Press Release: SOREDI Foundation Opens Wildfire Recovery Fund Grant Portal

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:   March 29, 2022

SOREDI Foundation Opens Wildfire Recovery Fund Grant Portal

 Medford, Oregon – The SOREDI Foundation, a 501c3 charitable organization, is pleased to announce its Wildfire Recovery Fund. This fund will be used to provide grants for businesses impacted by the September 2020 wildfires. The portal will be open from April 5^th – April 19^th. Grants will be awarded based on demonstrated need (not first-come, first-served) and expected economic impact.

Approximately $100,000 has been raised, mostly from the private sector, to provide small grants from $500 to $5,000 based on demonstrated need. Rogue Valley business impacted by the 2020 Almeda or Obenchain Fires are eligible to apply. Eligible businesses include those who may have suffered loss of their customer base due to the wildfires, along with those who sustained physical loss and can certify that they plan to rebuild. Grant monies received must be used specifically for business purposes.

“We are grateful to get this fund established, thanks to many generous private sector partners, and get some help out the door to business impacted by the 2020 southern Oregon wildfires”, states Colleen Padilla, SOREDI Foundation Executive Director. “We know these grants won’t completely make a business whole; our hope though is to convey a business-friendly spirit and appreciation for our business community as they choose to rebuild and press on here in Southern Oregon.”

All applicants will need to demonstrate need through appropriate financial documents, as requested through the grant portal, which can be accessed on the SOREDI Foundation Website: https://www.soredifoundation.org/. The grant portal will close when all funds are exhausted; awards will be vetted by a SOREDI Foundation board committee. Not all applicants will likely be funded, and grants will be funded based on highest demonstrated need.

Major private sector contributors include SOREDI, Umpqua Bank, Rogue Credit Union, Boise Cascade, Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Tribal One, Pacific Power, Allcare Health, Avista Utilities and Oregon Pacific Financial Advisors. Additional donations into this fund may be made at https://www.soredifoundation.org/.

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The SOREDI Foundation was established in 2020 as a 501c3. It aims to provide services to two primary audiences exploring current and future pathways in southern Oregon: entrepreneurs and students. The SOREDI Foundation is currently led by a 7-member board of active southern Oregon community leaders.

Contact: Colleen Padilla, Executive Director

(541) 773-8946