The Oregon and Washington credit union foundations have voted to merge and become the Northwest Credit Union Foundation as of Jan. 1.

The move follows the merger of the two states' leagues into the Northwest Credit Union Association last Jan. 1. The NWCUA held its first annual meeting as a combined entity in September.

Combining the resources of the two foundations will better enable the new entity to support “broader community outreach endeavors, small credit union development grants, and professional development scholarships,” the foundations said in a statement.

The two organizations have awarded grants of more than $225,000 together so far in 2011 and said programs and services will not be interrupted during the transition. Trustees for both boards will remain during a transition year and a strategic planning session will be held in the first quarter of 2012, organizers said.