M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust announces new CEO to join July 2022

The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, one of the largest grantmaking foundations in the Portland area, announced a new CEO beginning July 2022, Romanita Hairston. Hairston will be the Murdock Trust’s fifth CEO, following the retirement of Steve Moore after 16 years of service.

Hairston comes to the Murdock Trust from a position at Microsoft. Previously, Hairston was vice president of U.S. programs at World Vision, a major charitable nonprofit. She also served as program director at the Murdock Trust for several years, before focusing on the future of work and learning at Microsoft. Now, Romanita returns to the foundation where she will oversee the work of the third largest grantmaking foundation in the Portland area.

Last year, the Murdock Trust announced a record year of giving, totaling $110 million through 460 grants. Since its founding in 1975 after the untimely death of its benefactor and Tektronix co-founder, Jack Murdock, the foundation has given $1.2 billion to nonprofit organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest.

M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust announces Summer 2022 grants

 Recently, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, a private nonprofit foundation in Vancouver, WA, released their Summer 2022 grants report. They awarded more than $26.7 million to nonprofit organizations in the Pacific Northwest that strengthen the region’s cultural, social, educational, and spiritual fabric. The Greater Portland area saw two nonprofits receive grants.

 Girls on the Run Greater Oregon received $188,500 to help hire new staff for youth outreach. This organization is an athletics nonprofits that provides programs for girls in elementary and middle school, inspiring them to engage in physical activity as a way to gain confidence, learn life skills, and stay active.

 Sanctuary Inn, a nonprofit retreat for Christian missionaries, received $147,000. Guests come to Sanctuary Inn for pastoral counsel, healing prayer, restorative manual labor, solitude, life coaching, personal care, and cross-cultural engagement. The grant from the Murdock Trust will help them expand their services for guests.

 The Murdock Trust has awarded more than $1.2 billion to nonprofits in the region since its founding in 1975.

M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust announces Spring 2022 grantees

The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust in Vancouver, WA, recently released its Spring 2022 Grants Report. The nonprofit foundation announced that it gave $32.5 million throughout the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska.

In Vancouver alone, the Murdock Trust gave $540,500 to Shared Hope International, $151,500 to Pink Lemonade Project, and $400,000 to Cornerstone Christian Academy for Learning and Leadership. Each of these grants were given to help build the capacity of the nonprofit’s work, such as for new training platforms, new services, and expanded education programs.

Murdock Trust Executive Director Emeritus Steve Moore noted that this grants report marks a special moment for the foundation, as it was his final quarter before passing the baton to incoming CEO Romanita Hairston. Moore said that he was excited for the future of the Murdock Trust and that he will continue to serve his community by supporting leaders and encouraging generosity throughout our region. Romanita will officially begin as CEO in July 2022.

Community supports Clark County nonprofits during pandemic

Clark County saw high numbers of community engagement and giving during the 2021 holiday season.  Despite the challenges of the pandemic for many Southwest Washington nonprofits, community members have rallied together to offer their thanks and support to local nonprofits.  

For example, the Clark County Food Bank never ran out of food despite increased demand, thanks to the support of local volunteers and givers. Share, a Vancouver-based nonprofit serving the homeless community, raised $30,000 for a program that provides over 525,000 pounds of food to those in need. Loving Them Forward, another Vancouver-based organization, assembled volunteers to distribute over 1,500 gift bags to caregivers in the community.  

This spirit of generosity is seen in local foundations too. The Community Foundation for Southwest Washington raised over $3.3 million for local nonprofits, and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, a Vancouver-based foundation that gives capacity-building grants to nonprofits across the Pacific Northwest, gave a record-breaking $110 million in 2021. This follows a record-breaking 2020, when the Murdock Trust invested $76 million into nonprofits across Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska. Steve Moore, executive director of the Murdock Trust, notes the spirit of generosity and civic engagement in Clark County and Vancouver. He sees many community members eager to make a difference after seeing how the pandemic challenged local nonprofits.  

M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust sets giving records in 2021

Following two record-breaking years of giving, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust based in Vancouver, Washington announced a record quarter and record year of giving. Since its establishment in 1975 by the estate of Melvin J. “Jack” Murdock, a co-founder of Tektronix, the Murdock Trust has invested over $1.2 billion in nonprofit organizations that enrich the educational, spiritual, and cultural base of the Pacific Northwest.

Recently, the Murdock Trust announced that it approved 112 grants in the final quarter of 2021, totaling $25.4 million. This includes funding for 33 nonprofits totaling $6.4 million in Washington alone. These record-breaking numbers finish off a record-breaking year of giving; in 2021, the Murdock Trust invested $110 million through 460 grants throughout the region.

In 2019, the Murdock Trust invested $57 million, followed by $75 million in 2020. This marks the third consecutive year the Murdock Trust set personal records for investment in the community.

M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust awards grants to three Clark County nonprofits

 

The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, a Vancouver-based nonprofit foundation established in 1975 by the estate of the late Melvin “Jack” Murdock, awarded $610,000 in grants to nonprofits in ClarkCounty. This was part of $110 million given in 2021 to organizations across the Pacific Northwest who are seeking to serve the common good.

Global Sojourns Giving Circle received $145,000 toward hiring a new executive director, which will allow the nonprofit to expand its efforts in giving grants to community-based organizations that mentor youth in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa. Priscilla Plummer, founder of the organization, lives primarily in Cape Town, South Africa, where she sees the fruit of the organization’s labor in witnessing kids know their lives matter.

Meadow Glade Adventist Elementary School in Battle Ground will realize an eight-year-long dream with the construction of a new state-of-the-art music facility, partly funded by a $400,000 grant from the Murdock Trust. Musical education at the school took place in empty classrooms and the gym before, but a new department will give them the space and acoustics they need for an improved music education experience.

Shared Hope International, which aims to end sex-trafficking worldwide, will participate for a third year in the Murdock Trust’s Vision and Call internship program thanks to a $64, 856 grant from the Murdock Trust. Established in 2006, Vision and Call helps young adults learn about vocation through internships at nonprofit organizations. According to a Shared Hope International spokesperson, the Murdock Trust does a great job developing leaders, and Vision and Call interns often land leadership positions in the nonprofit sector following their internship.

Looking into the future of the coronavirus pandemic

The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust is a nonprofit foundation that seeks to enrich the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to funding grants for projects in the arts, education, health, and human services, the Murdock Trust regularly funds scientific research, such as work at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Oregon Health & Sciences University.   

Recently, the Murdock Trust supported a conversation between professor and virologist Dr. Larry Corey, past president director at Fred Hutchinson, and Dr. Donna Hansel, professor and chair of pathology and laboratory medicine at OHSU. In partnership with The Seattle Times, they shared insights on COVID-19, vaccines, and the future of this pandemic.  

 

Though the vaccine has been shown to provide 20 times more protection than the natural infection, only about 57% of the U.S. population is vaccinated. Until vaccinations become more widely accepted, it may be difficult to protect the most vulnerable in our society.  

 

The doctors also shared predictions about the future of the pandemic. Hansel shared that the virus will be monitored for new variants, because there is always the potential for another round with viral pathogens. Even the common cold is another coronavirus. However, Hansel thinks we can learn to live with this virus with the use of at-home rapid antigen testing kits that provides a quicker diagnosis than PCR tests.  

 

While schools will likely stay open and people will return to in-person clinical care in the next six to 12 months, a return to in-person restaurants, theaters and other public indoor spaces may take longer. Corey is hopeful that the vaccine will allow children to resume the activities crucial to their development, reintroducing a sense of normalcy to families. Overall, both doctors remain cautiously optimistic about the future of the pandemic.