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Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation

Annual Giving
$2.8M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.0M
Decision Time
3mo
Success Rate
36%

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $2,802,500 (2023)
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $40,000 (typical)
  • Number of Grants: 133 awards (2023)
  • Median Grant: $20,000
  • Geographic Focus: Local (Oregon), National, and International
  • Application Method: Rolling basis with two annual cycles

Contact Details

Address: 25 NW 23rd Place, Suite 6-152, Portland, OR 97210

Website: https://www.rwnfoundation.org/

Email: Contact form available on website

Grant Application Portal: Online application system through foundation website

Overview

The Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation was created in 2019 by Dr. Ron Naito, a Portland-based internist and geriatrician who practiced medicine for 40 years. After being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in 2018, Dr. Naito committed his entire estate to establishing this foundation, which he oversaw through its first grant cycle in 2019 before his death in December of that year. The foundation continues his legacy of compassionate healing by supporting nonprofit organizations that strengthen, protect, and transform communities and the planet. With grants distributed in 2023 totaling $2.8 million across 133 awards, the foundation supports local, national, and international initiatives addressing climate change, health equity, sustainable communities, and Oregon-based arts and culture. The foundation emphasizes trust-based, unrestricted grantmaking with minimal reporting requirements, reflecting Dr. Naito's philosophy that "we are all interconnected: no one is not my brother or sister."

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Unrestricted General Operating Grants: $10,000 - $40,000 (typical range)

  • Occasionally funds smaller or larger requests
  • Moving toward multi-year funding model
  • Rolling application process with two annual cycles (Winter/Spring and Summer/Fall)
  • Oregon Arts & Culture grants typically average $10,000

Priority Areas

Climate

  • Policy and advocacy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  • Upstream policy reforms deterring fossil fuel investments
  • Accelerating decarbonization and promoting renewable energy
  • Grassroots organizing by Indigenous, BIPOC, and frontline communities
  • Climate justice work in systems and markets
  • Regranting organizations that pool resources effectively

Health Equity

  • Increasing healthcare access for historically marginalized communities
  • Lasting health outcomes (eyesight restoration, disability supports, eldercare)
  • Equitable access to healthy foods
  • Clean air, water, and hygiene interventions
  • Support for people experiencing trauma, violence, or displacement
  • Combating health misinformation
  • Diversifying participation in health research and medical care

Sustainable Communities

  • Social justice, civil rights, and anti-hate initiatives
  • Economic justice programs
  • Climate adaptation efforts
  • Human rights and environmental justice initiatives
  • Building community sovereignty and power
  • Initiatives addressing systemic prejudice
  • Triple-bottom-line projects benefiting marginalized communities

Oregon Arts & Culture

  • Organizations centering historically marginalized artists and audiences
  • Increasing arts access for under-resourced communities
  • Arts programming aligned with other foundation priorities
  • Statewide arts policy and advocacy
  • Must be based in and serve Oregonians
  • More competitive for organizations with budgets under $5 million

What They Don't Fund

Climate:

  • Next generation climate leadership programs
  • Regenerative agriculture/ranching
  • Reforestation and carbon sequestration strategies
  • Clean technology research
  • Community renewable energy installations
  • Clean transportation projects
  • Cap and trade initiatives
  • Species and habitat conservation
  • Environmental clean-up initiatives

Health Equity:

  • Medical/pharmaceutical research
  • Prognosis-specific support organizations
  • Single community water/toxin initiatives
  • Animal rescue
  • Hospital systems (with limited clinic exceptions)
  • One-time medical enrichment activities
  • Disaster relief
  • Emergency food/housing services
  • Orphanages

Sustainable Communities:

  • Chambers of commerce
  • Local development authorities
  • Alternative living communities
  • Disaster relief
  • Small business incubators
  • Extractive economic initiatives
  • Single watershed environmental projects
  • 501(c)4 organizations
  • Overseas development initiatives without local leadership

Oregon Arts & Culture:

  • Organizations outside Oregon
  • Organizations with budgets over $10 million
  • School-based arts programs (in private, charter, or public schools)
  • Individual artists
  • Programs with tuition components
  • Faith-based organizations
  • Summer camps and outdoor schools
  • Artist residencies
  • Independent media projects (films, books, podcasts)
  • Hospital-based arts
  • Children's theatres
  • One-off workshops or short-term opportunities

General Exclusions:

  • Organizations whose primary constituents are not under-resourced (except for climate initiatives)
  • Organizations that do not comply with anti-discrimination policy

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees:

  • Elizabeth Anderson - President/Trustee
  • Kristin Anderson - Director/Trustee and Executive Director
  • Andrew McDonnell - Director
  • Anne Naito-Campbell - Director

Founder's Philosophy:

Dr. Ron Naito, who died in December 2019, left a powerful legacy reflected in the foundation's approach. His key quote: "There's no better feeling than helping another person. There's no greater honor or role you can have than helping someone else."

The foundation operates according to three core values Dr. Naito embraced:

  1. Compassion: "We are all interconnected. Every person deserves empathy and care."
  2. Equity: "All people deserve the resources and opportunities needed to live full, healthy lives."
  3. Sustainability: "Individual, community, and climate health are interrelated."

