As I shared in a recent update, grant demand is far outpacing resources, and nonprofits are navigating significant shifts across the sector. Throughout this period of change, the Murdock Trust has remained committed to continuous improvement, adapting our grantmaking as the landscape evolves and as we learn from you.
The Trust has sought input from a wide range of interest holders: advisors across areas of our work, applicants who have gone through our process, peer funders, and nonprofit leaders. In 2025, we also hosted listening sessions in each of the five states we serve, creating dedicated space to hear directly from the field about your experiences, challenges, and ideas (read some of our learnings here).
These listening sessions were incredibly valuable learning experiences. Over the last few months, our team has carefully considered how we can adapt our grantmaking opportunities and processes in response. While this will be an ongoing conversation and work throughout 2026 and beyond, I want to share a few themes that emerged and how we’re responding.
“Funders tell us to collaborate, but they don’t fund collaborative efforts.”
The Trust will now receive inquiries about strategic collaborative efforts and will consider these efforts among our priorities. This does not change our commitment to funding strong individual organizational projects but recognizes that some challenges are best addressed collectively. If your organization is working on or considering a collaborative initiative (such as multiple organizations coming together to address a shared challenge, a collective impact model, or another form of strategic partnership), we encourage you to reach out to grants@murdocktrust.org for a pre-LOI discussion. These conversations will help us understand the collaborative structure and can guide you in crafting a stronger submission.
"Funders don't fund shared services."
From your feedback, we recognize that shared services (such as shared HR, finance, IT infrastructure, or other administrative functions) can significantly strengthen organizational capacity and sustainability. The Trust will now receive inquiries for projects with outcomes that support organizations in utilizing or creating shared services. If you're developing shared services initiatives or exploring how shared infrastructure could strengthen your organization, please reach out to grants@murdocktrust.org for a pre-LOI discussion.
“The sector needs additional support and resources right now.”
Knowing that we cannot fund every proposal, we identified additional ways to share capacity-building resources that might be helpful across the sector. We are continuing to explore other resources and will make them available throughout 2026.
- Nonprofit Association of Oregon’s newly released (for free) webinar series on Facing the New Reality: Strategic Paths for Nonprofits offers five sessions exploring topics such as strategic sustainability, reforecasting financials, business remodeling, nonprofit mergers, and more in the face of the changing landscape.
- The National Council of Nonprofits' Get it Done Campaign offers opportunities to engage with elected officials on the importance of nonprofits in our communities and resources for media campaigns to highlight the essential contributions of nonprofits.
Continuing to Listen & Learn
These adjustments represent initial steps in an ongoing journey, not a final destination. We believe they may create greater opportunities for collaboration and advance collective impact within the nonprofit sector. At the same time, we know there is more to learn and more ways we can improve.
I will continue to share updates throughout 2026 about adjustments to our grantmaking, informed by your feedback as well as broader sector shifts, our own capacity and resources, and evolving community needs. We hope to create additional opportunities to hear from you and your peers this year, and we’re committed to letting these collective insights continue shaping how the Trust shows up as a partner.
A sincere thank you to every nonprofit leader and staff member who shared critical insights and honest feedback in our listening sessions. Your willingness to engage candidly makes our work better and our region stronger.
In partnership with you,
Pauline Fong
Chief Program & Impact Officer