Search Through Community Services Grants in Portland, Oregon in the U.S.

Who We Are

The Creag Foundation is a private grant making foundation established in 2009 in Woodinville, Washington.

The founders of the Creag Foundation believe that meaningful change can only be achieved through hard work, creativity and passion. They also understand the practical mechanisms that allow charitable organizations to succeed and grow. As a group, Creag Foundation principals are dedicated to helping today’s most innovative programs improve the human condition in a wide variety of ways.

Our Focus

The broad purpose of the Foundation is to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations who are innovators in the field of human services. Our particular focus is on smaller organizations that are starting out or established organizations that are looking for funding to take their organization in a new direction.

What We Fund

/ What We Fund

The Creag Foundation is focused on innovation in the industry. We will consider proposals from 501(c)(3) organizations that are finding new ways to address societal issues facing the nonprofit community. Applicants must have held 501(c)(3) status for one year before submitting. If your organization has held 501(c)(3) status for over a year, and your believe that your organization has a new approach to an existing social problem or is addressing a previously unaddressed social issue, you are welcome to contact us and request that we consider your organization for a funding opportunity.

Global Impact Cash Grants

Identifying and incubating innovative early-stage solutions. We identify, incubate, and develop innovative early-stage solutions with the highest potential for impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We're looking for programs that fit within our investment sectors, focus on the underserved, and use technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services.

We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. A brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application. Please expand and carefully review each of the three sections below to learn more

Our priority social impact sectors

We focus on investing in innovative, tech-enabled solutions to the challenges and opportunities that matter most to communities in need, prioritizing four social impact sectors:

Cisco Crisis Response

Mobilizing to provide essentials to communities in need and those in crisis, including food, housing, secure connectivity, and disaster relief

By leveraging Cisco’s people, technology, financial resources, and strategic partnerships, we help strengthen community resilience and drive long-term recovery from crises.

Education

Supporting students, teachers, and schools by increasing engagement, building skills, promoting subject mastery, and expanding their capacity to thrive

Cisco is committed to inclusive access to digital skills training and supporting those who use technology to educate. Through programs like Cisco Networking Academy and social investments in education, we create new opportunities for individuals to thrive.

Economic Empowerment

Transforming communities through skill development, long-term career opportunities, entrepreneurship, and access to financial products and services

Strategic grants that unlock economic prosperity and growth for individuals and communities.

Climate Regeneration

Building an inclusive, regenerative, and resilient climate future through education, regenerative agriculture, conservation, protection, and clean energy solutions

Our efforts began in 2021, when the Cisco Foundation committed US$100 million over 10 years to fund nonprofit grants and impact investing in climate solutions. 

Jay & Diane Zidell Charitable Foundation

About Us

The Jay & Diane Zidell Charitable Foundation was created out of a concern for communities, and our mission is to support organizations that make a meaningful difference in improving the lives of people, both now and in the future. The Foundation's primary focus is to support programs that promote the community and cultural vitality in and around Portland, Oregon and the Vancouver, Washington metropolitan areas.

JDZF Grant

Mission and Vision Statement

The Jay & Diane Zidell Charitable Foundation is a manifestation of three generations of effort. Building on the successes of the past and rooted in an inherited spirit of generosity, the Foundation serves as a vehicle to do good in our community for many generations to come.

We envision a future wherein:

• There is a strong, vibrant Jewish community in Portland and beyond,
• Everyone can meet their basic needs and has the tools necessary to thrive,
• Research has led to cures for cancer and other life-threatening diseases,
• Arts and culture organizations are thriving, contributing to a dynamic and enjoyable city,
• We are working closely with community to re-imagine a better future together.

We will accomplish this by focusing on three pillars of giving:

• Wellness: supporting access to human services and progress in health & medical research
• Community Enrichment: supporting projects centered on education, arts and culture
• Jewish Heritage: supporting multi-generational engagement and community building.

Our giving is rooted in the following values:

• Upholding the Jewish value of tzedakah, giving strategically and with empathy to build self-sufficiency and a more just society.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships in the community, leading to long-standing partnerships and a deep understanding of needs and impacts.
• Giving both kindly and wisely, both addressing immediate needs and laying the groundwork for long-term systems change.
• Remaining open to new needs and changing conditions, while being mindful to honor the legacies of those who helped us grow.

Who is Metro

Metro works with communities, businesses and residents in the Portland metropolitan area to chart a wise course for the future while protecting the things we love about this place.

Metro serves more than 1.7 million people in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. The agency's boundary encompasses Portland, Oregon and 23 other cities – from the Columbia River in the north to the bend of the Willamette River near Wilsonville, and from the foothills of the Coast Range near Forest Grove to the banks of the Sandy River at Troutdale.

Regional Refresh Fund

Metro is offering funding to support community-led cleanup efforts in greater Portland.

Metro’s Regional Refresh Fund supports community-led cleanup efforts by providing flexible, low-barrier funding for immediate cleanup needs in underserved communities. Nonprofits, public agencies, schools and business district associations are invited to apply. Applicants can request up to $5,000 in funding per cleanup project or event.

How can funds be spent:

Funds are intended to be flexible to meet the needs of those providing services. Most costs associated with a cleanup or collection event, waste reduction project or preventative effort may qualify. Contact Metro to see if your project expenses qualify for funding.

Some examples of what funds may be spent on include, but are not limited to:

• Acquiring trash cleanup supplies for volunteers
• Promotional or garbage and recycling-related educational materials for a project or event
• Disposal costs at a transfer station
• Transportation costs to dispose of bulky waste
• Labor or volunteer stipends not already budgeted (e.g., salaries)
• Administrative expenses (not to exceed 30% of total budget)
• Renting a dumpster for an event
• Limited graffiti cleanup and removal efforts (not to exceed 25% of total budget)

Funds are intended to help with expenses before a community cleanup project or event. 

Funding

Applicants can request up to $5,000 in funding per cleanup project or event.

Improving the quality of life for vulnerable children, animals, and communities

The Summer Lea Hillman Foundation is committed to protecting people, the environment, and animals by strengthening safety nets, advocacy initiatives, and direct services in the Portland metro area.

