NAO is excited to spotlight nonprofit members, share their success stories and exciting news, and raise awareness of their cause and the impact these amazing nonprofits make in our communities.
Center stage in our spotlight this month is the Blanche Fischer Foundation in Eugene, who has been a member since 2019!
Blanche Fischer Foundation’s (BFF’s) mission is to elevate independence for Oregonians with permanent physical disabilities. Inspired by their founder, Blanche Fischer, who believed in helping individuals with permanent physical disabilities live full, engaged, and self-determined lives. Her inspiration came from a one-armed mechanic who defied expectations every day — not by overcoming his disability, but by living on his own terms with the right tools in place.
Grants from BFF have:
- Funded a meteor watch for a DeafBlind woman, to help her keep track of time, scheduled appointments, household cooking and baking, and waking in the morning.
- Provided medical-grade compression stockings for a man with quadriplegia, critical for supporting circulation and preventing serious complications due to immobility.
- Supported Arie, a student and mother who lost her vision, through an OrCam device — a small, AI-powered tool that helps her read text, recognize faces, and move around group settings independently. Arie shared that the device has improved her ability to engage in academic, social, and professional settings:
“The facial recognition feature lets me find people I know in a crowd — helpful when others forget to tell me where they are. It’s also been a big help reading things like menus, signs, and documents on the fly. The Blanche Fischer Foundation grant made it possible for me to access this device early in my studies, while juggling tuition and other expenses.”
Executive Director Kristin Fay Venus chatted with us about the Blanche Fischer Foundation’s recent dynamic period of growth to refocus and strengthen their work.
“In October 2023, the Foundation was at a critical turning point. The board had become disengaged, and day-to-day operations were being run almost entirely by an office administrator and the volunteer bookkeeper — without active oversight or strategic direction. When the administrator stepped away due to serious health concerns, the organization was left vulnerable. Financial systems lacked transparency, and the Foundation’s portfolio was not being managed to support long-term sustainability. One of our primary assets — a property generating royalties — was underperforming and not being stewarded for its full potential. Meanwhile, our grantmaking had drifted from its intended focus, and we were no longer consistently funding requests aligned with our founder’s original inspiration.
Since then, we’ve restructured our leadership, implemented stronger financial oversight, transitioned investment management, and reengaged the board in active stewardship. We’re now reconnecting with the communities we were created to serve and working to broaden our reach across the state.”
When asked about the Foundation’s current needs, Kristin said, “Fellow nonprofit leaders can support us by sharing the Individual Giving Program with the communities they serve.
Additionally, we’re in the early stages of launching the Independence Fund for Oregonians, a new initiative designed to grow our giving portfolio from 2 to 10 million by 2030 and expand our impact statewide. Right now, we’re focused on building a team of passionate professionals who can help advise this initiative — individuals with experience in philanthropy, investment management, estate planning, and advocacy for people with permanent physical disabilities.”
We are grateful to Kristin Fay Venus for her time and for the work that the Blanche Fischer Foundation is doing to support dignity, independence, and inclusion for Oregonians with permanent physical disabilities. Learn more at https://www.bff.org/
If you would like to support BFF’s work, monetary donations can be made here.