Reap Foundation

## Approach Strategy

The REAP Foundation is a highly specialized private foundation based in Odell, Oregon (Hood River County, heart of the Columbia River Gorge orchard country), operating since at least 2009. Its singular mission is funding college scholarships for students in rural agricultural communities in California's Central Valley — specifically through the Cutler-Orosi and Lindsay Unified School Districts in Tulare County, California.

The connection between an Oregon orchard community foundation and Tulare County, California schools almost certainly reflects the fruit/agricultural labor migration circuit: workers who work orchards in Hood River County, Oregon in summer often migrate to and from the Central Valley communities of Cutler, Orosi, and Lindsay. These communities are heavily Latino agricultural workers, many from migrant or seasonal farmworker families. REAP likely stands for something like "Rural Education Achievement Program" — a scholarship pipeline for first-generation college students from these farming communities.

The foundation's grantee structure is extraordinarily focused: 1-2 school districts, same recipients every year since at least 2009, growing from $30K/year to $126K/year as the endowment has grown with consistent annual contributions ($200-325K/year from ongoing donors).

Critical insight: This foundation is fully preselected. All grants go to Cutler-Orosi USD (and historically Lindsay USD). The foundation has no public website and no application process. External organizations cannot apply.

The only practical path is being one of the designated school districts. Given that Lindsay USD received equal funding historically but dropped to $0 by 2023-2024, it appears Cutler-Orosi USD has become the sole beneficiary. Organizations adjacent to these school districts (scholarship intermediaries, college access programs) cannot apply directly.

## Funding Patterns

The REAP Foundation shows steady endowment growth driven by consistent annual contributions from donors, with proportionally increasing scholarship distributions.

Historical giving: - 2024: $126,077 (1 grant — Cutler-Orosi USD) - 2023: $114,777 (1 grant — Cutler-Orosi USD) - 2022: $117,106 (2 grants — Cutler-Orosi $92K, Lindsay $25K) - 2021: $122,387 (2 grants — split between Cutler-Orosi and Lindsay) - 2020: $100,888 (2 grants) - 2017: $64,448 (2 grants) - 2016: $33,000 (3 grants — including Hood River County SMART) - 2015: $30,000 (Lindsay USD + Hood River SMART)

Asset growth: $181K (2009) → $372K (2011) → $577K (2012) → $953K (2015) → $1.16M (2017) → $1.67M (2020) → $2.48M (2021, jump from $1.3M contribution) → $2.96M (2022) → $3.63M (2023) → $4.23M (2024).

The 2021 $1.3M contribution significantly accelerated the endowment. Annual contributions of $200-325K continue to grow the principal. At current growth rates, the foundation's scholarship distributions could reach $150-200K/year within 5 years.

Lindsay Unified School District dropped out of the grantee portfolio by 2023, leaving Cutler-Orosi USD as the sole beneficiary — possibly reflecting a governance decision to concentrate impact or a change in the relationship with Lindsay USD.

## Peer Comparison

The REAP Foundation occupies a unique niche: a private endowment specifically for a California farm town school district, administered from Oregon's fruit country. This structure suggests a deeply personal philanthropic commitment — possibly from orchard owners who employed workers from these communities, or a migrant family that made good and returned to support their home community.

For Tulare County college access, the Community Foundation of Tulare County and the California Community Foundation (Los Angeles) have open scholarship programs that may serve Cutler-Orosi and Lindsay students.

## Recent Activity

FY2024 IRS 990-PF: Single grant of $126,077 to Cutler-Orosi Unified School District (Orosi, CA) for "funding and support of college scholarships identified by school district." Assets: $4,228,272. New contributions received: $300,000 — consistent with prior years.

Officers: David O. Evans (President, 2 hrs/week), Peter Harman (Executive VP, 1 hr/week), Robert Reiners (Secretary, 1 hr/week), Marthea Noell (Treasurer, 1 hr/week). No compensation paid.

The foundation has filed consistently since 2009 and shows no signs of wind-down. Annual contributions continue to grow the endowment, and the scholarship distributions have grown proportionally.

Note: The foundation's IRS address is Odell, OR (Hood River County) — a small community famous for its pear orchards along the Columbia River. The relationship between orchard-country Oregon and farm-worker California schools is the defining characteristic of this foundation's unique philanthropic identity.

## Application Tips

Do not apply externally. The REAP Foundation operates a closed scholarship pipeline through a designated school district only (Cutler-Orosi USD). All scholarship recipients are identified by the school district, not selected by the foundation directly.

For students at Cutler-Orosi Unified School District (Orosi and Cutler, CA): - Inquire with your school counselor about REAP Foundation scholarships — the school district administers the selection process. - Typical scholarship pool: $114,000-$126,000/year distributed by the school district to qualifying graduates. - No direct application to the foundation is possible or necessary.

For Lindsay USD students: Lindsay Unified School District historically received $25,000/year for scholarships but dropped out of REAP funding in 2023. Check with Lindsay USD counselors about whether this program continues or if other scholarship sources have replaced it.

For organizations interested in similar models (private scholarship endowments for rural farm communities): - The Community Foundation of Tulare County in Visalia, CA offers donor-advised funds and scholarship programs with similar agricultural community focus. - CollegeSpring and College Track operate college access programs in California's Central Valley. - The California State University system (Fresno State is nearest to Tulare County) has access programs specifically for agricultural community students.