Priorities

The Foundation prioritizes:

• animal health and safety,
• foster care and adoption,
• child and youth development and advocacy,
• homeless services, and environmental sustainability and
• education.

Who We Are

Based in Portland, Oregon and created in 2019 by Dr. Ron Naito, the Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation continues his legacy of healing by supporting nonprofit organizations that strengthen, protect, and transform our communities and our planet.

Our grants support organizations working all over the world to mitigate the climate crisis, reduce health disparities, and build communities that are socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. We also support Oregon-based arts and education initiatives, particularly those focused on under-resourced communities.

Our grants are trust-based. Because we respect the expertise of our nonprofit partners and understand that they know best how to spend their funds, all of our grants are unrestricted.

Current Funding Trends

• Under-represented areas:
  • If you work in these areas and are eligible within our funding priorities and restrictions, please consider applying.
    • Nonprofits that work internationally or domestically outside of Oregon, including regional and national organizations
    • Climate crisis mitigation, especially aggressive efforts to curtail or prevent new greenhouse gas emissions
    • International long-term health equity initiatives and health equity initiatives addressing aging and supporting elders
    • Systemic initiatives and advocacy/policy work in any of our funding priorities
• Over-represented areas:
  • We value these types of work and still seek applications from these categories, but applicants may find these categories slightly more competitive if current trends continue.
    • Arts initiatives
    • Oregon frontline nonprofits across all sectors
    • Frontline services, especially organizations supporting people with mental health or substance use needs and organizations supporting survivors of child abuse and domestic and sexual violence

Funding Area: Climate

We seek to fund initiatives that work aggressively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to prevent new emission sources now, both at the frontlines and through policy, markets, litigation, and legislation.

This includes (but isn’t limited to) organizations that:

• Support or lead upstream policy, advocacy, or other reform initiatives that deter new fossil fuel investments, accelerate decarbonization, and promote renewable energies, both domestically and internationally.
• Advance grassroots organizing by Indigenous or other frontline communities, or work to advance climate justice in systems or markets.
• Regranting organizations that can pool our resources with other funders’ and direct them to impactful, proven organizations.

Funding

We tend not to fund organizations with annual budgets over $20 million, although there are some exceptions. We often fund grassroots initiatives. We fund larger organizations ($10m+ budgets) only if they primarily are resource, advocacy, policy, movement-building; if they are regranting organizations; or if they work beyond the local/statewide level (regional, national, international). We also occasionally fund larger organizations working across multiple regions or countries to provide lasting frontline interventions.

We offer unrestricted grants, mostly ranging from $5,000-$40,000. We occasionally fund smaller and larger requests, and we are moving toward more multi-year grants. We try to keep a balance between organizations providing frontline services and organizations working to create and advocate for systemic solutions.

Our grants are unrestricted and can be used for general operating, program/project, capacity building, capital requests (for projects with budgets under $1m), endowment, seed funding, etc.

Who We Are

Based in Portland, Oregon and created in 2019 by Dr. Ron Naito, the Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation continues his legacy of healing by supporting nonprofit organizations that strengthen, protect, and transform our communities and our planet.

Our grants support organizations working all over the world to mitigate the climate crisis, reduce health disparities, and build communities that are socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. We also support Oregon-based arts and education initiatives, particularly those focused on under-resourced communities.

Our grants are trust-based. Because we respect the expertise of our nonprofit partners and understand that they know best how to spend their funds, all of our grants are unrestricted.

Current Funding Trends

• Under-represented areas:
  • If you work in these areas and are eligible within our funding priorities and restrictions, please consider applying.
    • Nonprofits that work internationally or domestically outside of Oregon, including regional and national organizations
    • Climate crisis mitigation, especially aggressive efforts to curtail or prevent new greenhouse gas emissions
    • International long-term health equity initiatives and health equity initiatives addressing aging and supporting elders
    • Systemic initiatives and advocacy/policy work in any of our funding priorities
• Over-represented areas:
  • We value these types of work and still seek applications from these categories, but applicants may find these categories slightly more competitive if current trends continue.
    • Arts initiatives
    • Oregon frontline nonprofits across all sectors
    • Frontline services, especially organizations supporting people with mental health or substance use needs and organizations supporting survivors of child abuse and domestic and sexual violence

Funding Area: Oregon Arts & Culture

Our Oregon Arts & Culture* grants seek to support imaginative arts and cultural organizations that nourish our humanity and help build healthy, soulful, and vibrant communities.

This includes (but isn’t limited to) organizations that:

• Prioritize artists, arts students, and audiences from historically marginalized communities, and celebrate and preserve diverse traditions and heritage.
• Increase under-resourced communities’ access to, participation in, and social and economic benefit from arts and cultural activities.
• Provide arts, arts education, or cultural programming that overlaps with our other funding priorities.
• Work in research, policy, or advocacy to improve outcomes, access, and funding for arts, arts education, and culture at a statewide level.

Oregon Arts & Culture grants receive a smaller portion of our annual grants budget. Accordingly, these grants tend to be smaller than grants in other categories, typically averaging $10,000. Applicants with annual incomes under $5 million are often more competitive than organizations with larger annual incomes. Systems-change organizations may be more likely to receive larger grants.

Who We Are

Based in Portland, Oregon and created in 2019 by Dr. Ron Naito, the Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation continues his legacy of healing by supporting nonprofit organizations that strengthen, protect, and transform our communities and our planet.

Our grants support organizations working all over the world to mitigate the climate crisis, reduce health disparities, and build communities that are socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. We also support Oregon-based arts and education initiatives, particularly those focused on under-resourced communities.

Our grants are trust-based. Because we respect the expertise of our nonprofit partners and understand that they know best how to spend their funds, all of our grants are unrestricted.

Current Funding Trends

• Under-represented areas:
  • If you work in these areas and are eligible within our funding priorities and restrictions, please consider applying.
    • Nonprofits that work internationally or domestically outside of Oregon, including regional and national organizations
    • Climate crisis mitigation, especially aggressive efforts to curtail or prevent new greenhouse gas emissions
    • International long-term health equity initiatives and health equity initiatives addressing aging and supporting elders
    • Systemic initiatives and advocacy/policy work in any of our funding priorities
• Over-represented areas:
  • We value these types of work and still seek applications from these categories, but applicants may find these categories slightly more competitive if current trends continue.
    • Arts initiatives
    • Oregon frontline nonprofits across all sectors
    • Frontline services, especially organizations supporting people with mental health or substance use needs and organizations supporting survivors of child abuse and domestic and sexual violence

Funding Area: Sustainable Communities

In Sustainable Communities, we seek to fund organizations that address pressing social issues and support equitable models of infrastructure so that communities can thrive socially, environmentally, and economically.

