Meet our members! AFN’s greatest asset is our members—a diverse network of national, regional, and community-based foundations, financial institutions, and grantmakers—investing in advancing equitable wealth building and economic mobility. Check back each month and meet your peers!
1: What’s your main interest/focus on asset building in 2021?
Our main interest in 2021 is helping people of color and those in our rural communities build wealth, increase their equity and homeownership, and recover equitably from the Labor Day wildfires.
2: What’s the most “ah-ha” provoking new book or research that you’ve read in the past year?
Know Your Price, Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities by Andre M. Perry: It presents overwhelming evidence that demonstrates how the assets of Black people are constantly being devalued.
3: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from a grantee or colleague?
Homeownership is drastically low for Black and Hispanic people in Oregon.
4: What is your favorite vacation spot or most memorable leisure trip?
Tulum, Mexico
About Melissa Freeman, Director of Strategic Reports – Oregon Community Foundation
Melissa provides direction for a portfolio that includes economic vitality, housing stability and impact investing.
Oregon Community Foundation puts donated money to work in Oregon — more than $100 million in grants and scholarships annually. Since 1973, OCF grantmaking, research, advocacy and community advised solutions have helped individuals, families, businesses, and organizations create charitable funds to improve lives for all Oregonians. Impactful giving — time, talent, and resources from many generous Oregonians — creates measurable change. Throughout 2020, OCF responded quickly and urgently — distributing a record-setting $220 million in charitable dollars to more than 3,000 nonprofits throughout Oregon working to address urgent needs, stabilize communities and prepare for long-term recovery in Oregon. OCF donors responded to the magnitude of need, as reflected in a 44% increase in donor advised fund grantmaking from the previous year. For more information, please visit: oregoncf.org.
