Search Through Grants for Environmental Projects in Oregon in the U.S.

Overview

Founded in 2007 by Kat Taylor and Tom Steyer, Beneficial State Bank is a B Corp Certified community development bank with branches in California, Oregon, and Washington. One hundred percent of the economic rights of Beneficial State Bank are owned not by private shareholders, but by nonprofit organizations, including Beneficial State Foundation. As nonprofit shareholders, we reinvest all distributed bank profit back into communities to promote thriving people, a healthy economy and a prosperous planet. This ownership structure allows us to learn and develop new metrics and standards as Beneficial State Bank tests and implements equitable banking products and practices.

As of 2023, Beneficial State Bank is a $1.7 billion asset state-chartered, federally insured bank with branches in California, Oregon, and Washington. Learn more about the origins of Beneficial State Bank.

Supporting Our Communities With Sponsorships

From day one, Beneficial State Bank has been committed to supporting our community above and beyond our lending by providing sponsorships to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations each year. We provide sponsorships to 501(c)(3) organizations in California, Oregon, and Washington that are engaged in transformative social justice and environmental work in our target sectors:

Social:

• Affordable and Multi-family Housing
• Arts, Culture and Community Building
• Education and Youth Development
• Beneficial Financial Services
• Economic, Business and Job Development
• Making, Manufacturing and Production
• Social Justice

Environmental:

• Environmental Sustainability
• Health and Well-being (non-food)
• Healthy Food
• Other Mission Categories (Business Ownership, Structures and Practices)

Beneficial State Bank has a unique business model compared to other banks. As a mission-driven bank majority-owned by the nonprofit Beneficial State Foundation, we work to maximize prosperity for our communities and our customers instead of working to maximize shareholder profits. We structure our business practices to benefit our stakeholders, not just our shareholders, so our total sponsorship budget is smaller than what you’ll find at a large, national bank. Therefore, we are limited in the number of sponsorships we can approve each year.

Statement of Objectives

Idaho Power Company (IPC) does not believe that its responsibility ends with the delivery of reliable, affordable, and clean energy to its customers. As a corporate citizen, IPC believes that its responsibility extends to supporting and participating in activities and organizations that help maintain and improve the quality of life within the communities we serve. Serving those who depend on us is at the center of everything we do. We all prosper by committing to the needs, safety, and success of our customers, communities, employees, and shareholders.

IPC’s contributions of financial and non-financial or “in-kind” support are investments in the economic and social viability of the communities we serve. But the benefits to the community and IPC are not always measurable, and subjectivity is a part of every contribution decision. It is the intent of IPC that its contributions strike a reasonable balance between the need to be accountable and responsible to our shareowners and customers and the desire to contribute to the economic and social needs within communities we serve. 

At IPC, we continually strive to lead with our values and beliefs. Idaho Power is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment. Our community comes from all walks of life and so do we. All contribution decisions will be made without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, or age. 

 Community Contributions

Community contributions range from support for capital fund drives to sponsorship of nonprofit fundraising events to non-cash donations like awarding retired company vehicles to emergency-response organizations.

IPC has established five general categories of contributions.

These categories are:

• Health and Human Services:
• To assure the availability of adequate health care and human service support for employees and other members of the public and to promote the development of new, workable responses to health and human services needs, this category includes:
  • Support of organizations dedicated to this cause, and other federated campaigns.
  • Hospitals and other health care facilities.
  • Agencies for senior citizens and the elderly.
  • Youth agencies.
  • Local health and human service organizations.
• Agencies receiving primary funding from federated drives (e.g., Unites Way) to which IPC separately contributes are generally not eligible for additional health and human services operating funds. Exceptions may exist in the case of capital fund drives.