Sustainable Communities grants often intersect with our Climate and/or Health Equity funding areas, incorporating social justice advocacy, economic initiatives, climate adaptation, and other human rights and environmental justice initiatives that impact health outcomes, lead to healing, and increase communities’ capacity to thrive.

This includes (but isn’t limited to):

• Social justice, civil rights, and anti-hate initiatives that build power, sovereignty, community, and resources for people whose wellness and success are threatened by systemic prejudice or injustice.
• Triple-bottom-line initiatives that help historically-marginalized communities gain access to sustainable economic power and lasting health benefits.
• Environmental justice work that impacts the health and success of historically marginalized communities, and that help communities adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis.

All of these are united by healing — of prejudice and hate, of inequities, and of the many social, economic, and environmental factors that adversely impact people’s health and well-being.

Funding Areas

There is urgent need in our world for healing: healing our planet, healing our communities, and healing ourselves, in body, mind and spirit. Our grants focus on four key areas of healing. 

• Climate
• Health Equity
• Oregon Arts & Culture
• Sustainable Communities

Current Funding Trends

Under-represented areas:

• Nonprofits that work internationally or domestically outside of Oregon, including regional and national organizations
• Climate crisis mitigation, especially aggressive efforts to curtail or prevent new greenhouse gas emissions
• International long-term health equity initiatives
• Health equity initiatives addressing aging and supporting elders
• Systemic initiatives and advocacy/policy work in any of our funding priorities 
• If you work in these areas and are eligible within our funding priorities and restrictions, please consider applying.

Over-represented areas:

• Arts initiatives
• Oregon frontline nonprofits across all sectors
• Frontline services, especially organizations supporting people with mental health or substance use needs and organizations supporting survivors of child abuse and domestic and sexual violence

We value these types of work and still seek applications from these categories, but applicants may find these categories slightly more competitive if current trends continue.

About Us

Northwest Regional ESD is the largest of Oregon’s 19 education service districts. We serve students, educators, child care providers and families living in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Washington counties.

Our region includes the large, urban school districts of Washington County and the smaller, rural districts located along the Columbia River, the Coastal Range and the North Oregon coast. Our regional office is located in Hillsboro, about 12 miles west of Portland. We also operate service centers in St. Helens, Astoria and Tillamook. Within our region, there are 20 school districts with more than 98,000 students (121,000 ADMw)

Our Vision

Every student educated, equipped and inspired to achieve their full potential and enrich their communities.

Our Mission

In partnership with the communities we serve, Northwest Regional Education Service District improves student learning by providing equitable access to high-quality services and support.

Foundation Grants

This application proposal is specifically targeted to fund grants that support special needs children, children with disabilities and children who are at risk birth to age 21. We do not discriminate on any basis protected by law, and we view the application with a special lens to facilitate equity for children of all backgrounds and cultures.

Focus Areas

Be sure your request aligns with one of the five areas the foundation supports:

• Birth to Age 5 Special Education
• Early Learning and Kindergarten Readiness
• English Language Learners and Migrant Education
• School‐Age Special Education
• Regional Inclusive Services (Autism Spectrum Disorder, Blind/Visually Impaired, DeafBlind, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Orthopedically Impaired, Traumatic Brain Injury)

Funding

Grant requests should be between $100 - $2,500.

What is Metro?

Metro works with communities, businesses and residents in the Portland metropolitan area to chart a wise course for the future while protecting the things we love about this place.

Where is Metro?

Metro serves more than 1.7 million people in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. The agency's boundary encompasses Portland, Oregon and 23 other cities – from the Columbia River in the north to the bend of the Willamette River near Wilsonville, and from the foothills of the Coast Range near Forest Grove to the banks of the Sandy River at Troutdale.

Planning and Development Grants

Everyone in greater Portland benefits when communities reach their full potential. 2040 planning and development grants help communities implement our region’s vision for the future. They create new housing and shopping opportunities, revitalize town centers, grow employment areas and reduce barriers to all types of housing and plan for growth in new neighborhoods.

The program, formerly known as the community planning and development grants program, supports  cities, counties, tribes and unincorporated groups who want to incorporate or annex into a neighboring city. Since 2006, Metro has awarded more than $30 million to fund 135 projects across the region. The grants are funded by a regional excise tax on certain construction projects in greater Portland.

Grant Categories

Metro may award up to $4 million in grant funds. Grants will be awarded in two different categories: Concept Planning and Planning Inside the UGB.

• Planning Inside the UGB
  • These grants are intended for planning projects that facilitate equitable development and redevelopment and/or promote economic growth.
  • Projects funded in this category must align with the goals of the 2040 Growth Concept.
  • The following types of projects are eligible for funding in this category:
    • Center, main street, corridor, and station area plans
    • Community visioning and redevelopment plans
    • Equitable development strategies
    • Economic development strategies and funding tools
    • Site-specific redevelopment plans
    • Community engagement for planning and development projects
    • Plans and strategies for industrial land readiness
    • Parking studies and management plans
    • Other, similar types of projects that support 2040 Growth Concept goals and facilitate development and redevelopment

Who is Metro

The Metro Council consists of a president, elected regionwide, and six councilors who are elected by district every four years in nonpartisan races. The Metro Auditor, elected regionwide, is responsible for oversight of Metro's annual financial statements and for conducting performance audits. The council appoints a chief operating officer to carry out council policies and manage Metro operations. The chief operating officer oversees a diverse workforce of more than 1,600 employees including park rangers, economists, teachers, scientists, designers, planners, animal keepers, stagehands and cartographers. Hundreds of volunteers lend a hand at Metro's parks, cemeteries, natural areas, offices and visitor venues.

