“I grew up in a rural area, attended a rural community college, and still live in and engage with my rural community—I am proud to play a part in helping rural communities and nonprofits succeed.”

Yvette Rhodes supports rural organizations seeking our Open Grants, including Good Neighbor and Technical Assistance grants. These grants are designed to support projects and programs that matter most to the community. She also works with grantees seeking large capital requests that fit our Thriving Community funding priority. She has been part of The Ford Family Foundation staff since 2003, working with both the Rural Community Building and Community Economic Development teams.

Yvette holds deep and holistic institutional Foundation knowledge and relationships; she is something of a program historian. “The communities we are working with now in a deep way were places where we supported leaders more than 15 years ago,” she says.

Before joining the Foundation, Yvette worked with students, job seekers, and employers through Umpqua Training and Employment in Roseburg.