• Education:
  • Priority is given to education to ensure the continued availability of highly skilled, educated men and women to enrich local communities and from among whom IPC may draw employees, to encourage continuing research and development in academic areas relevant to IPC, and to promote standards of educational excellence.
• Culture and Arts:
  • Contributions made in this area are intended to encourage high standards of excellence and provide a pool of creative resources in the visual and performing arts for the enrichment of our employees and the community. This category includes support to orchestras, museums, theaters, performing arts programs, cultural arts programs, public radio and television, and non-academic libraries.
• Civic and Community:
  • Support for organizations and/or programs addressing civic and community needs demonstrates our commitment to increasing citizen awareness and participation in the management of community life. This commitment extends to supporting organizations that provide services for adequate housing and neighborhood improvements, local civic and community projects, conservation activities, and the support of groups desiring to develop workable solutions to community issues.
• Environment and Recreation:
  • This category provides contributions to organizations and projects that support environmental stewardship, including clean and renewable energy. It also supports the expansion and preservation of recreation opportunities.
• Other:
  • This category includes support for organizations not included in the four preceding categories, but which have a benevolent or philanthropic purpose relevant to IPC and its communities. 

IPC intends to respond to requests for contributions in a timely manner, and generally not more than 60 days following submission of the completed application.

Background

Established in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union has become Oregon’s largest credit union with over 500,000 members. As we have grown, so has our commitment to community engagement, from the volunteerism encouraged among employees to direct financial support of schools and nonprofits.

Through an inclusive and equitable approach, OnPoint supports organizations in our membership area that align with our core impact values. We offer funding for community grants, sponsorships, and schools making a positive impact.

Focus Areas

All three potential funding tracks fall under OnPoint’s focus areas of Economic Opportunity and Community Vitality.

Economic Opportunity

• Financial Education and Programming
  • Organizations dedicated to empowering youth and adults through educational programming that connects them to all aspects of personal finance in order to make informed financial decisions
• Access to Capital
  • Organizations dedicated to empowering and supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses with education on accessing capital, technical assistance, etc.
• Workforce Development
  • Organizations dedicated to creating pathways to career building, job training education, etc.

Community Vitality

• Hunger and Shelter
  • Organizations dedicated to supporting individuals/communities facing food and housing insecurity including, but not limited to food banks, rent assistance, etc.
• Education
  • Schools, school-adjacent, and other organizations dedicated to informing and educating individuals or the general public and providing teachers, parents and students with products and services that improve learning and decisions about opportunities.
• Community Development
  • Organizations dedicated to supporting and revitalizing communities through behavioral health, arts & culture, etc.
• Sustainability and Environmental Health
  • Organizations dedicated to sustainability efforts and projects.

Events & Sponsorships

OnPoint sponsors events and other activities for nonprofit, community-based organizations delivering programs that align with OnPoint’s key focus areas.

Funding

While we will consider all eligible requests, our average contribution ranges from $100 to $10,000.

Background

Established in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union has become Oregon’s largest credit union with over 500,000 members. As we have grown, so has our commitment to community engagement, from the volunteerism encouraged among employees to direct financial support of schools and nonprofits.

Through an inclusive and equitable approach, OnPoint supports organizations in our membership area that align with our core impact values. We offer funding for community grants, sponsorships, and schools making a positive impact.

Focus Areas

All three potential funding tracks fall under OnPoint’s focus areas of Economic Opportunity and Community Vitality.

Economic Opportunity

• Financial Education and Programming
  • Organizations dedicated to empowering youth and adults through educational programming that connects them to all aspects of personal finance in order to make informed financial decisions
• Access to Capital
  • Organizations dedicated to empowering and supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses with education on accessing capital, technical assistance, etc.
• Workforce Development
  • Organizations dedicated to creating pathways to career building, job training education, etc.

Community Vitality

• Hunger and Shelter
  • Organizations dedicated to supporting individuals/communities facing food and housing insecurity including, but not limited to food banks, rent assistance, etc.
• Education
  • Schools, school-adjacent, and other organizations dedicated to informing and educating individuals or the general public and providing teachers, parents and students with products and services that improve learning and decisions about opportunities.
• Community Development
  • Organizations dedicated to supporting and revitalizing communities through behavioral health, arts & culture, etc.
• Sustainability and Environmental Health
  • Organizations dedicated to sustainability efforts and projects.