Background

The Wilsonville-Metro Community Enhancement Committee oversees local implementation of the Wilsonville-Metro Community Enhancement Program. The program is funded by a per-ton fee charged by Metro regional government on solid-waste transfer stations located in communities throughout the greater Portland region. 

The Committee in essence reviews “community enhancement” projects or programs nominated by the public and members of City boards and commissions that are first assessed by City staff, and decides which projects or programs, if any, to advance with the Community Enhancement Program funds.

The Metro Council extended effective July 1, 2015, the Metro Solid Waste Community-Enhancement Program to apply uniformly to all communities that host putrescible (biodegradable) solid-waste transfer facilities, including the Willamette Resources, Inc., (WRI) transfer facility operated by Republic Services in Wilsonville. Metro’s program started in 1988 after the Oregon Legislature allowed the assessment of fees to support communities hosting facilities that accept garbage and other waste discarded from homes and businesses. While offering value to the region as a whole, these facilities generate traffic, odors and other inconveniences to residents in adjacent host communities.

Funds collected under the Metro Community Enhancement Program are dedicated and used for “enhancing the host community of the facility from which the fees have been collected” as determined by the local government or administering committee. These funds may be used for extensive community purposes that “rehabilitate and enhance the area within the City limits.” 

FY2024-25 Community enhancement program (CEP)

CEP project nominations will be accepted from November 6, 2024 through January 10, 2025, with project selection anticipated in March 2025 after City vetting and cost-estimating. Anyone may nominate a project for consideration that could benefit the community, including organizations that may seek to undertake a sponsored project. Potential sponsors of a community enhancement project are encouraged to contact the CEP administrator in advance to review prospective fit of a project for the program. Projects, which must be located within city limits, are funded to start on or after July 1, 2025, and must be completed within one year.

CEP Project Criteria

• Improve the appearance or environmental quality of the community.
• Reduce the amount or toxicity of waste.
• Increase reuse and recycling opportunities.
• Result in rehabilitation or upgrade of real or personal property owned or operated by a nonprofit organization.
• Result in the preservation or enhancement of wildlife, riparian zones, wetlands, forest lands and marine areas, and/or improve the public awareness and the opportunities to enjoy them.
• Result in improvement to, or an increase in, recreational areas and programs.
• Result in improvement in safety.
• Benefit youth, seniors, low income persons or underserved populations
• Foster and enhance community enrichment through educational programming, arts and cultural projects.

Mission Statement

The Papé Family Foundation will seek to affect in a positive way the communities in which the various family members reside. The foundation will encourage family interaction and will engender family unity and mutual respect. It will foster the members’ interests, activities and values in service, philanthropy, and stewardship.

The Foundation will consider grant requests from eligible organizations for:

• small capital projects
• building improvement projects
• project equipment needs
• operation requests for new program start-ups only (programs must be less than 2 years old, requests may not include salaries).

What is Metro?

Metro works with communities, businesses and residents in the Portland metropolitan area to chart a wise course for the future while protecting the things we love about this place.

Where is Metro?

Metro serves more than 1.7 million people in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. The agency's boundary encompasses Portland, Oregon and 23 other cities – from the Columbia River in the north to the bend of the Willamette River near Wilsonville, and from the foothills of the Coast Range near Forest Grove to the banks of the Sandy River at Troutdale.

Nature in Neighborhoods Grants

Nature in Neighborhoods grants support community projects and programs across the region, from local park improvements to stream restoration to hands-on nature education for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Grant programs under Nature in Neighborhoods include:

• Nature education
• Restoration and community stewardship
• Capital
• Community choice

Grants are designed to support communities of color and other communities who have experienced barriers to accessing Metro grant funding in the past.

Community Stewardship and Restoration Grants

Metro's Nature in Neighborhoods grants provide opportunities to support and create partnerships in local communities that improve water quality, fish and wildlife habitat and connect people with nature.

Potential Projects

Funding is available for projects that:

• preserve and restore local fish and wildlife habitat
• create, support and/or deepen partnerships in local communities
• address inequities in the conservation movement
• support larger conservation initiatives
• increase people's awareness of the need for protecting and managing natural areas
• engage people in protecting and managing natural areas at the community level
• increase the expertise and capacity of organizations to lead habitat restoration and land management activities
• provide environmental resources and economic opportunities to communities of color and other historically and continually marginalized groups
• offer direct access to protected natural areas and the positive impacts of clean land, air and water to communities of color and other historically and continually marginalized groups.

Funding

Funding for the community stewardship and restoration grants funding cycle is set at $750,000. The final slate of proposals recommended for funding will include a mix of small, medium, and large grants. Small grants have a maximum award of $50,000, medium grants have a maximum award of $75,000, and large grants have a maximum award of $100,000.

Program Purpose and Goals

Community stewardship and restoration grants support and create partnerships in local communities that improve water quality, fish and wildlife habitat and connect people with nature.

All applications must clearly meet the grant program’s overall purpose. Priority will be given to applications that meet each of the grant program’s three goals.

Goal 1: Improve water quality, fish and wildlife habitat

These grants will preserve and restore fish and wildlife habitat in local communities and support larger environmental justice and conservation initiatives.

Examples of project strategies and activities:

• Increase the health of the overall urban landscape for native species and people. Address environmental justice and our region’s history of displacement.
• Promote stewardship of wildlife on urban landscapes and reduce human-wildlife conflicts.
• Reduce hazards to wildlife and humans.
• Remove invasive species and enhance native vegetation.
• Support climate change adaptation and climate resiliency initiatives.
• Improve regional habitat connectivity.
• Restore ecological processes and functions in natural areas.
• Engage and support a variety of local approaches, and ways of knowing and being.
• Focus on multiple key habitats and species

Goal 2: Community partnerships, collaboration and accountability

These grants create, support and/or deepen partnerships in local communities. Strategies for community engagement fall on a spectrum from deep, personal engagement to outreach via mass media, but should aim for transformational partnerships rather than transactional information sharing.

