Decades of Steady Giving, Rooted in the North Coast

Planted by local business leaders, still tended by local leaders today.

Christine and Jalmer Berg built their businesses and their lives in Eureka.

Christine and Jalmer Berg spent 66 years as business partners in Humboldt County before starting this Foundation in 1992. When Jalmer passed in 2000, his estate became the resource that funds this work today.

Jalmer was born in Minnesota in 1906 and built a career across logging, lumber, manufacturing, and printing, much of it right here in the North Coast. He was direct about wanting the business leaders shaping the local community and economy to guide the Foundation's giving. That guidance still shapes every grant decision today.
Christine was born in Norway in 1904 and made Eureka her home after marrying Jalmer in 1927. She was an active leader in their businesses, serving as operations advisor for the Durable Plywood Company and vice president of Berg-Torseth, Inc. She was also a member of the Order of the Eastern Star for more than 50 years.

Local business leaders decide every grant.

People who know this community firsthand should make those calls. That’s why our board is made up entirely of people deeply, personally invested in the North Coast’s future.