A bill that would enable the Oregon Ocean Science Trust to expand fundraising in support of ocean research is advancing through the state legislature. The Oregon House approved HB 4097 Tuesday.
In 2013, the Legislature created the Oregon Ocean Science Trust as a link between the state and ocean research and monitoring. Since then, the Trust has issued grants to study Oregon’s marine environment, almost exclusively with state money.
Lisa DeBruyckere is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Programs for the Trust and said HB 4097 would enable them to establish a nonprofit arm and greatly expand the scope of fundraising.
“Branching off and creating a 501(c)(3) arm of the Oregon Ocean Science Trust will increase our capacity to leverage state dollars and attract private foundation funding as well as federal dollars,” DeBruyckere told KLCC.
The Trust not only monitors the health and protection of Oregon’s marine reserves. Trust-funded scientists also observe and study ocean acidification and the presence and impacts of oxygen dead zones, or hypoxia.
For DeBruyckere, adding a nonprofit arm makes the Trust better able to sustainably meet scientific and observational mandates in a rapidly changing ocean that demands greater scrutiny.
“To create a diversified funding portfolio, you need federal, state and private dollars, and that makes for a very robust portfolio,” she said. “And when you don't have one or two of those legs on that stool, it can make it really difficult to meet the science and data needs that Oregon has for its ocean and coast.”
The Oregon Zoo and Oregon Trails Forever are both State-formed organizations that were granted nonprofit status. The move reportedly enabled the entities to raise millions of additional dollars in pursuit of their missions.
DeBruyckere is optimistic.
“I think the potential is unlimited,” she explained. “We work very closely with our sister organization, the California Ocean Science Trust, which is already an established 501(c)(3), and they've demonstrated the ability to attract both federal and private foundation dollars as a result of being a nonprofit.
“How Oregon is going to be different is that we are not asking to become a nonprofit. We're asking to create a nonprofit arm of our organization. So we still believe, because we were legislatively created in 2013, that we need to be strongly tethered to the state of Oregon to ensure our focus is always on meeting the needs of Oregon State Government and Oregon ocean and coastal science needs.”
The measure passed the House without opposition and is headed to the Oregon Senate.
