Best Physics Grants in Oregon

Legacy HealthLegacy Health is a nonprofit, community-based health system dedicated to improving the health and well-being of individuals and families across the Pacific Northwest. Founded on a mission of compassionate, patient-centered care, Legacy Health operates a network of hospitals, clinics, and specialty services that emphasize high-quality medical care, health equity, and community benefit. The organization is committed to advancing health through clinical excellence, education, research, and partnerships that address both immediate healthcare needs and the broader social factors influencing health outcomes. Through its integrated system and community-focused approach, Legacy Health strives to deliver accessible, innovative, and trusted care to the populations it serves.

Legacy Health: Community Health Grants

Community Health Grants are offered through Legacy Health to advance its vision of being essential to the health of the region and its mission of promoting good health for people, communities, and the world. Through strategic investments and partnerships across Oregon and Southwest Washington, Legacy Health supports nonprofit organizations whose work aligns with its Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) and Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs), with a strong emphasis on advancing health equity and serving historically underserved and underrepresented populations.

For organizations serving Marion County, current funding priorities include access to health care, economic stability, and mental health and substance use. For organizations serving the Portland metro area, priorities focus on expanding access to affordable and culturally and linguistically responsive health care; strengthening essential community services and resources such as economic and educational opportunities and access to culturally specific and healthy foods; and promoting safe, inclusive neighborhoods that support physical safety.

Legacy Health typically solicits proposals one to two times per calendar year. Organizations interested in future funding opportunities are encouraged to complete the grant inquiry form to share information about their work and alignment with Legacy Health’s mission and goals.

Funding Direct Assistance to Victims of Crimes

Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) is the only federal grant program supporting direct assistance services to victims and survivors of all types of crimes. The primary purpose of the VOCA grant program is to extend and enhance services to crime victims and crime survivors.

VOCA federal guidelines state that services are defined as those that:

• respond to the emotional and physical needs of crime victims
• assist primary and secondary victims to stabilize their lives after a victimization
• assist victims and survivors to understand and participate in the criminal justice system
• provide victims and survivors with a measure of safety and security such as boarding-up broken windows and replacing or repairing locks

VOCA Requirements

An agency must meet all of the following federal requirements to receive VOCA funds:

• Demonstrate a record of effective and direct services to crime victims
• Meet program match requirement
• Utilize volunteers to provide or support direct services
• Promote coordinated public and private efforts to assist victims and survivors
• Assist victims seeking crime victim compensation benefits
• Provide services to crime victims, at no charge, through the VOCA funded project
• Maintain confidentiality
• Provide services to victims and survivors of federal crime on the same basis as victims of state crime
• Maintain required civil rights information
• Meet the terms of the certified assurances, special conditions and other federal rules regulating grants

The M J Murdock Charitable Trust offers Strategic Projects: Equipment & Technology Grants to nonprofits in the Pacific Northwest. These grants focus on capacity-building projects and essential equipment, requiring recipients to cover at least 50% of costs. Eligible organizations include 501(c)(3) nonprofits and tribal entities. Priority is given to projects enhancing community services, education, and environmental stewardship, supporting initiatives that foster human flourishing and demonstrate diversified funding.

The Black United Fund of Oregon (BUF-OR) provides Community Impact Grants to support the social and economic development of underserved communities in Oregon. Annually, BUF-OR awards grants ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 to nonprofit organizations that align with its mission and focus on BIPOC communities. Eligible organizations must have 501(c)(3) status and operate within Oregon or SW Washington. This initiative aims to empower grassroots organizations and enhance community well-being.

Sherwood Trust offers Core Grants to enhance community well-being in the Walla Walla Valley. The Trust prioritizes funding for initiatives that strengthen organizations and support collaboration. Eligible applicants include tax-exempt organizations focused on local needs. With a commitment to equity and sustainability, Sherwood Trust seeks to empower communities through impactful investments, ensuring that all individuals feel a sense of belonging and can contribute to the region's vibrancy.

Grants Overview

The Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation supports local, national, and international initiatives in the following categories: climate, health equity, and sustainable communities. We also support Oregon-based arts and cultural* organizations. There is clear overlap between our funding priorities: we embrace that intersectionality and understand that organizations often work across multiple priorities.