Support for Schools

OnPoint was founded in 1932 by a group of schoolteachers, and our commitment to education remains central to who we are. In addition to funding educational programs delivered by 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations through our charitable grants program, we are proud to support public education through direct contributions to:

• Public Schools and School Districts
• PTAs and Parent Organizations
• Alumni and School-Based Associations

Funding

While we will consider all eligible requests, our average contribution ranges from $250 to $2,500 for support for schools.

Grant Opportunities

Communities need nonprofits to thrive

We believe in transformational ideas that help individuals, families and communities flourish—and since 1975, the Murdock Trust has invested more than $1.4 billion into nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.

Strategic Project Grants

Capacity-building awards for mission-focused projects and infrastructure investment

Capital Grants

Is capital growth or expansion important to your nonprofit’s vision for long-term growth and success? The Murdock Trust regularly makes grants that support construction, renovation, land purchase and other capital projects. In most cases, we prefer to receive requests for these types of projects once your organization has raised a portion of the needed funds.

Grant Opportunities

Communities need nonprofits to thrive

We believe in transformational ideas that help individuals, families and communities flourish—and since 1975, the Murdock Trust has invested more than $1.4 billion into nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.

Strategic Project Grants

Capacity-building awards for mission-focused projects and infrastructure investment

Equipment & Technology Grants

Best practices suggest that a healthy equipment and supporting technology infrastructure is essential. Please note that with these grants, recipient organizations are responsible for 50% or greater of the purchase cost.

Grant Opportunities

Communities need nonprofits to thrive

We believe in transformational ideas that help individuals, families and communities flourish—and since 1975, the Murdock Trust has invested more than $1.4 billion into nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.

Strategic Project Grants

Capacity-building awards for mission-focused projects and infrastructure investment

Program & Staff

Expanding programs and adding staff are important markers of nonprofit success. Murdock Trust grants help fund both new programs and the expansion of existing programs and may be used to cover start-up costs and/or related staff member additions. Typically, we fund program and staff grants on a declining basis over three years (100/67/33%). 

Background

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) is a modern Tribal Government representing the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla people, who have lived in this region for thousands of years. Traditional games of skill and games of chance have always been part of their tribal culture.

In 1988 the United States Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which provided a basis for Indian Tribes in the US to enter into modern forms of gaming for the purpose of supplementing revenue for tribal nations. IGRA requires tribes to negotiate with states on the types of games to be played and how it will be regulated, while ensuring that tribal governments are the sole owners and primary beneficiaries of gaming, and legislatively recognizing tribal gaming as a way of promoting economic development for tribes. In March, 1995 the CTUIR opened the Wildhorse Resort & Casino for this purpose (a temporary casino facility was opened by CTUIR in November, 1994).

Under the IGRA, tribes use their gaming revenue:

• To fund tribal government operations or programs – examples include Tribal Court, child welfare, building inspection, natural resources protection, police, fire and ambulance. 
• To provide for the general welfare of the Tribe and its members – activities dealing with the long-term security and enhancement of assets of the Tribe and its members, such as investments, scholarships, burial expense assistance, elders group, land acquisition, housing improvements, native language program, summer youth employment, emergency housing assistance, and many others.
• To promote tribal economic development – development of new and expanded economic development projects such as resort management, Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, Business Service Center, Coyote Business Park and Indian Lake.
• To share earnings in the form of dividends (paid to each Tribal Member) – the dividends are based on actual earnings, but the amounts have varied from around $500 per year in the first few years the casino opened to around $1,700 in recent years.
• To donate to charitable organizations — The CTUIR is committed to honoring our tribal traditions of sharing and giving back to the communities in which we live and work. The formation of Wildhorse Foundation in 2001 was for the purpose of formalizing the charitable giving on behalf of the CTUIR and its Wildhorse Casino.

The Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla. Our homeland is the area now known as northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.

Focus Areas

Today, the Wildhorse Foundation donates over $1,000,000 every year to local programs and services that benefit our giving area. We fund projects in the areas of:

• Arts; 
• Cultural Activities;
• Education;
• Environmental Protection;
• Gambling Addiction Prevention Education and Treatment;
• Historic Preservation;
• Public Health;
• Public Safety;
• Salmon Restoration.

