About the Fund

Shortly before her death in 1997, Jennifer Baker left a note with friends. She also had access to a gun. Shortly after her death, it was clear to those around her that there were steps that could have been taken to intervene.

Established in her memory in 2003, The Jennifer Baker Fund supports programs that reduce the number of attempts and/or completions among youth in Oregon.

Oregon’s suicide rate is 11th in the United States. Statewide efforts to curb the youth suicide rate are helping, but so much more needs to be done. As a donor-advised fund through the Northwest Health Foundation, this expertly managed fund is reserved primarily for programs that address one of the 15 strategies identified in the Oregon Department of Human Services’ publication, “A Call to Action.”

The 15 Strategies:

  1. Develop and implement public education campaigns to increase knowledge about symptoms of depression and suicide, response skills, and resources; increase help-seeking behavior; and decrease stigma associated with treatment for behavioral health problems
  2. Promote efforts to reduce access to lethal means of self-harm
  3. Educate youth and young adults about suicide prevention
  4. Reduce harassment in schools and communities
  5. Provide media education to reduce suicide contagion
  6. Provide education for professionals in health care, education, and human services
  7. Provide Gatekeeper Training (Suicide Intervention Training) to create a network of people trained to recognize and respond to youth in crisis
  8. Implement screening and referral services
  9. Increase effectiveness of crisis hot lines
  10. Enhance crisis services
  11. Establish and maintain crisis response teams
  12. Improve access to affordable behavioral health care
  13. Provide skill-building support groups to increase protective factors and involve families
  14. Support suicide survivors by fostering the development of bereavement support groups
  15. Improve follow-up services for suicide attempters

There are occasions when a project may be considered that doesn’t fall within these guidelines. See “How to Apply” for more information.