Dr. Naito believed that "we are all interconnected: no one is not my brother or sister," and his hope was that the foundation would "help connect people in common purpose to share their vision, their creativity, their commitment, and their compassion—all in the name of healing."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The foundation uses a two-stage application process through an online portal:

Stage 1: Letter of Intent (LOI)

  1. Review eligibility requirements on the foundation website
  2. Create or log into account on grant application site
  3. Submit Letter of Intent during open application period
  4. Wait approximately 2-3 weeks for notification

Stage 2: Full Application (By Invitation Only)

  1. If invited, complete full application through online platform
  2. Submit by deadline (approximately 6-8 weeks after LOI notification)
  3. Foundation reviews on merit, not presentation quality

2026 Application Cycles:

Winter/Spring Cycle:

  • January 2: LOIs open
  • February 13: LOIs close (5pm Pacific)
  • March 3: Selected organizations invited to submit full application
  • April 3: Full applications due (5pm Pacific)
  • May 8: Grants announced
  • Checks mailed within two business weeks

Summer/Fall Cycle:

  • July 20: LOIs open
  • August 25: LOIs close (5pm Pacific)
  • September 25: Selected organizations invited to submit full application
  • October 23: Full applications due (5pm Pacific)
  • November 20: Grants announced
  • Checks mailed within two business weeks

Important Current Restrictions: The foundation is currently pausing applications from new organizations (those not funded within the last three years). This pause is in effect through the Summer 2025 and Winter 2026 cycles due to receiving 366 LOIs in February 2025—far more than they can support.

Decision Timeline

  • Applicants should not have to wait longer than three months after LOIs close for a decision
  • Cycles are scheduled so funding is received before June and December fiscal year closes
  • Checks are mailed within two business weeks of grant announcements

Success Rates

While exact percentages are not publicly disclosed, the foundation acknowledges high competitiveness:

  • Received 366 LOIs in February 2025
  • Made 133 awards in 2023
  • Foundation states they receive "far more requests than they can fund, even with elevated levels of funding"

Reapplication Policy

For Previously Funded Organizations:

  • Organizations that received grants since Summer 2022 can reapply
  • Current grant must be expired by proposed funding date
  • Must have submitted final report or had recent conversation with foundation

For Unsuccessful Applicants:

  • The foundation does not explicitly prohibit reapplication
  • However, current pause on new organizations suggests limited opportunities for those not recently funded

Application Success Factors

Foundation's Stated Preferences:

  1. Trust-Based Approach: The foundation emphasizes that they "keep our forms straightforward and review applications on merit, rather than on presentation." They explicitly state they are reducing barriers to application and focusing on the merit of the work itself.

  2. Unrestricted Funding Philosophy: All grants are unrestricted because the foundation "respect[s] the expertise of our nonprofit partners." They believe grantees know best how to use funds.

  3. Serving Under-Resourced Communities: The foundation prioritizes "organizations whose primary constituents are under-resourced" (with the exception of climate work).

  4. Alignment with Core Values: Applications should demonstrate commitment to compassion, equity, and sustainability—the three values that guide the foundation's work.

  5. Aggressive, Near-Term Interventions: Particularly for climate work, the foundation seeks "aggressive, near-term interventions" that will have immediate impact.

  6. Local Leadership for International Work: For sustainable communities work overseas, they require local leadership rather than development initiatives led from outside.

  7. Systems-Change Focus: Larger grants in Oregon Arts & Culture are "more likely for organizations focused on systems-change."

Recent Grant Recipients as Examples:

Organizations that have received funding include:

  • Climate: Amazon Watch ($30,000-$50,000), Rainforest Action Network ($25,000-$40,000), Ocean Conservancy ($20,000), Crag Law Center ($20,000-$25,000)
  • Health Equity: Ipas ($40,000), Solidarity Engineering ($40,000), Healthy Building Network ($25,000-$40,000)
  • Sustainable Communities: Movement Advancement Project ($40,000), Lambda Legal ($40,000), Rural Organizing Project ($40,000), First Nations Development Institute ($20,000-$40,000), Africa Check ($40,000)
  • Oregon Arts & Culture: Native Arts and Cultures Foundation ($10,000-$20,000), Oregon Ballet Theatre ($10,000-$15,000)

What NOT to Do:

  • Do not submit last-minute inquiries—the foundation cannot field these
  • Do not apply by email or mail—online portal only
  • Do not reach out for grant information without first reading about their grant applications and funding areas
  • Do not focus on fancy presentation—they value substance over style

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Current Access Limitation: The foundation is pausing applications from new organizations through at least Winter 2026, so unless you have received a grant since Summer 2022, you likely cannot apply in the near term.

  • Unrestricted Funding is the Norm: All grants are unrestricted operating support, reflecting the foundation's trust-based approach. Tailor your application to emphasize organizational capacity and vision rather than specific projects.

  • Minimal Reporting Requirements: The foundation requires only one annual report, typically due 11 months after the grant, and may conduct occasional informal site visits. They prioritize reducing administrative burden on grantees.

  • Prefer Smaller Organizations: The foundation explicitly prefers organizations with budgets under $20 million (and under $5 million for Oregon Arts & Culture), reflecting a commitment to grassroots and community-based work.

  • Review Grant History Carefully: The foundation repeatedly encourages applicants to "peruse the stories and annual grantee lists" on their website to understand funding patterns. This is not just suggested—it's essential for understanding what they actually fund versus what they say they fund.

  • Merit Over Presentation: The foundation's emphasis on straightforward applications and merit-based review means you should focus on clearly articulating your impact and alignment with their values rather than polished prose or extensive attachments.

  • Timing Matters: Cycles are scheduled to distribute funds before fiscal year-end (June and December), which may be helpful for organizations with specific budget cycles. Plan accordingly when choosing which cycle to apply to.

References

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