General Purpose - Large Grants

Our large grant program is a two-step process that begins with a Letter of Inquiry (LOI), followed by a full application (if selected to move forward by our Board of Trustees) and can be extremely competitive. Decisions are based on the merits of the proposed project/program and its alignment with SMCF’s funding priorities.

Funding

Large Grants have a maximum request of $50,000 for programmatic work and up to $100,000 for capital projects.

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to confront economic, environmental, racial, and social injustice. Since our founding in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 800 recoverable grants totaling more than $10 million for impact litigation. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas and North Carolina, incarcerated people with mental health disabilities are forced to remain in jail despite being found not guilty and unable to proceed with a criminal trial.
• In Orange County, California there are currently 13 gang injunctions under effect, which disproportionately affect young men of color.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the city’s homeless shelter program is inaccessible to people with disabilities.
• In Springfield, Oregon, the city and its police department used excessive force against Black Lives Matter protesters.
• In West Virginia, the state fails to protect children in foster care from abuse and neglect. 
• In Montana, voter suppression laws disadvantage young adults and give priority to gun owners.
• In Gary, Indiana, a gun manufacturer negligently marketed and distributed its guns, leading to an epidemic of gun violence in the city. 
• In Vancouver, British Columbia, the police perpetuate systemic discrimination against Indigenous people through bureaucratic measures.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice. These grants are for cases aiming to help people or communities who are affected by environmental harm or who lack access to basic environmental needs, such as clean water, clean air, adequate waste treatment, and green spaces. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Centreville, Illinois, the city’s failure to maintain its sewer system has caused raw sewage to flood peoples’ homes, endangering the property and health of a predominantly Black community.
• In Fresno County, California, the California Department of Transportation approved a highway expansion project that would increase air pollution and traffic in one of the state’s most environmentally burdened communities.
• In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the proposed expansion of a highway would divide the region's Black, Asian, and Latine neighborhoods and cause pollution and ill health.
• In North Dakota, the five-month closure of a highway in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests disproportionately affected the livelihoods and health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members.
• In Ontario, Canada, mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon river system causes catastrophic environmental and health impacts for the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• In Sacramento, California, the county government and Sacramento Area Sewer District violated the Clean Water Act by discharging raw sewage into nearby rivers.
• In the Eastern Coachella Valley in California, 1,900 residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park suffer from arsenic-laced drinking water, wastewater contamination, and overcharging for utilities.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporationss and the government accountable. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Brooklyn, New York, a prominent mortgage lender engaged in predatory practices, leaving homeowners of color at risk of losing their homes. 
• In Washington, live-in caregivers are unconstitutionally excluded from the state’s wage-and-hour protections.
• In Ravalli County, Montana, the county has created a “modern-day debtors’ prison” by incarcerating people unable to afford pre-trial fees. 
• In San Diego, California, vehicle ordinances target unhoused vehicle owners even when no adequate housing alternative exists.
• In New York, a federal immigration detention facility is violating minimum wage and forced labor laws by forcing detainees to work for just a dollar a day. 
• In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city and county destroy the property of unhoused individuals and conduct forced evictions from public spaces. 
• In Miami, Florida, insurance companies discriminate against a nonprofit community development corporation renting to tenants with Section 8 rental subsidies.

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.

General Purpose - Small Grants

Our small grant program is a competitive two-step process that begins with a Letter of Inquiry (LOI), followed by a full application (if selected to move forward by our Board of Trustees). Decisions are based on the merits of the proposed project/program and its alignment with SMCF’s funding priorities.

Funding

Small Grants have a maximum request of $7,500. 

Mission

Our mission is to empower the lasting conservation of our fish and wildlife and citizen enjoyment of our natural resources. One of the ways we pursue our mission is through grant awards to projects in Oregon that align with our values, priorities, and conservation objectives.