Examples of project strategies and activities:

• One-on-one personal connection (e.g. involve multiple community members in project design, implementation and/or outreach, community participation in hands-on restoration projects, organizing, workforce development, and mentoring).
• Outreach and/or marketing (e.g. social and mass media, group discussions, interpretive signs, mailings, project and/or site tours).
  • Collaboration with communities of color and other historically and continually marginalized groups to develop shared learning about environmental justice priorities and practices, and follow their direction to restore, experience and connect with nature and the region’s natural areas.
  • Provide information, advertising or other promotions so that residents can more easily learn where natural areas are located, how to access them, and what to do there.
• Increase the capacity of, and support for, organizations or businesses that are led by, organize with and/or employ people of color and other historically and continually marginalized communities in habitat restoration or local park and natural area land stewardship activities. Examples of capacity and support building activities include technical assistance, professional or leadership development, or stipends/compensation to participate in project design and/or implementation.
• Expanded partnerships with local and/or regional community-based organizations to support increased stewardship of local natural areas, fish and wildlife habitat.
• Intentional involvement of the community in restoration and stewardship efforts, contributing to community members’ sense of connection back to natural areas, providing opportunities to learn from and educate local users, residents and nearby school populations.
• Training on trauma informed care for natural and water resource professionals and community members who interact with people experiencing houselessness. Learn from houseless communities about their needs and desires to be in nature. Facilitate transformational, equity centered, trauma-informed approaches to address safety and provide resources for houseless communities to be in nature. 

Goal 3: Economic and environmental equity

The community stewardship and restoration grants help address inequities in the conservation movement. The grants provide outdoor, environmental, and natural resources; economic opportunities; direct access to protected natural areas; and the positive impacts of clean land, air and water to Indigenous communities, Black communities, communities of color and other historically and continually marginalized groups in greater Portland.

Examples of project strategies and activities:

• Provide social and economic benefits to Indigenous communities, Black communities, communities of color and other historically and continually marginalized communities beyond the specific project scope or original design.
• Increase the number and improve the experience of visitors, staff and programs at natural areas representing diverse racial, ethnic and cultural groups and other historically and continually marginalized groups. Provide opportunities to communities of color to learn about, guide, and have decision-making power in how agencies and communities manage and care for the land and create opportunities to care for trails, harvest seeds or plant native plants. Improve accessibility to and within natural areas for the elderly, people with disabilities and communities of color.
• Include workforce development goals for partner organizations or programs, including internships or career pathways programs. Shift power to create possibility for equity in career pathways, hiring, retention, and educational opportunities.
• Work with and shift power to Indigenous communities to protect, preserve and access culturally significant land; salmon, steelhead and lamprey habitats; and native plants.
• Include work with Black communities, Indigenous communities, and/or communities of color on anti-displacement and housing security
• Provide economic opportunities for communities of color and other marginalized communities in the construction of natural area improvements, restoration or community stewardship projects by working with COBID-certified firms and hiring and training a local workforce.

About our Grant Making

Ninety-nine girlfriends makes annual grants, called Impact Awards, in the Portland Metro/SW Washington region from a pool of money contributed by our members. Impact awards range from $50,000-$100,000 each year, depending on that year’s pool.

We fund equally in four focus areas, selecting nonprofits whose work is aligned with our vision of a more equitable future for all and our values of strength in diversity, collective action, and community impact.

Letters of Interest are due in early April. Then, we use our internal processes to select the ones that are most aligned with our vision and values. These organizations are invited to submit applications. During this time, our member-volunteer teams are learning about implicit bias, equity and inclusion, Trust-Based Philanthropy, and consensus building. 

Guiding Principles

In addition to our eligibility criteria, we apply the following principles and trust-based philanthropy to guide decision-making on grant applications.

Equity - Grant making must be grounded in equity.

Trust - We believe the organizations that apply for our grants are the experts in their field. We will lead with trust, respect, humility and curiosity.

Learning - At our heart, we are a learning organization. We value new approaches as much as experience, we recognize our missteps as learning opportunities, and we learn best together. 

Responsiveness and Transformative Impact - We fund organizations that respond to a critical need and/or are working to address the root causes of systemic issues.

Initiative and risk-taking - We believe that taking risks and exploring new ideas can lead to innovative solutions to complex societal problems.  

We engage women in a collaborative learning environment of inclusiveness and mutual respect, incorporating our collective voices, perspectives, talents, and skills. We educate ourselves about implicit bias, equitable grant making, and consensus-building, and we are embedding racial equity in our work. Each year is a new year of grantmaking at ninety-nine girlfriends. Community context changes as do our members, our grant review teams, and our annual Funding Priority. In the end, what we fund is determined by the votes of our members. 

Focus Areas

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to our work. Our vision is a more equitable community for all, therefore we prioritize funding that supports communities that are historically and/or currently underserved with respect to socioeconomic status, race, identity, or ability.

We seek to fund organizations working to improve educational equity, opportunity, or education-related services for children and youth from pre-K through high school in the areas of:

• Early childhood education and development
• Out-of-school time and summer learning
• Programs that work to close achievement and opportunity gaps
• Career and/or college readiness tools and skills for high school students
• Arts education, cultural education, and creative expression

We seek to fund organizations working to ensure everyone has equal access to resources and safe spaces, across environmental issues in the areas of:

• Access to environmental resources - healthy food, homes, water and green space
• Countering environmental burdens - pollution in air, water, and land
• Providing educational resources around sustainability and climate change preparedness
• Advancing participation in the green workforce
• Promoting systems change that includes meaningful and inclusive participation in the environmental decision-making process, that promotes environmental justice and equitable environmental policies

We seek to fund organizations delivering trauma-informed services that focus on housing solutions and home stability for families, youth, and adults in the areas of:

• Prevention of homelessness and helping people stabilize and keep their housing
• Emergency, temporary, and transitional housing and shelters
• Housing placement
• Resources and support that help prevent adverse childhood experiences or provide healing resources for families experiencing housing/home instability
• Wrap-around services that strengthen housing/home stability including mental and physical health services, recovery support, and domestic violence advocacy

We seek to fund organizations that advance the economic security and financial well-being of women by removing barriers to work in the areas of:

• Job readiness - including skills training, trades, and education
• Adult literacy and language proficiency
• Financial literacy
• College and post-secondary success
• Accessibility to affordable and reliable childcare
• Accessibility to safe and affordable healthcare including physical, mental, dental, and reproductive health

Ninety-nine girlfriends recognizes the complexities of gender identity and gender expression, and welcome cisgender women, transgender women, and gender non-binary, gender non-conforming, or gender queer persons.

