Yarg Foundation is a left-of-center grantmaker that supports programs that works to better teens’ health and make changes to Oregon’s criminal justice system. The foundation was founded by family members of John and Betty Gray, who created the foundation from the couple’s estate. ¹

The foundation’s two main programs are the Healthy Families Initiative, which funds projects to help Oregon youth and families, and the Justice Reform Initiative, which works to make changes to the criminal justice system in Oregon. ^{2 3} The organization has given grants to many left-of-center nonprofits, including the ACLU Foundation of Oregon, Coalition of Communities of Color, the Progressive Multiplier Fund, and several Planned Parenthood affiliates. ^{4 5}

Agenda

Healthy Families Initiative

One of the Yarg Foundation’s main initiatives is the Healthy Families Initiative. This initiative works to promote “healthy relationships” between Oregonians and help Oregon youth. ⁶ The foundation says its goals for the program are increasing implementation of Oregon’s K-12 health standards and decreasing rates of student disciplinary action, depression in children and teens, suicide, drug use, bullying, and teen pregnancy. It also seeks to decrease the number of children in foster care or who suffer from child abuse and domestic violence. ⁷

Criminal Justice

The foundation’s Justice Reform Initiative works to make change to Oregon’s criminal justice system. The foundation composed its five goals for this initiative by creating a 12-member advisory committee “with the goal of finding those most impacted by the justice system as well as those who have a unique understanding of the justice system from a career and policy standpoint.” ⁸ The five goals of the initiative were to support youth intervention programs, help children whose parents are incarcerated, increase funding for the public-defender system, roll back mandatory sentencing laws, and give more resources to prison programs. ⁹

Grantees

In 2022, the Yarg Foundation gave grants to many left-of-center organizations, including the ACLU Foundation of Oregon, the Center for Voting and Elections, Coalition of Communities of Color, the Gray Family Foundation, Imagine Black Futures, the Land Trust Alliance, the Oregon Health and Science University Reproductive Health Equity Initiative, the Oregon Climate and Agriculture Network, the Rural Organizing Project, and Youth Rights and Justice. ¹⁰

In 2021, the Yarg Foundation gave grants to left-of-center organizations, including the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts, the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, the Land Trust Alliance, the Native American Youth and Family Center, Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon, the Progressive Multiplier Fund, Seeding Justice, and the Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation. ¹¹

Finances

In the 2022 fiscal year, the Yarg Foundation paid out approximately $2.9 million in grants. ¹²

In the 2021 fiscal year, the Yarg Foundation paid out $2,782,140 in grants. ¹³ The organization had $6,495,102 in total income and $3,481,794 in total expenses. ¹⁴ At the beginning of 2021, the Yarg Foundation had $28,199,879 in total assets, and it had $36,167,756 in total assets at the end of the year. ¹⁵

In the 2020 fiscal year, the organization had $2,172,000 in total revenue and $4,148,286 in total expenses. ¹⁶ It had $34,338,735 in total assets at the beginning of the year and $28,199,879 in total assets at the end of the year. The foundation paid out $3,494,580 in grants during the 2020 fiscal year. ¹⁷

1.  “Brief History.” Yarg Foundation. Accessed June 4, 2023. https://www.yargfoundation.org/history.
2. Yarg Foundation. “Healthy Families Initiative.” Yarg Foundation. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.yargfoundation.org/healthy-families-overview.
3. “Justice Reform Initiative.” Yarg Foundation. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.yargfoundation.org/justice-reform-overview.
4. “2022 Grantees.” Yarg Foundation. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.yargfoundation.org/grantees.
5. “2021 Grantees.” Yarg Foundation. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.yargfoundation.org/grantees.
6. “Healthy Families Initiative.” Yarg Foundation. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.yargfoundation.org/healthy-families-overview.
7. “Healthy Families Initiative.” Yarg Foundation. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.yargfoundation.org/healthy-families-overview.
8. “Justice Reform Initiative.” Yarg Foundation. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.yargfoundation.org/justice-reform-overview.
9. “Justice Reform Initiative.” Yarg Foundation. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.yargfoundation.org/justice-reform-overview.
10. “2022 Grantees.” Yarg Foundation. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.yargfoundation.org/grantees
11. “2021 Grantees.” Yarg Foundation. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.yargfoundation.org/grantees
12. ^[1] “2022 Grantees.” Yarg Foundation. Accessed June 3, 2023. https://www.yargfoundation.org/grantees
13. Yarg Foundation. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2021. Part XIV. Accessed June 1, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/364708840/202213119349102126/full.
14. Yarg Foundation. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2021. Part I. Accessed June 1, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/364708840/202213119349102126/full.
15. Yarg Foundation. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2021. Part II. Accessed June 1, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/364708840/202213119349102126/full.
16. Yarg Foundation. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2020. Part I. Accessed June 1, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/364708840/202112889349100536/full.
17. Yarg Foundation. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2020. Part II. Accessed June 1, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/364708840/202112889349100536/full.