Letter to our community

Dear Legacy Health Community, 

At Legacy Health, we have always believed that true health care extends beyond the walls of our hospitals and clinics—it begins in the heart of our communities. As we move forward with our combination with OHSU, we are excited to reimagine Legacy Health Foundation into a powerful new community asset for health equity and access across Oregon and Southwest Washington. Our commitment is not just to care for our communities but to work alongside you, listening, learning, and building a healthier future together. 

Throughout this journey, we have had the privilege of hearing from so many of you—your questions, your ideas, and your hopes for what this foundation can become. To ensure we honor these perspectives, we engaged The Giving Practice (TGP), an independent third party consultancy experienced in philanthropy and community engagement and housed within Philanthropy Northwest, a nonprofit philanthropy network with the mission of growing philanthropy’s capacity to do transformative work toward redistributing resources and power to underinvested communities in the Northwest. The Giving Practice has been in conversation with a broad cross-section of the community in Oregon and Southwest Washington representing a wide range of civic leaders, community organizations and philanthropic funders. We are grateful for the time many of you have taken to share your insights, and we want you to know that your voices are shaping the foundation’s path forward. 

A key part of our vision is ensuring that the foundation is truly led by and for the community. As a result of these thoughtful conversations, we have accelerated the timeline to achieve that and changed the foundation’s transition governance structure and composition. When the combination with OHSU closes and the foundation is funded, the foundation will launch with a transition fiduciary board and a community-led grantmaking board.   

• The transition fiduciary board will oversee the foundation’s transition duties, including attending to its duties under the Legacy Health-OHSU combination agreement, stewarding Legacy Health Foundation’s existing legally-restricted funds, and managing the foundation’s illiquid member interest in PacificSource. The transition fiduciary board will initially be composed of eleven people: four continuing from Legacy Health, three from Legacy Health Foundation, and four new directors unaffiliated with Legacy Health or OHSU. Having a subset of continuing directors from Legacy Health and Legacy Health Foundation helps the fiduciary board fulfill its ongoing transition duties and provides time to share knowledge with the new board members who will also serve on the grantmaking board to ensure cohesive communication and transition.

• The community-led grantmaking board will make grantmaking decisions and oversee robust community engagement to expand the number and representation of board members and ensure community-led development of a working set of values and vision. The grantmaking board will be comprised of thirteen people, including two continuing directors and eleven new members. These new board members will represent the voices and experiences from communities across Oregon and Southwest Washington.  

• The Giving Practice will engage and support community initially to create an independent and public process to identify new board members. TGP will conduct outreach as soon as possible around the process itself. This structure and process is designed to ensure that community leadership is at the heart of the foundation’s decision-making from the very beginning. It will also lay the groundwork for a fully community-led board in the future—one that is responsive to the unique needs and voices of the people it serves. 

Legacy Health and the foundation commit to co-creating with communities across Oregon and Southwest Washington in furtherance of Oregon Health Authority’s definition of health equity. We commit to communicating our progress and plans as they develop in coming weeks as we wait for the State to approve the Legacy Health-OHSU system combination. We will post updates on our website: www.legacyhealth.org  

We recognize that communities across Oregon and Southwest Washington have their own history, challenges, and aspirations. Whether in the heart of Portland or in rural towns across our region, we are committed to fostering trust, acknowledging the past, and working toward a healthier future for all. This foundation is not just about funding programs—it’s about building lasting relationships, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring that every individual and family has the opportunity to thrive. 

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. We look forward to continuing the conversation, deepening our connections, and building a foundation that will make a meaningful, lasting impact for generations to come. 

With appreciation and commitment, 

The Legacy Health Board of Directors