Focus Areas

The Oregon Wildlife Foundation offer small grant awards to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), tax-exempt organizations, volunteer groups with a fiscal sponsor, and qualified individuals for projects that fall within the following areas:

• fish and/or wildlife habitat restoration or protection
• public access preservation, restoration, or improvement
• natural resource or outdoor education
• pollution prevention or reduction
• invasive species removal or control
• studies that support improved fish/wildlife management
• Environmental research

Your proposed project may be a stand-alone project or part of a larger or ongoing project. Projects that conserve or restore an Oregon Conservation Strategy habitat or Strategy species are given priority.Guidelines

• We make cost reimbursement grants only.
• Requested funds must be matched dollar-for-dollar, in cash, or in-kind from other sources. It’s appealing to the Foundation if the applicant's organization is a cash contributor to the project. 
• Grant funds must be expended in the way outlined in your original application. If you need to reallocate expenditures for any reason, our office must be contacted first.
• As requested in our application, a statement of support from a local, state, or federal biologist is required for fish, wildlife, or habitat-related projects. The same may be required for access projects if the need isn’t clearly demonstrated.
•  Other disallowable uses of Foundation funds include fundraising or advocacy activities, ongoing operating expenses, and pass-through 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: 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.

Our History

Bella Vista Foundation (BVF) is the legacy of sisters Georgiana Gerlinger Stevens and Jean Gerlinger Kirkwood, who gave generously throughout their long and eventful lives in the Bay Area and beyond. Georgiana started her own foundation, the GGS Foundation, in 1992, to support literacy, healthy living, and youth development and empowerment. Jean founded the Kirkwood Family Foundation, later renamed the Bella Vista Foundation, in 1999 with a focus on environmental restoration and support for young children. In 2019, the boards of directors of both foundations, composed of family members, decided to merge under the Bella Vista name.

Support for Vital Ecosystems

The Watershed Restoration program focuses on restoration and revitalization of key watershed ecosystems within specific geographic areas in California and Oregon.

Programs/Projects We Fund

Those which:

• Incorporate environmental, economic, and social equity factors because solutions that merge these factors tend to have long-term success 
• Preserve and build natural capital by consuming the growth of the environmental resource, rather than the resource itself
• Support creative solutions to revitalization and restoration that have the potential to serve as models for similar projects
• Are part of a cluster of projects in a given watershed involving one or more organizations over time (the Foundation believes this clustering of support at the watershed level will result in stronger partnerships and a greater impact)
• Foster collaborative partnerships even among groups with divergent interests
• Include activities that governmental agencies do not normally fund

Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program aims to make it easier for community-based organizations to access federal environmental justice funding. The program was created to respond to feedback from communities about the need to reduce barriers to federal funds and improve the efficiency of the awards process to ensure underinvested communities can access the grants.

On December 19, 2023, Philanthropy Northwest, in partnership with an extensive network of regional partners across EPA Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and tribal communities), was selected as the Region 10 Grantmaker for the Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program ("Thriving Communities Program"). Philanthropy Northwest’s goals are to distribute resources to historically underinvested communities by leveraging powerful partnerships, facilitating participatory grantmaking and designing a simplified application process. As a regional grantmaker, Philanthropy Northwest stands alongside other leaders selected to steer these funds effectively to where they can make the greatest difference, distributing $40 million in Region 10 over three years.

Funding

Estimated Funding Range per Award: $150,000-$350,000 

• Type 1 (Assessment): up to $150,000
  •  (1-year project period): grants focused on gathering information, assessing and understanding the problem(s) before developing a plan.
• Type 2 (Planning): up to $250,000
  • (1- to 2-year project period): grants for those who already have a strong understanding of the local environmental and/or public health issues and are ready to formulate a community-wide plan to address those issues.
• Type 3 (Development): up to $350,000
  • (2-year project period): grants for those who already have a strong understanding of the local environmental and/or public health issues, have already formulated a community-wide plan addressing those issues, and/or are now ready to develop the technical aspects of the project (i.e., implement the project on the ground).

A limited number of $75,000 non-competitive fixed-amount subawards will be available for severely capacity-constrained community-based organizations.

Oregon Parks Foundation Fund

The Oregon Parks Foundation Fund of OCF was created in 2009 by the Oregon Parks Foundation (OPF). This fund supports the acquisition, preservation and restoration of Oregon's native landscape, as well as environmental, recreational and educational improvements to public parks throughout Oregon.

