Wild Rivers Coast Alliance
The Wild Rivers Coast Alliance (WRCA), operating as of 2023 as the Bandon Dunes Charitable Foundation, was a grantmaking organization and a fiscally sponsored project under the New Venture Fund, a prominent member of the Arabella Advisors network. 1
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Operating from 2010 until its transition in 2023, WRCA distributed approximately $9 million in grants focused on environmental conservation, community development, and economic growth along Oregon’s south coast. 2 The organization was funded primarily through proceeds from the Bandon Preserve golf course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and managed by resort owner Mike Keiser. 2
Organizational Structure Activities
The Wild Rivers Coast Alliance operated as a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund (NVF), a 501(c)(3) organization that is one of the primary vehicles in the Arabella Advisors network. 1 Under this arrangement, WRCA benefited from NVF’s infrastructure while maintaining operational autonomy over its grantmaking activities. This fiscal sponsorship model relieved WRCA of the administrative burdens typically associated with operating an independent nonprofit organization. 3
Leadership and Operations
Marie Simonds has worked as executive director of Wild Rivers Coast Alliance since December 2019 following the resignation of Jim Seeley, who had led the organization for eight years before his death in January 2020. Simonds, a former Boise State University golf team member, relocated to Bandon, Oregon in 2004 with her husband Jeff Simonds, who works as assistant general manager at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. 4
Wild Rivers Coast Alliance was founded by Mike Keiser, who made his fortune through Recycled Paper Greetings, a greeting card company he started with $5,000 from his father that he later sold to American Greetings in 2009. 5 Keiser established Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in 1999 and dedicated the proceeds from the Bandon Preserve course to charitable giving through WRCA. 6
Activities
Notable Wild Rivers Coast Alliance grant recipients and projects included the Southern Oregon Gorse Project, which addressed the invasive gorse plant that contributed to the devastating 1936 Bandon Fire. 7 The organization also supported Shoreline Education for Awareness (SEA), which funded tripods and spotting scopes that were estimated to be used by nearly 20,000 tourists annually. WRCA launched a Small Grants Program in 2018, providing up to $5,000 in general support to qualifying organizations. 8
During the COVID-19 pandemic, WRCA expanded its focus to include social services, providing grants to 28 organizations throughout Coos and Curry Counties, including United Way of Southwestern Oregon, local food banks, and the Nancy Devereux Center for homeless services. 9 The organization supported projects ranging from watershed restoration and salmon habitat protection to community art initiatives like Washed Ashore, which creates artwork from ocean plastic pollution. 8