re making steady progress. Here in Douglas County, our child welfare and abuse prevention partners can take pride in their work to reduce the number of kids in foster care by more than one-third (from a rate of 17.4 to 11 per 1,000 kids) in the last two years. Five rural counties in southern Oregon and Siskiyou County laid the groundwork for the launch of a statewide Center for Coordinating Oregon Home Visiting Systems to serve families from pregnancy through early childhood.

People in small towns are making big moves — even with the odds stacked against us. Your hard work and creativity are bringing real results for the kids who need it most.  

Thank you for helping us see how we can be bolder with our resources — our grants, scholarships, community building, advocacy, research and more. We feel both urgency for and accountability to the kids and families in Oregon and Siskiyou County, California. And we’re committed — with you — for the long haul.  

With gratitude and hope, 

Kara Inae Carlisle
President and CEO,
The Ford Family Foundation