There is a circle of hearts in Klamath Falls — 118 of them — beating together for the betterment of the basin.

One hundred and eighteen women who are connected by heartstrings, friendship, respect, and a deep and abiding love for our Klamath Basin community.

The Founder and the Vision

Founded by Joan Staunton eight years ago, the Circle of Hearts was inspired by a group in the Truckee-Tahoe region of Nevada — where their moniker was Queen of Hearts — but the foundational concept was similar.

The Mission

The mission is simple but deeply profound:

Invite and encourage women who have a heart for service, humanity, and community.
May they represent all races, creeds, and colors to lock arms for good.
A guidepost is to seek out projects that will make lives better and stronger in the Basin — particularly those that address the needs of underserved groups or ideas in the grassroots stages, destined for greatness.

How Membership Works

The membership has a one-time $1,000 donation to become a member. That payment can be made all at once, or in comfortable payment installments.

This is the critical seed money — invested and shepherded by the Klamath Community Foundation — that allows the Circle of Hearts to make important contributions to causes that support women and children and galvanize the organization's many good works.

Why the Klamath Community Foundation Partnership Matters

Routing the membership dues through the Klamath Community Foundation provides:

  • Tax-deductibility through the Foundation's 501(c)(3) status
  • Professional grant management
  • Endowment-style investment of the principal
  • Audited financial oversight
  • Local administrative support without the overhead of running a separate nonprofit

That structure has allowed Circle of Hearts to focus on grantmaking and community impact without the burden of running its own back office.

Where the Grants Have Gone

Just a few of their past grants — totaling more than $20,000 — include:

  • Assistance League of the Klamath Basin — foster-care clothing
  • Brown Bags of Hope — homeless women
  • Ross Ragland Theater Summer Camp Scholarships
  • Solid Ground Equine Therapy
  • Tiny, Mighty & Strong Summer Camps
  • CASA — Court Appointed Special Advocates
  • Klamath Outdoor Science School
  • 4-H
  • Pregnancy Hope Center

That grantmaking pattern reveals the Circle's priorities — support for vulnerable women and children, foster-care kids, low-income kids accessing arts and outdoor programs, and the kind of early-stage initiatives that might struggle to attract larger grant funding.

Why This Model Works

The Circle of Hearts model — collective women's giving — has been growing across the country for the past two decades.

What makes it work:

  • Shared decision-making — members vote on grant recipients
  • Pooled resources — $1,000 from each of 118 women becomes $118,000 of grantable capital
  • Endowment growth — Klamath Community Foundation investment compounds over time
  • Network effects — 118 members become advocates, volunteers, and connectors for the causes they fund
  • Recurring annual giving opportunities beyond the one-time membership

For Klamath Basin women seeking a way to engage philanthropically with peers, the Circle is the most established option in the basin.

How to Join

Circle of Hearts is actively growing its membership.

To join:

  • Connect with current members to learn about the experience
  • Reach out to the Klamath Community Foundation for membership information
  • Attend a Circle of Hearts event as a guest to see the community in action
  • Make your $1,000 commitment — all at once or in installments

The Bigger Picture

The Circle of Hearts model says something important about how women want to give:

  • Collectively — not in isolation
  • Locally — directly impacting the basin
  • With community — through relationships with peers who share values
  • With expertise — using the Klamath Community Foundation's professional infrastructure
  • Sustainably — through endowment growth rather than one-off donations

That model has been validated across the country and is producing real impact in Klamath County.

Thank You

To Joan Staunton — for founding the Circle of Hearts and shepherding it through its first 8 years.

To the 118 current members — for the time, the dollars, and the network you bring to every grant decision and every community initiative you support.

To the nonprofits that have received Circle of Hearts grants — for the work that earned that funding.

The basin's vulnerable women and children are better served because the Circle of Hearts exists.

If you're a Klamath Basin woman with a heart for service, the capacity to make a $1,000 commitment, and the desire to engage philanthropically with 117 other women who share that heart — come join the Circle.

The basin needs more of you.