We offer unrestricted grants, mostly ranging from $10,000-$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.

For our nonprofit partners, we try to keep our application and reporting forms straightforward: we don’t want you to be distracted from fulfilling your mission by complicated forms.

Within the capacity of our staff of one, we value partnership and contact: we welcome you to reach out to us with ideas, questions, suggestions, and opportunities. We hope to have the chance to meet with you and thank you for your work.

Current Funding Trends

Before you apply, please read about our funding trends and grant eligibility below, as well as our pages for relevant funding priorities:

ClimateHealth EquitySustainable CommunitiesOregon Arts & Culture

Funding Area: Health Equity

Our founder Dr. Ron Naito devoted his career to treating the whole patient. Accordingly, we embrace the World Health Organization’s definition of health: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

We see significant intersection between this funding priority and our other priorities – all connected by healing. For our health equity funding area, we seek applications from organizations or initiatives that work to improve health outcomes, decrease health inequities, and increase individual and social well-being.

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

• Increase historically marginalized communities’ access to sustained health care either internationally or domestically, including both frontline service providers and initiatives that advocate for policy or market reforms.
• Focus on lasting health outcomes, such as eyesight restoration, disability supports, reproductive justice, and other health interventions that impact individuals’ long-term health and capacity to thrive.
• Increase equitable, sustainable access to healthy foods, including sustained nutritional interventions, nutritional policy, and food sovereignty and systems initiatives.
• Improve health outcomes through clean air, water, hygiene, and anti-toxin/-pollutant advocacy, policy, and frontlines interventions.
• Provide ongoing support and empowerment to people experiencing violence, displacement, poverty, and other traumas.
• Combat misinformation contributing to adverse health outcomes.
• Diversify participation in health research, policy, and medical care to advance more equitable health outcomes.

The Nike Community Impact Fund Grant Program, established in 2010, supports nonprofits and schools in the Portland area, focusing on promoting sport and physical activity. Annually, at least $550,000 is awarded to empower youth through play, fostering healthier and more inclusive communities. The program prioritizes projects benefiting underrepresented populations and encourages innovative solutions to local challenges. Applications are open to qualified organizations in specific Oregon and Washington counties, emphasizing collaboration with Nike employees.

The Transformation Grants for Research on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities aim to address the increasing prevalence of developmental disabilities among American children. This initiative focuses on advancing early diagnosis and impactful therapies while removing barriers to equitable access to care. Organizations eligible for funding must primarily serve individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and be 501(c)(3) registered nonprofits based in Oregon or Washington, ensuring support for the most affected communities.

The Bend Foundation Grant aims to enhance the lives of Bend, Oregon residents by supporting non-profit and public organizations focused on cultural enrichment, environmental protection, and community livability. Established in 1947, the foundation funds initiatives that promote the arts, education, and conservation, while prioritizing one-time capital funding for impactful projects. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) organizations that align with the foundation's mission to foster a vibrant community through diverse programs.

Oregon Health Authority

The Oregon Health Authority is at the forefront of lowering and containing costs, improving quality and increasing access to health care in order to improve the lifelong health of people in Oregon.

Mission: Ensuring all people and communities can achieve optimum physical, mental, and social well-being through partnerships, prevention, and access to quality, affordable health care. OHA will transform the health care system in Oregon by: improving the lifelong health of people in Oregon, increasing the quality, reliability, and availability of care for all people in Oregon and lowering or containing the cost of care so it's affordable to everyone.

Land Acquisition (Conservation) Planning Grant

The Drinking Water Source Protection Fund (DWSPF) is designed for the protection of drinking water sources. Drinking water sources include watersheds above a public water supply surface water intake and/or the delineated portion of the aquifer supplying water to public water supply wells or springs. 

Land Acquisition (Conservation) Planning grants are for conservation purposes directed at the preservation of land to protect, restore, or enhance sources of drinking water serving eligible public water systems. Eligible conservation planning projects can include any studies or activities that involve or are related to assessing legal and/or financial feasibility of purchasing land, easements, or similar projects within an identified drinking water source area. 

Oregon Health Authority

The Oregon Health Authority is at the forefront of lowering and containing costs, improving quality and increasing access to health care in order to improve the lifelong health of people in Oregon.

