Strong Starts (The Ford Family Foundation)

Strong Starts (The Ford Family Foundation) is sponsored by The Ford Family Foundation. These grants help children and families get the support they need during a child's earliest years. They strengthen connections between parents or other primary caregivers and their children, with a focus on nurturing, stable attachments.

The program also prioritizes the prevention of child abuse and neglect and supports working families through investments in childcare and related services.

The Ford Family Foundation We launched a new fund dedicated to Roseburg. Learn more . Amplifying the power and promise of rural The Ford Family Foundation Rooted in rural, we relentlessly pursue happy, healthy lives for kids.

The future depends on it. At The Ford Family Foundation, we support the people and places of rural Oregon and Siskiyou County, California with grants, scholarships and community building. We are here to support your dreams.

Grants are open year-round to support organizations serving children, families and rural communities. We want to find a way to work with you – we like getting to yes. We support students who face significant obstacles to obtaining a college degree.

If you have the will, we can help you find a way. We see your potential. We relentlessly pursue happy, healthy lives for kids.

Children and families have the supports they need in a child’s earliest years. Every rural kid has opportunities for growth from early education to career. Rural people have power, influence and opportunity to chart their own futures.

Our library of resources is diverse and freely available. We produce trusted research and information to inform rural decision-makers and community builders. Rural Community Building tools Go to where the people are.

Listen to learn. Let’s work together to make things better. Keep them, share them.

More than words — our free books help enrich your life. Dive into inspiring stories of community, ingenuity and action about the people who call rural Oregon and Siskiyou County their home. Shaping policy to benefit rural communities Taylor Smiley Wolfe started work in April 2026 as the very first director of policy, where she leads the Foundation’s strategy to achieve durable outcomes for rural communities.

Building stronger rural communities through economic development Each May, National Small Business Week and Economic Development Week shine a spotlight on the people, partnerships and ideas that power local economies. We spoke with members of our Community Economic Development team about what it takes to support long-term economic vitality in rural communities and help families thrive.

Child abuse prevention in Oregon Every child deserves a life filled with hope and love. We asked a few of longstanding partners to speak to the state of the child abuse prevention movement in Oregon. Thriving schools for thriving communities New Children, Youth and Families program officer Samantha Herron holds years of experience as an award-winning rural teacher, with a keen focus on K-12 education-to-workforce pathways.