Grants Program

The OPF Fund invites proposals from nonprofits and public agencies at the community, district, county and regional level. Grant recommendations are made to the OCF board by an advisory committee created by OPF. Grants disbursed by the OPF Fund generally range from $1,000 to $5,000. Larger grants may occasionally be considered for unique or special projects.

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. 

Mission

The mission of Burning Foundation is to protect our region’s rivers, forest, native fish and land.

Environmental Programs:

We supply financial assistance to organizations that engage in the preservation of habitat that supports biodiversity and quiet remote recreation in Washington or Oregon. We believe that it is most important to preserve habitat that is part of a larger functioning ecosystem. 

Funding

Grants range from $5,000 to $15,000. Approximately $650,000 is granted each year.

Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program

Building a More Just and Sustainable Outdoor and Environmental Movement Together

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led organizations are on the frontlines of the grassroots work being done to build a better planet but our work is chronically overlooked and underfunded. We know that when our voices are left out, our communities suffer, and our planet does too. With the Liberated Paths Program, we envision a way to bridge that gap.

Through this program, we are working to create a more just and sustainable outdoor and environmental movement by shifting resources to and building power with Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color. The Liberated Paths Program supports outdoor initiatives and organizations that cultivate and celebrate the contributions of Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color and affirm the many experiences and identities our communities hold, through grantmaking, capacity building, and network building.

Through our Liberated Paths regional grants, we support organizations and initiatives of all sizes located in California, the Pacific Northwest (Oregon and Washington), the Southwest (Arizona and New Mexico), and the Delaware River Watershed that work at the intersection of racial justice, outdoor experiences, and the environment. In 2023, we will also launch grantmaking in North and South Carolina. Our Liberated Paths: Youth Access to Nature Fund supports efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area that increase safe and equitable access to the outdoors for Young People of Color.

We work with leaders and organizations who are rooted within their communities with the lived experiences to understand how to best advance justice and center the needs of the community. We support Leaders of Color to design and lead the types of joyful outdoor experiences and environmental efforts that are most meaningful to them and their communities. 

Liberated Paths support looks like:

• Relationship-driven and trust-based support
• Multi-year grants of $1,000 to $20,000 per year when possible
• Long-term, deep engagement in financial, operational, and fundraising capacity building
• Network building with a cohort of grantees to facilitate shared learning and systems-level changes
• Eligibility that is not hinged on organization size, ability to do impact reporting, or 501(c)(3) status
• Support for organizations and initiatives of all sizes and in all stages of their development
• Prioritized funding for organizations and initiatives led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
• Capacity building trainings and workshops for grantee partners

Capacity Building

Our model offers financial grants, as well as consistent coaching and mentorship. We want to connect our grantee partners with the tools and resources they need to sustain their vital work. To that end, in addition to trainings and workshops for all grantee partners, we work with each partner to identify areas where they want to grow and tailor our support to their needs. These areas could include: board recruitment, financial sustainability, staffing and hiring considerations, executive leadership coaching, budget planning, program design, insurance and liability considerations, safety, guidance on applications for additional grants, and more.

Network Building

Through Liberated Paths, we seek to bring together organizations and leaders working at the intersection of environment and racial justice. We do this through virtual get-togethers and information sessions. We facilitate network building within each cohort of grantees to facilitate shared learning and systems-level changes.

We also bring together funders and partners through a webinar series to connect, share information about the Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program and to also hold critical conversations regarding topics such as the explicit role of race in Liberated Paths, the racial funding gap, and racial bias and its impact in philanthropy.

Environmental Justice Giving Project Grant

What We Will Fund

The Giving Project will focus on Environmental Justice, making grants to support organizing work that aims to achieve equitable access to a clean and healthy environment for frontline communities most impacted by the climate crisis, environmental racism, and environmental injustice.

The “environment” in the context of the environmental justice movement is defined as the spaces where we live, work, learn, play, pray, and heal. This grant will fund rural and urban organizations working at the intersection of environmental, racial, and economic justice to create sustainable, self-determined and just communities.

We will prioritize funding organizations with Black, Indigenous, and/or POC leadership, and/or who conduct most of their work in reservation communities, and/or rural, small town communities.

