Page 1 - ARCS Oregon Operations Case Statement

ARCS FOUNDATION OREGON
OPERATIONS CASE STATEMENT
Building ARCS Founda0on Oregon for Sustainable Impact
ARCS Founda6on Oregon is a beacon of hope—in advancing science in Oregon. Our Chapter has
experienced remarkable growth since its founding in 2004, and has had a powerful impact on the lives
of young scien6sts in graduate programs at OHSU, OSU and UO. But there is much more work to be
done, especially in light of diminished federal support of scien6fic research. To posi6on ARCS Oregon
to address emerging needs, the Chapter has created a strategic plan to enable con6nuing growth in
the scholar award program the Chapter can support. The plan will enable members to focus on
fundraising and suppor6ng scholars by providing staff to manage opera6ons and support volunteer
ini6a6ves like recrui6ng new members. Developing and suppor6ng the opera6onal capacity of ARCS
Oregon is the keystone for ensuring the long-term effec6veness, adaptability, and sustainability of our
work.
ARCS Founda0on Oregon’s Rapid Growth
Over the past 20 years, ARCS Oregon has realized extraordinary growth fueled by volunteer women
who are passionate about research and commiUed to advancing STEM in our state.
In our first year, a small group of women were able to support 11 scholars at OHSU. ARCS Oregon
expanded its university partners to include OSU in 2008 and UO in 2015. The Oregon Chapter has
grown to a present membership of over 120 women and has commiUed over $7.2 million in Scholar
Awards to 428 scholars. In the 2025-26 academic year, ARCS Oregon is suppor6ng a total of 93
scholars within Oregon’s top research universi6es. This growth was achieved exclusively through the
efforts of our member-volunteers.
The Challenge
ARCS Oregon has been in a con6nual growth trajectory since it was founded in 2004. While the
number of scholars supported by the Chapter has con6nued to increase, the organiza6on’s
opera6onal capacity to manage this growth has not kept pace.
Our current business model relies heavily on the generous members and sponsors who have
consistently stepped up to help us meet the challenges of fostering that growth and mee6ng the
administra6ve challenges it produces. We have been successful in growing ARCS Oregon using this
model up to this point in the life of our Chapter . Yet, like many organiza6ons in similar growth
trajectories, this model is not sustainable in the long-term. ARCS Oregon has enjoyed incredible
success since its founding, and this has increased size and complexity of Chapter opera6ons to the
point that the organiza6on requires assistance by professional paid staff. Going forward, this
assistance will support present members in con6nuing their volunteer efforts while also helping to
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