Mission: Ensuring all people and communities can achieve optimum physical, mental, and social well-being through partnerships, prevention, and access to quality, affordable health care. OHA will transform the health care system in Oregon by: improving the lifelong health of people in Oregon, increasing the quality, reliability, and availability of care for all people in Oregon and lowering or containing the cost of care so it's affordable to everyone.

Regional Source Water Collaborative Project Grant

The Drinking Water Source Protection Fund (DWSPF) is designed for the protection of drinking water sources. Drinking water sources include watersheds above a public water supply surface water intake and/or the delineated portion of the aquifer supplying water to public water supply wells or springs. 

Regional Source Water Collaborative Project grants are being piloted by the agencies to strengthen public water system regional ties and cooperation on source water protection and therefore improve source water resiliency across Oregon. The grants are intended to support projects that reduce risks and foster coordination among public water systems using groundwater and surface water sources. Each grant must dedicate funds to projects within source areas serving smaller water systems (serving fewer than 3,300) that are located inside a larger water system’s (or collaborative’s) drinking water source area(s). Eligible projects must involve at least three smaller water system partners and provide protection benefits to multiple water systems involved in the project. The expectation is that roughly half of the project expenses will be directed at the smaller water systems’ drinking water source areas that are Official Partners to the project. This initiative aims to foster regional coordination and improve source water protection for underserved communities. 

Oregon Health Authority

The Oregon Health Authority is at the forefront of lowering and containing costs, improving quality and increasing access to health care in order to improve the lifelong health of people in Oregon.

Mission: Ensuring all people and communities can achieve optimum physical, mental, and social well-being through partnerships, prevention, and access to quality, affordable health care. OHA will transform the health care system in Oregon by: improving the lifelong health of people in Oregon, increasing the quality, reliability, and availability of care for all people in Oregon and lowering or containing the cost of care so it's affordable to everyone.

Traditional Drinking Water Source Protection Grant

The Drinking Water Source Protection Fund (DWSPF) is designed for the protection of drinking water sources. Drinking water sources include watersheds above a public water supply surface water intake and/or the delineated portion of the aquifer supplying water to public water supply wells or springs. 

Traditional Drinking Water Source Protection grants are for projects that promote reducing risks associated within a drinking water source area or the refinement of a drinking water source area. Projects can involve one or more eligible public water systems that are equal partners in the project. 

Ninety-nine Girlfriends offers annual Impact Awards ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 to nonprofits in the Portland Metro/SW Washington area. The grants focus on four key areas: educational equity for youth, environmental sustainability, housing stability, and women's economic empowerment. Emphasizing equity and trust-based philanthropy, they seek organizations that demonstrate a commitment to community impact and inclusivity. Applications are open to 501(c)(3) entities and fiscally sponsored groups, requiring a minimum annual revenue of $100,000.

The Dubs Foundation's Responsive Grants Program aims to empower youth and promote healthy families through innovative projects in Southern Oregon and Northern California. Established in 1996, the foundation prioritizes rural organizations that foster an active outdoor lifestyle and support veterans' reintegration. With a focus on community improvement, the foundation encourages partnerships with nonprofits to enhance access to basic needs and inspire a love of wilderness areas. Applicants should review fluid guidelines regularly as the foundation prepares for its 20th anniversary.

Cambia Health Foundation is dedicated to enhancing healthcare experiences through its RFP, which aims to support older adult kinship and grand-family caregivers. By promoting strategies that strengthen social connections and improve access to mental health services, the foundation seeks to address the unique challenges faced by these caregivers. The initiative encourages tailored proposals that reflect the diverse needs of kinship families, ultimately fostering a more interconnected and supportive community for aging individuals.

The Nonprofit Leadership Grant Program by the Black United Fund of Oregon aims to empower BIPOC-led grassroots organizations through a $10,000 grant and a year-long leadership curriculum. This program focuses on developing essential skills in fund development, operations, and marketing. Eligible organizations must be tax-exempt and serve BIPOC communities in Oregon and SW Washington, with a net income below $600,000, ensuring support for those most in need.

