“I see how close people can be in rural communities, how they can come together to meet a need. It speaks to their rural mindset and heart.”

Levi Williams leads The Ford Family Foundation’s open grants programs, Good Neighbor and Technical Assistance, which are designed to respond to emerging interests and needs in rural Oregon and Siskiyou County, California. Through Levi’s leadership, the Foundation is equipped to guide rural nonprofits through the granting process. No grant is too small for a helping hand from Levi.

The Foundation’s open grants meet rural communities where they are and provide the right level of support to fit their unique needs. “I know what it’s like to fundraise and work with a small budget,” Levi says. “So if we can find a way to fund a project or program, we’d love to be supportive.”

Levi has spent most of his life in rural communities, some with a population under 150, and has directed camps providing youth with healthy options and personal growth experiences. He holds a degree in education from Olivet Nazarene University and worked in youth development for more than a decade before joining The Ford Family Foundation.
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