Use of Funds

Funds may be used for general operating or project support to advance your mission. Awardees may choose to have funds disbursed in one payment in 2024, or in two payments: one in 2024 and one in 2025. 

Prosper Portland is proud to announce the launch of the Reimagine Oregon Economic Opportunity Investment Fund in accordance with City Code allowing funding “support for neighborhood small businesses, especially women-owned and minority-owned businesses, including but not limited to business incubator programs, management training and job training opportunities, providing economic opportunity and education to communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition.”

Reimagine Oregon Economic Opportunity Investment Fund Grant

Focused on economic and business development for those disproportionately affected by the cannabis prohibition, this fund offers grants to both for-profit and nonprofit entities, as well as social service organizations with a 501(c)3 as a fiscal sponsor, that operate within the City of Portland. Fund use is flexible to allow for innovative proposals for growth and capacity-building initiatives which may include:

• Ensuring that economic opportunities and capital are made increasingly available.
• Reconstructing and revitalizing the Portland economy.
• Supporting entrepreneurs with scaling their businesses.
• Creating multi-generational wealth opportunities.
• Meeting business needs for capital and growth.
• Expanding assistance to and resilience of businesses in need of economic support.
• Increasing access to business and property ownership, real estate, financing, and partnerships with a focus on growing wealth more equitably via inclusive networks.

Program Context & History

Reimagine Oregon began as an initiative created by Black-led organizations and individuals working to dismantle systematic racism in Oregon. Community leadership created a movement that resulted in the launch of the Reimagine Oregon Economic Opportunity Investment Fund at Prosper Portland. This grant program aligns with the Advance Portland strategic vision to foster wealth creation within underserved communities by creating access to economic opportunity for business development and growth. The goal of both the initiative and the investment fund is to provide economic opportunities to communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition. The effects of Cannabis Prohibition involved communities that faced disproportionately higher levels of criminalization related to cannabis, resulting in multi-generational economic and social impacts. Cannabis was legalized in Oregon on July 1, 2015 under Measure 91.

Who is Metro

The Metro Council consists of a president, elected regionwide, and six councilors who are elected by district every four years in nonpartisan races. The Metro Auditor, elected regionwide, is responsible for oversight of Metro's annual financial statements and for conducting performance audits. The council appoints a chief operating officer to carry out council policies and manage Metro operations. The chief operating officer oversees a diverse workforce of more than 1,600 employees including park rangers, economists, teachers, scientists, designers, planners, animal keepers, stagehands and cartographers. Hundreds of volunteers lend a hand at Metro's parks, cemeteries, natural areas, offices and visitor venues.

Community Enhancement Grants: Sherwood

Across the Portland metropolitan area, Metro community enhancement grants give a boost to neighborhoods affected by garbage transfer facilities.

Since 1986, Metro has invested more than $6 million in communities across the Portland metropolitan area. Local jurisdictions and community partners help Metro to administer the grant funds in and around Forest Grove, Gresham, Portland, Oregon City, Sherwood, Troutdale and Wilsonville. These funds come from fees collected at local waste transfer stations that are reinvested back into surrounding communities.

Program Goals

The program supports projects that advance one or more of the following goals:

• Provide programs, training or services that benefit youth, seniors, low income persons, people of color, veterans or other marginalized and underserved populations
• Increase reuse, recycling and waste prevention opportunities; reduce toxicity of waste
• Improve the environmental quality of the area
• Preserve or enhance wildlife and natural areas within the target area
• Improve or increase recreation opportunities for residents in the target area
• Rehabilitate and upgrade property owned or operated by non-profits
• Improve the safety, appearance or cleanliness of neighborhoods.

Project examples

Successful grant projects include:

• Developing environmental education and job training opportunities for underserved youth
• Habitat restoration in parks and natural areas; increased programming to improve access
• Property improvements at community centers and social service hubs
• Producing community events such as festivals, cultural events and summer concert programs
• Safety, cleanup and beautification projects around communities and main street boulevards
• Supporting farmers markets and increasing access to healthy food for underserved communities.

Target areas and grant cycles

Each of the eight enhancement grant programs award funds in a different geographical target area. Grant review committees of local elected officials and residents promote, solicit, evaluate and select funded projects each cycle. 

Sherwood

The Sherwood Community Enhancement Committee awards about $90,000 each spring to projects that serve city residents. The grant program is funded by community enhancement fees collected at Pride Recycling Company.

The Community Enhancement Program (CEP) is an exciting opportunity for citizens to participate in making Sherwood a place where families and businesses thrive.

This program derives its funding from a partnership between Sherwood and Metro and is generated by a $1.00 per ton surcharge collected at the Pride Recycling Company transfer station located at 13980 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Road, in Sherwood, Oregon.

The grant program is open to non-profit groups, organizations, and City advisory committees. We encourage you to let us know your ideas for enhancing the community.

Whether you have big ideas, small ideas, or ideas somewhere in-between, you can be sure they will be considered.

Calling to Serve

Since its inception in 2016, the Robinson Foundation has sought to demonstrate God’s love through sharing the gifts we have received. We understand the often unspoken hardships and struggles that people in and outside of our community face everyday. As such, our contributions are focused on relieving these hardships for the betterment of our world.

As a family-operated foundation, we pray that our small efforts will not only create immediate change in the lives of our neighbors, but will help set those lives on a course for success in the future. We are thankful for each and every day we have on this earth to use what God has granted us to make a difference.

Areas of Interest

• Animal Welfare
• Children & Families
• Disaster Relief
• Education
• Medical Assistance
• Nature & Wildlife Conservation
• Poverty Relief
• Religious & Spiritual Endeavors
• Veterans' Issues

Grant Considerations

We take many different aspects of applications into account when making grant issuing decisions, however these are some of the high-level questions we ask ourselves during the process:

• How does the organization serve their key audience goals?
• Is the organization fiscally responsible?
• Will a grant have a tangible, meaningful impact?
• Will we see direct results from this grant?
• Does the organization have other financial contributors?

