Oregon Action was founded in 1997 to continue the twenty-year tradition of chapter-based community organizing of Oregon Fair Share. Starting with a tight focus on just a few issues, Oregon Action won early victories and began to build power in the state.

Fair Share Research & Education Fund (FSRE) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1981 as a supporting organization of Oregon Fair Share. When Oregon Fair Share closed in 1997, FSRE affiliated with Oregon Action, supporting its work, which carries on the tradition of chapter-based, multi-issue grassroots organizing in Oregon.  Fair Share Research and Education Fund does business as the Oregon Action Fund, a name that more explicitly demonstrates the link between the Fund and Oregon Action.