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The Collins Foundation
E.S. Collins made a fortune in forest products, and his son Truman W. Collins Sr. formalized the family's philanthropy by founding The Collins Foundation in...
The Collins Foundation
E.S. Collins made a fortune in forest products, and his son Truman W. Collins Sr. formalized the family's philanthropy by founding The Collins Foundation in 1947. Based in Portland, the foundation is now run by third-generation family leadership: President Truman W. Collins Jr., alongside Vice Presidents Cherida Collins Smith and Lee Diane Collins Vest. Non-family CEO Carol Cheney handles day-to-day operations, a structure that pairs direct descendant oversight with professional management. The foundation's grantmaking is deliberately narrow in geographic scope, restricted to Oregon. Within that frame, it operates across multiple issue areas including arts and culture, education, environmental protection, and health equity. Program-related investments augment traditional grants, with one known PRI directed toward a NOAH affordable-housing project in Oregon. The foundation's limited-partnership interests suggest some institutional investment exposure, but the dominant vehicle remains direct grantmaking. Statewide partners include the Oregon Community Foundation on initiatives like the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative, and the Nonprofit Association of Oregon, where the foundation is a major investor. Altss research estimates the endowment at $219M, a figure the foundation does not publicly disclose. The Collins family's influence extends beyond the foundation through The Collins Companies, a forest-products business where Truman Collins Jr. serves on the board and Cherida Collins Smith chairs the board. This dual operating-company and philanthropic architecture is common among family offices but notable for a foundation of this size. August 2024: The foundation approved a slate of grants across Oregon arts and education organizations, continuing its established cycle of community-focused giving (per the foundation's public disclosures, August 2024). The foundation's structure enforces a durable localism—a board controlled by the founding family and a mandate that keeps nearly all capital inside Oregon. This creates a funding stream that few other philanthropies can replicate, making the Collins Foundation a permanent fixture in regional nonprofit finance. The family's concurrent ownership of The Collins Companies introduces an unusual alignment between a for-profit forest-products operator and a foundation that funds environmental protection, an architecture that continues to shape the foundation's priorities.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1947
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Portland
Corporate office
1618 SW First Avenue, Suite 505, Portland, OR 97201, United States
Principals
Truman W. Collins Jr.
President and Trustee
Cherida Collins Smith
Vice President and Treasurer
Lee Diane Collins Vest
Vice President and Trustee
Carol Cheney
Chief Executive Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment and grantmaking decisions at The Collins Foundation?
The board of trustees—led by President Truman W. Collins Jr. and Vice Presidents Cherida Collins Smith and Lee Diane Collins Vest—governs the foundation. Day-to-day leadership sits with CEO Carol Cheney. Because the foundation does not publicly disclose an investment committee roster, the precise separation of grantmaking from endowment management duties remains opaque to outside observers.
What is the geographic focus of the foundation's grantmaking?
The Collins Foundation restricts its giving to the state of Oregon. It does not fund organizations based outside Oregon or programs operating primarily elsewhere. This geographic mandate is a defining characteristic, making the foundation a structural funder of Oregon's entire nonprofit ecosystem.
How is The Collins Foundation related to The Collins Companies?
The Collins Foundation and The Collins Companies share deep family governance ties. Truman W. Collins Jr. sits on the operating company's board, and Cherida Collins Smith chairs it. This architecture links a for-profit forest-products business with a foundation that funds environmental protection, creating an unusual dual structure within a single family enterprise.
Does the foundation make program-related investments or only grants?
The foundation uses program-related investments alongside traditional grants. One known PRI supported a NOAH affordable-housing project in Oregon. The foundation also holds limited partnership interests, indicating some institutional-investor exposure beyond direct grantmaking, though specific fund commitments are not publicly reported.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The wealth originates from the Pacific Northwest timber and forest-products empire built by E.S. Collins and his descendants. Truman W. Collins Sr. formalized the family's giving by establishing the foundation in 1947, and the endowment remains tied to that multi-generational forest-products legacy.
Which sectors does The Collins Foundation avoid?
The foundation explicitly focuses on arts and culture, education, environmental protection, and health equity. It does not publish a formal exclusion list, but its Oregon-only mandate effectively rules out international development, and its stated priorities suggest limited appetite for areas like medical research, political advocacy, or religious programming outside those core issue areas.
What is the foundation's relationship with other Oregon funders?
The Collins Foundation is a frequent co-investor with the Oregon Community Foundation on statewide initiatives such as the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative. It is also a major investor in the Nonprofit Association of Oregon and a member of Grantmakers of Oregon & Southwest Washington, placing it at the center of the region's philanthropic infrastructure.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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