The mission of The Stimson-Miller Foundation is to carry on the civic, cultural, educational, and health and human services charitable interests and concerns of the shareholders of Stimson Lumber Company in the greater Portland area and communities throughout the United States where Stimson Lumber Company conducts its business. 

The Multnomah Athletic Foundation provides community grants that support confidence and character-building opportunities for youth with an emphasis on athletic participation. The foundation gives highest priority to investing in partners who provide opportunities to neighborhoods and populations with limited access and resources.

Helping Kids and Communities Thrive

• The Multnomah Athletic Foundation provides community grants that support confidence and character-building opportunities with an emphasis on athletic participation for youth.
• We believe we have an opportunity to make an impact on a nonprofit organization’s ability to foster or enhance athletic participation.
• We believe that there is social, emotional, and physical value in athletic participation. We provide each individual an opportunity to experience the value of team, dedication, and participation through athletics.
• The foundation gives highest priority to activities that provide greater access to youth who are economically disadvantaged and under-served.
• We believe that our community grant partners outreach should reflect the diversity of Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties.
• We embrace our opportunity to lead by harnessing our collective resources and passion. We are a catalyst - connecting people and resources for the benefit of our communities.

What do we fund?

The Multnomah Athletic Foundation funding is unrestricted, which began in 2024. This approach is fundamentally about recognizing and addressing power imbalances in service of a healthier, more equitable, and more impactful nonprofit sector. Our commitment is to relationships based on transparency and mutual learning – both internally within our organization and externally with our grant partners. We will ask about the organization’s initiatives and projects that the funding will support. 

Projects and initiatives may include:

• Funding for program development and the continuation/expansion of existing programs
• Creating a viable fundraising and sustainability plan.
• Operation support that enables an organization to carry out its core mission by strengthening organizational capacity and program sustainability
• Specific projects with capital expenditures, such as equipment and facilities
• Funding can be requested for operational support or administrative expenses like staffing and training expense

Education Focus

The Foundation intends to award grants for paid internships at nonprofits for

• students enrolled in community college, four year college undergraduate and/or college graduate school or
• "young professionals" defined as a person who graduated from community college, four-year college undergraduate, or college graduate school within the last two years.

Grants distributed in calendar year 2025 may be utilized for calendar year 2026 internships as needed. These internships must provide an above minimum wage stipend. The internship experience should include enrichment opportunities which should include skill building, visibility into nonprofit management, peer networking, professional seminars, capstone project/report, etc.

Priority will be given to internships that recruit using a DEI lens. Average size grants in this area of focus are $8,000-$12,000 per internship. You are welcome to request funding for more than one internship in an application if you have previously received funding from the Foundation.

Please note that grant recipients who received awards from us in this focus area each year for the last 3 consecutive years (2022, 2023, 2024) are not eligible for a grant in 2025. You will be eligible to reapply in 2026.​

Health & Human Services Focus (No new applications are being accepted in 2025. You are welcome to introduce yourself )

The Foundation is committed to supporting elders living in our communities by encouraging self-sufficiency and aging in place. We will be awarding two-year $20,000 grants (payouts of 2024: $10,000; 2025: $10,000) to organizations. We fund both projects and general operating support.

Funding is focused on housing specifically around aging in place:

• Home modifications for accessibility and home maintenance;
• Assistance with household tasks;
• Affordable permanent housing;
• Collaborative partnerships that advocate for age-friendly communities.

Mission

The Detwiler Family Foundation invests in local organizations to enrich and improve the lives of children in our community. We strive to serve children dealing with difficult life challenges by facilitating access to education and the arts.

Improving The Lives Of Children In Our Communities

The Detwiler Family Foundation invests in local organizations to enrich the lives of children in our community who are dealing with difficult life challenges. We strive to support projects and programs that improve the health, safety and welfare of children with a focus on facilitating access to education and the arts.

The foundation focuses on creating a local impact by serving specific communities in the United States. We believe in the power of community investment and strive to build relationships with organizations that directly impact the areas near where we live and work.

Areas of Service

The Detwiler Family Foundation supports organizations that enrich the lives of children and families though programing that focuses on the following areas of service:

• Children and Families Experiencing Food/Housing Insecurity
• Children in need of Mental Health/Medical Services
• Education and After School Programming for Disadvantaged Children
• Children with Disabilities
• Arts and Cultural Programs Benefiting Children Experiencing Trauma 

Organizations may apply for a grant to support specific projects or programs that will enhance the organizations ability to serve the children in our communities.

Grants

The Detwiler Family Foundation has defined a grant structure that reflects our commitment to our local communities. We award several grants a year to organizations that further our mission.

Project Grants (75%): The Detwiler Family Foundation accepts applications for Project Grants on a rolling basis. Funding applications should be for programming in one of the following categories:

• The Arts
• Education/Literacy
• Community Resource Improvement

Matching Grants (25%); The foundation supports successful fundraising through our Matching Program. Organizations with ongoing fundraising efforts may apply for funds that are conditional on the success of other efforts.

The PGE Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Portland General Electric. Founded in 1997, the foundation was created through an endowment with the purpose of improving the quality of life for all Oregonians.

PGE Foundation welcomes applications from eligible nonprofits through three focus-specific grant cycles: Education, Creative Expression and Career Pathways. While the majority of grants support projects and programs that align with our funding priorities, we also award grants for operating expenses and new and existing capital construction projects.

Career Pathways

We are committed to helping individuals and communities overcome common barriers to economic mobility and generational wealth-building by increasing avenues to family wage jobs, entrepreneurship and small business ownership.

If you’re interested in submitting a proposal for a career-oriented program, consider:

• Programs that facilitate access to in-demand, family-wage jobs in the trades, sciences and green sectors
• Programs for adults focused on skill development
• Wrap-around services offering mentorship, transportation and other resources that impact workforce participation
• Proposals that offer entrepreneurship and business-ownership support for minority- and woman-owned small businesses

Metro works with communities, businesses and residents in the Portland metropolitan area to chart a wise course for the future while protecting the things we love about this place. Metro serves more than 1.7 million people in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. The agency's boundary encompasses Portland, Oregon and 23 other cities – from the Columbia River in the north to the bend of the Willamette River near Wilsonville, and from the foothills of the Coast Range near Forest Grove to the banks of the Sandy River at Troutdale.

