The Oregon Small Schools Initiative is funded by a $25 million grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Initiative is a program of E3: Employers for Education Excellence. Founded in 1996 in partnership with the Oregon Business Council, E3: Employers for Education Excellence brings communities and schools together, with the help of employers, to prepare all Oregon children for success in school, work and life.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is building upon the unprecedented opportunities of the 21st century to improve equity in global health and learning. Led by Bill Gates' father, William H. Gates Sr., and Patty Stonesifer, the Seattle-based foundation has an endowment of approximately $24 billion.

Meyer Memorial Trust
The Meyer Memorial Trust was created by the late Fred G. Meyer, who built the chain of retail stores bearing his name throughout the Pacific Northwest. When Mr. Meyer died in 1978 at the age of 92, his will established the Trust, which began operating in 1982. In April 1990 the Fred Meyer Charitable Trust changed its name to Meyer Memorial Trust in order to emphasize that it is a private, independent foundation representing Mr. Meyer's personal philanthropy. The Meyer Memorial Trust has invested nearly $75 million in education over the last 21 years.

E3: Employers for Education Excellence
E3: Employers for Education Excellence was founded in 1996 by the Oregon Business Council. Employers offer leadership, expertise and resources that play an essential role in building communities and schools together to prepare all Oregon students for success in school, work and citizenship. E3 is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.