Building Brighter Futures, Together
Since 2016, NewSun has invested more than $1 million in community benefits through the NewSun Energy Community Benefits Fund. We support the unique needs of the communities we serve through local grants, scholarships, and donations, with emphases on the environment, climate, education, the outdoors, and expanding access to healthcare. Revenue from NewSun renewable energy projects is deposited into this fund annually. Learn more about our community partners and donations below.
Our Focus Areas
Public Health
We are committed to improving the health and well-being of rural Oregon communities. Support from NewSun helped open the Harney District Hospital Specialty Care Clinic and Dufur School Based Health Clinic and expand access to healthcare services. All donations enhance public health in the communities we serve.
Education
Scholarships and environmental education are a core part of our funding portfolio. We believe that investing in education and our future leaders will create a brighter future for all.
Tribal & Cultural
Our projects are located on the ancestral lands of the Klamath Tribes, Northern Paiute Tribes, Molalla, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and other native peoples who have occupied these areas since time immemorial. Investing in tribal and cultural initiatives is a priority for NewSun.
Environment & Recreation
Our investments in the environment and outdoor recreation include a new weather station for avalanche forecasting, river and habitat restoration, trail projects in Deschutes and Crook counties, and more.
County Fairs & 4H / FFA Auctions
We are proud sponsors of the Harney, Crook, Wasco, Sherman, Deschutes, and Lake county fairs. We purchase animals at 4H / FFA Auctions, contribute to buyer pools, and make add-on donations to ensure every student is rewarded for their hard work.
Arts
BendFilm is dedicated to celebrating independent cinema’s unique power to enrich lives, promote diversity and inspire change through vibrant educational programs and film festival experiences across Central Oregon.
Explore Investments by Region
Donation Spotlight
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Harney County District Hospital Specialty Care Clinic
Located in Burns, Oregon, the NewSun Energy Harney District Hospital Specialty Care Clinic provides critical healthcare services to rural Oregon residents at a frontier hospital. Prior to the clinic opening in 2021, residents drove five hours round trip for services now available locally. The clinic offers general surgery, vascular surgery, Mohs dermatology procedures, orthopedics, oncology/hematology, and cardiology.
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Harney County Fair, Rodeo, and 4H Auctions
NewSun proudly sponsored the 100th Annual Harney County Fair & Rodeo. Connecting with the community at the Cattlewomen Breakfast, parade, buyers lunch, and auction were a highlight of our summer. We recognized the hard work of 4H and FFA students by purchasing four animals in the livestock auction.
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University of Oregon Archeology Field School: Connley Caves
Students attending University of Oregon Archeology Field School's Connley Caves program spend six weeks studying 13,000 years of human experience in the high desert. Connley Caves is a series of caves located south of Fort Rock within the homelands of the Klamath, Modoc, and Northern Paiute peoples. The field school course includes instruction in excavation, survey, mapping, research design, cutting edge methodologies, and cultural heritage management. The course is worth 12 credits, and upon completion, students are considered ready to pursue employment as professional archeologists. Since 2021, NewSun awarded six scholarships to Warm Springs Tribe students to participate in the program in the last three years, and helped the field school pay for tech and infrastructure needed to run the program.
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Rios to Rivers: Paddle Tribal Waters Initiative
In 2022, NewSun awarded seed funding to help launch the “Paddle Tribal Waters” initiative. The program is teaching a group of Indigenous youth how to whitewater kayak in hopes of becoming the first people to ascend the Klamath River after the completion of the largest dam removal project in US history.
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Oregon Natural Desert Association Tribal Stewards Program
ONDA’s Tribal Stewards provides paid opportunities for tribal youth and young adults to work on restoration and stewardship projects across ancestral lands in central and eastern Oregon. ONDA is partnering with the Lomakatisi Restoration Project to host a crew of 10 students for a six week field-based project that includes bird population surveys, vegetation monitoring, fencing, historic property maintenance and native seed collection. The program also provides connections with professionals working in conservation and natural resource management from tribal, government and non-profit sectors.
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NewSun Climate & Ag Scholarships
Each year, NewSun invites high school seniors from Sherman, Crook, Lake, Klamath, Wasco, Gilliam, and Harney counties to write an 800-1200 word essay about how climate change, renewable energy and other factors are affecting their community, including ranching and farming. The four students with the highest scoring essays are awarded $2,500 scholarships. Honorable mention awards are distributed at the discretion of the review committee. Since the program was launched in 2023, NewSun has awarded a total of $23,000 to students from Central and Eastern Oregon. Learn more here.
3rd Annual NewSun Climate & Ag Scholarship
Each year, NewSun invites high school seniors from rural ag communities in Sherman, Crook, Lake, Klamath, Wasco, Gilliam, and Harney counties to write an essay about their unique relationship with climate, renewable energy and other factors affecting their community.