Reuse impact fund

The Reuse Impact fund aims to provide multi-year, flexible funding for reuse nonprofit organizations to grow the reuse, repair and share economy of greater Portland.

What is the Reuse Impact Fund?

The Reuse Impact Fund is a pilot program that aims to grow a more robust reuse, repair and share economy in greater Portland. The pilot will provide consistent funding to established reuse organizations to sustain and expand the regional reuse infrastructure. This will help residents and businesses extend the lifespan of products and materials already in circulation through effective repair, collection, processing and resale/redistribution. By diverting materials from the landfill and keeping materials in circulation longer, these organizations are reducing harmful environmental and human health impacts, including avoiding greenhouse gas emissions associated with creating new products.  

What are the objectives of the Reuse Impact Fund?

The Reuse Impact Fund pilot is intended to help established reuse nonprofit organizations in the Metro region sustain and strategically expand operations and services, particularly in underserved areas. The Reuse Impact Fund will prioritize the following high-impact materials: textiles, building materials, electronics, appliances, furniture, bicycles and tools. These materials have a large impact on people and the environment because of the climate and other polluting emissions that come from creating them.

Organizations will use Reuse Impact Fund funds to:  

• Divert materials from disposal for reuse, generating measurable environmental and economic benefits.
• Build operational sustainability in reuse organizations and foster strategic growth.
• Advance equity by providing quality jobs and excellent services for underserved communities.
• Partner with Metro to measure and share the benefits of reuse

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) partners with private, nonprofit, and government entities to advance and boost artist services and creative communities across our region through grant programs and partnerships.

Portland Arts Project Grant Program

The Portland Arts Project Grant program is available to support the making and sharing of artistic work and the development of the arts community in Portland, Oregon. 

Artists and organizations can apply to support artistic projects, including programming, presentations, events, or artistic development that results in sharing your learning or activity with the public. You will be asked to clearly explain what you need grant funding to support, and then make the case for how the public investment of the grant will impact both you and the community.

When applying for a Portland Arts Project Grant, you may submit only one application for consideration in the grant cycle. Applicants can be listed as collaborators or participants within the applications of other eligible applicants, as long as the proposed activities are for a different project. Applicants will select their request level ($1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000 or $5,000) and the application questions will increase with the requested amount.

Grant awards are based on funds available, panel rankings, and RACC’s work to increase investment in under-represented communities.

Gupta Family Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, USA. Our mission is to support organizations that provide focused intervention in the lives of people who have been disadvantaged in some way to help them become self-reliant. We take a very broad view of “disadvantage” to include anything that holds a person back from realizing their potential, such as poverty, physical or mental disability, social alienation, etc. The foundation also supports relief agencies that serve people affected by emergencies such as natural disasters.

The foundation evaluates and awards annual and multi-year grants ranging from $5,000 to over $250,000 (USD). Our focus is on funding smaller organizations all around the world that are led by individuals with a deep personal commitment to their missions. 

Our selection criteria include:

• Mission alignment
• The organization is run by the founder or, if not, by a successor who embodies the original inspiration, passion and commitment of the founder.
• At least 90% of grant monies reaches the intended beneficiaries.
• The organization is non-sectarian, i.e.,
  • It does not, directly or indirectly, support or condone the proselytization of any religion,
  • It is not supported by or affiliated to a religious organization.

The Inukai Family Foundation was established in honor of Richard Michael “Dick” Inukai.

Born May 25, 1943 to Tom and Mecha Inukai in a Japanese internment camp in Tule Lake, California, Dick’s parents moved to Hood River while he was an infant, and later relocated the family to Portland where his father owned a gasoline service station. A graduate of Madison High School, Dick joined the Marine Corps where he served four years as a reserve. Eventually, Dick’s love of cars drove him into the automobile industry in 1962 when he took his first job with a local auto dealership as a salesperson. Dick quickly established himself as a top salesman and worked his way up the ladder. Inukai found his way into ownership with his first auto franchise at the young age of 30.

Coming to Hillsboro in the early 1970’s, Inukai later acquired what is now known as Dick’s Country Chrysler Jeep Dodge and in 1994 became a full partner in Dick’s Mackenzie Ford. Hard work, honesty and integrity were the foundation of Dick’s business dealings which quickly endeared him to the local business community. Dick’s philosophy on running his business was simply never asking anyone to do something he would not do himself. Inukai devoted much of his work in the community to dozens of organizations with causes that impact children, such as providing books and readers to elementary schools through Operation Outreach; providing food, gifts and adopt-a-family coordination during the holidays for the Domestic Violence Resource Center; and with Hillsboro Parks and Recreation.

Inukai Family Foundation

Inukai Family Foundation goals are to create positive youth development, educational grants and scholarship support to teachers and students, scholarship support to the sons and daughters of employees of Dick’s Auto Group, support healthcare needs, and Japanese education and awareness.

Education

Inukai Family Foundation creates Positive Youth Development in our community by supporting opportunities for youth to enhance their interests, skills, and abilities. We offer grants to a wide variety of programs that work toward this goal.

Senior Care

Inukai Family Foundation is dedicated to improving care for seniors, and those with chronic or debilitating illness. After his mother, Mecha, passed away in 2002, Dick Inukai saw firsthand the value of quality care, and was compelled to put his time and resources into assisting the elderly.

Japanese Culture

Born in a Japanese internment camp in Tule Lake, California, Dick Inukai spent a lifetime promoting Japanese culture and educating his community about his proud heritage. Inukai’s roots drew him to the Japan-American Society of Oregon (JASO), serving as a member for over 20 years.

LIFE Center Fund

The LIFE Center Fund of Oregon Community Foundation was established in 2005 to continue the legacy of the Low Income Family Emergency (LIFE) Center, which closed in 2005. Rather than simply distributing basic need items, the LIFE Center also honored each individual’s dignity by providing opportunities for self-improvement and personal empowerment.

Grant Program 

The LIFE Center Fund awards two-year grants to provide food, clothing, household items, prescription and hygiene assistance, and school supplies to people in critical need in North, Northeast, and Southeast Portland. Up to $10,000 is available per year for two years. Please review our Please review our Request for Proposals for more information.