Our Roots
We’ve always been rural
Kenneth W. Ford and Hallie E. Ford were visionary leaders both as the entrepreneurs behind Roseburg Lumber (later Roseburg Forest Products) and as an engine for philanthropic giving in southwest Oregon. Born to working class families in the early 1900s, they worked tirelessly, lived simply, saved and reinvested in their communities.
Our community and economy
The Ford Family Foundation’s history is deeply intertwined with the history of the timber industry in rural Oregon and Siskiyou County, California. Through the boom and bust of the region’s economy, generations of rural residents were employed in the effort to convert natural resources into economic growth. The wealth that endowed this foundation is drawn from the riches of the land and their hard work.
Reinvesting in people
The Foundation grew in size, scope and geography to become The Ford Family Foundation in 1996 with the mission of “successful citizens and vital rural communities.” Its main office is proudly headquartered in Roseburg, Oregon with the scholarship office in Eugene, Oregon.
The Foundation was established to endure in perpetuity and our rural focus is unwavering.
