Living in a rural region means that everyone shares in the effort of building community. The stories in the 2023-’24 HAF+WRCF Annual Report and Yearbook celebrate the incredible impacts we’ve made together. Whether you volunteer, provide direct services, donate, attend events, or simply pick up a piece of litter on the street, you are contributing to the betterment of this place we all call home.
In 2024, the Foundation reorganized its leadership structure, while remaining anchored by a diligent, committed Board of Directors. As the newly appointed Chief Operating Officer, I’m excited about the opportunity to lead the organization in executive day-to-day management.
Over the past two decades, I have served in roles across all aspects of our work, from grantmaking to finance to donor relations, and have witnessed our remarkable growth, as well as our increased effectiveness in serving our community. Over the course of my 20+ years at HAF+WRCF, I have seen our amazing staff—along with our assets and grantmaking—grow tremendously. In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, we granted an unprecedented $8.7 million, made possible by the individual donors and foundations that have provided support and partnership.
Our CEO, Bryna Lipper, has been accepted to a distinguished Ph.D. program at Carnegie Mellon University, with a focus on climate change and social justice in rural and Indigenous communities. She will be stepping out of day-to-day management and will assume the role of Chief Innovation Officer, collaborating at national and state levels to further philanthropic efforts supporting our region.
I’m also excited to share that the Foundation has initiated a major new effort: The Klamath River Fund. With a $10 million grant from the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, we launched the Klamath River Fund in June 2024. The fund’s announcement coincides with the historic removal of four dams on the Klamath river, representing the culmination of a generation of tireless work. You can read more about the fund and the generational project that lies ahead on page 12.
The Foundation is designed to be both sustainable and responsive to an ever-changing community. I’m inspired by our efforts to enable and empower this unique region to thrive as a just, healthy, and equitable place for current and future generations. Every day, I show up eager to listen and learn, put our heads together on tricky problems, and find ways to create and support efforts to improve this unique place we live in. What inspires you? I’m listening!
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Read through more highlights from the 2023-2024 HAF+WRCF Annual Report and Yearbook.