The Pew Biomedical Scholars Program offers significant funding of $300,000 over four years to support early-career researchers in biomedical sciences. The program encourages innovative and impactful research that contributes to human health, requiring nomination from one of the 212 participating institutions. Candidates must hold a doctorate, run an independent lab as an assistant professor, and demonstrate exceptional promise. This program fosters collaboration and annual meetings for scholars to present their findings.

The June & Julian Foss Foundation, established in 1997, prioritizes support for children and young adults, especially those facing mental illness or physical disabilities. With a mission to foster healthy, responsible adults and promote family philanthropy, the Foundation emphasizes family strength, diversity, and self-worth. Grants typically do not exceed $5,000 and are directed towards programs that enhance self-sufficiency and recognize individual capabilities, while upholding values of integrity and respect.

The Multnomah Athletic Foundation offers community grants aimed at promoting athletic participation among youth, particularly those from underserved communities. By prioritizing access and opportunities, the foundation seeks to enhance confidence and character in young athletes. The funding is unrestricted, encouraging innovative projects that foster sustainable growth in nonprofit organizations. Emphasizing transparency and collaboration, the foundation aims to create equitable outcomes for all participants in the Portland metropolitan area.

The Murdock College Research Program supports innovative natural sciences research at private undergraduate colleges in the Pacific Northwest. It emphasizes faculty-student collaboration, enhancing educational methods through inquiry-based teaching. Proposals are assessed on scientific merit and the investigator's qualifications, with a focus on projects that significantly contribute to fundamental knowledge in the field. This program encourages active participation from undergraduate students as research associates, fostering their development and engagement in scientific inquiry.

The Banner Bank Community Support Program offers grants to nonprofit organizations in Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho focusing on housing, youth development, financial education, and economic growth. Priority is given to programs aiding low- and moderate-income populations. Organizations applying must not discriminate and should support essential community services. Applications are accepted year-round, with a review period of 45-60 days. However, certain areas, such as individual scholarships and political organizations, are ineligible for funding.

The Capital Fund is an innovative grant program aimed at supporting capital campaigns for renovations or new projects. Offering competitive contributions ranging from $15,000 to $50,000, it prioritizes applicants with a proven track record of completed grants and projects located in Oregon. The fund encourages organizations to showcase their commitment to diversity and inclusion while also addressing pressing community needs. As this program evolves, it aims to better serve its partners and adapt to the changing landscape of funding.

The Community Cultural Participation Grant, administered by the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition (MCCC), aims to support underrepresented communities in accessing arts and culture. By focusing on historically marginalized groups, including Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, MCCC prioritizes funding for projects that foster inclusivity and creativity. This initiative reinforces the coalition's commitment to equitable access to cultural resources across Multnomah County, ensuring that all voices are heard and represented in the arts.

The Portland Arts Project Grant Program, administered by the Regional Arts & Culture Council, aims to enhance artistic development and community engagement in Portland, Oregon. This program supports individual artists and organizations with funding ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 for projects that foster public participation in the arts. Eligible applicants must reside or operate within Portland city limits. The program prioritizes investment in under-represented communities, ensuring equitable access to the arts.

Hydro Flask's Parks for All Grants offer product donations to U.S. non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations dedicated to enhancing public green spaces and recreational areas. Since its founding in 2009, Hydro Flask has supported initiatives that promote inclusivity and active lifestyles. Organizations can apply for donations in specified quantities, with applications reviewed in January and notifications sent in February. This initiative aims to foster healthier and happier communities through improved access to parks.

The Clatsop County Cultural Coalition Grant, funded by the Oregon Cultural Trust, supports projects that enhance cultural programs in arts, heritage, and humanities in Clatsop County. Eligible applicants include 501c3 organizations and individuals with a fiscal sponsor. The coalition prioritizes new projects and collaborations, while funds cannot be used for salaries, travel, or ongoing operational expenses. Workshops are encouraged before application submission to ensure alignment with funding priorities.

The Oregon Nita M. Lowey 21st CCLC Grant supports 21st Century Community Learning Centers, aiming to enrich academic and developmental opportunities for students in high-poverty schools. Funded by federal Title IV-B grants, the program emphasizes mental health, K-5 literacy, and career education. With an anticipated funding of $10 million annually, grants ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 will be awarded to eligible applicants, enabling critical support for students and their families over a five-year period.