In 2021, our 75th anniversary year, the GFO established the New Home Fund with an ambitious goal: to purchase a permanent home.
Owning our own building will allow us to:
Now, in 2026, we are working to complete that quest.
The New Home Committee has identified a promising property in Oregon City. With the approval of the GFO Board, we have begun negotiations with the seller.
The Committee will host an online session on Saturday, September 26, to introduce the property and answer questions. If negotiations proceed successfully, our next step will be to invite GFO members to tour the building in October and provide their approval.
Our very favorable, below-market lease in the Ford Building will eventually end. When it does, we expect our rent to more than double, whether we remain in the Ford Building or move elsewhere.
Purchasing a building offers another path: instead of committing an ever-growing portion of GFO's budget to rent, we can invest those dollars in a home of our own.
Over the past several years, we have made tremendous progress. GFO has continued its multi-year New Home Campaign while also saving money through careful stewardship of our finances. We now have a little over $1 million available toward the purchase of a permanent home.
But we aren't quite there yet.
The buildings that can meet GFO's needs remain just beyond our current financial reach. We are still a couple hundred thousand dollars short of where we need to be.
The timing is especially important. The commercial real estate market is beginning to rebound, and demand for buildings of the size GFO needs is increasing as businesses move out of larger office spaces. The opportunities available to us today may not remain available indefinitely.
A permanent home isn't just a building. It's a foundation for GFO's future.
Ownership will provide greater financial stability by freeing us from annual rent increases and the recurring expense of moving every 10 to 15 years. It will give the largest genealogical library in the Pacific Northwest a secure home and provide a stable place for research, education, meetings, and programs for generations to come.
Your contribution to the New Home Fund can help close the remaining gap and turn this long-held goal into reality.
Money isn't the only way to contribute.
The New Home Committee can use expertise in several areas. If you—or a friend or colleague—can provide advice about structural engineering, construction, financing, or commercial moving, please let us know. Even a couple of hours of expert advice by phone could be enormously helpful.
And keep your eyes open! Not every commercial property makes it onto the major real estate websites. If you see a building for sale that might meet GFO's needs, please send us a photo of the "for sale" sign along with the building's address.
Contact the New Home Committee at newhome@gfo.org.
Thank you!
The New Home Committee
Matching Gifts
You may be able to double your gift through a matching gift program available through your former or current employer. We recommend you contact your current or former employer's HR department to find out if this is an option. For instance, Intel and Nike employees and retirees can match donations via Benevity. If you need assistance with paperwork, contact give@gfo.org.
Estate Planning
If you would like to consider including GFO in your retirement or estate planning, such as through a gift annuity, trust, and/or bequest, please contact give@gfo.org.
If you prefer to mail in a donation,
please use this Donation Form.
GFO is pleased to achieve
Candid's gold level recognition.
Any New Home funds not used for a new home or move will be transferred to the GFO Endowment Fund.
You can read GFO's New Home Fund Policy here.