Some examples of organizing work that is eligible for this grant include:

• Resource mobilization for affordable and healthy housing
• Organizing efforts supporting access to clean and healthy food, water, and air
• Leadership development programs for environmental justice and health equity
• Facilitating just transition and climate resilience work
• Developing community processes, practices, or civic engagement addressing neighborhood blight

Funding

Grant amount: 2-year grants of $50,000 ($25K/year)

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.

About the Fund

The Columbia River is the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest and has the greatest flow of any North American river draining into the Pacific. The Columbia River watershed extends from the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia to the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon. Historically, the Columbia River supported one of the greatest salmon and steelhead runs on Earth, and through 1840, up to16 million salmon and steelhead returned to the Columbia River to spawn each year.

These massive salmon runs, along with other fish and wildlife populations, historically supported, and continue to sustain, rich Native American cultures and traditions across the entire Columbia River Basin. Since 2014, the Columbia River Fund, funded through settlements of legal actions as part of the Columbia Riverkeeper’s Clean Water Act enforcement program, has awarded over $1 million in grants to support community-based water quality stewardship projects along the Columbia River.

Examples of Allowable Projects and Activities

Here are some examples of the types of projects and activities that are eligible for funding. Due to limited funds, the following types of projects have been designated as priorities:

• Legal strategies, policy development, and associated public outreach and education directed towards protecting the watershed and impacted communities.
• Community organizing , public/environmental education to protect water quality and prevent degradation of the watershed.
• Water quality monitoring and testing including sediment impact analysis, especially if the project also includes an element that uses the data to promote enhanced water quality.

Pacific Power Foundation

The Pacific Power Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Pacific Power. Its mission, through charitable investments, is to support the growth and vitality of local communities.

Together with our foundation and employees, we've given $13 million to local communities since 2019 to lend a helping hand and spur economic development.

Grant Focus

The foundation manages its grants in four cycles. This helps the foundation carefully review similar requests to ensure maximum benefit.

Community Enhancement

Affordable housing, community resilience, community and recreation centers, economic development, libraries, monuments, memorials and science centers.

Environmental Respect

Animal and wildlife biodiversity; carbon and methane emissions; conservation of natural resources; environmental management systems; parks, trails and gardens; resource stewardship; waste management reduction, and water usage management.

GO Grants

Collins is a responsive grantmaker. We award and fund arts and culture, child welfare and development, education, environmental protection, health equity, and a broad range of efforts to enhance the quality of life in Oregon’s communities.

A central priority for the Foundation is to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through our grantmaking. We support organizations at various stages in their pursuit of equity. Many successful applicants will have made efforts to learn about the root causes of social inequities, are actively thinking about how racial equity informs their work and operations, or have implemented policies and practices to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

We provide general operations grants.

About The Roundhouse Foundation

What started in 2002 as a collaboration between Founder and Trustee, Kathy Deggendorfer, and her mother, Gert Boyle, has grown into a dynamic and unique private family foundation. The Roundhouse Foundation is dedicated to supporting programs that inspire creativity, connect people with each other and their sense of place, and ensure sustainability for the long-term economic success of Oregon’s rural communities.We focus our work in and across four areas that are fundamental to thriving rural communities – Arts & Culture, Environmental Stewardship, Social Services and Education. We understand the interconnections of these focus areas and value opportunities that work at their intersections.

The Roundhouse Foundation: Capital Grants for Building Maintenance or New Construction

BUILDING MAINTENANCE

• To support essential repairs and maintenance to existing facilities
• Grants of up to $25,000 will be considered to fund projects that improve the safety, functionality, and longevity of buildings. Aligned projects include a wide range of maintenance needs, such as:
  • HVAC systems
  • Electrical repairs
  • Plumbing issues
  • Roofing and exterior repairs
  • General facility upgrades

NEW CONSTRUCTION

• To support the construction, expansion or significant renovation (e.g. new wing or structure) of new facilities
• Grants of up to $100,000 will be considered to fund the costs associated with building or significantly renovating new structures that meet the needs of the community and enhance organizational capacity. Aligned projects may include but are not limited to:
  • Community centers
  • Educational facilities
  • Health or wellness centers

We know brick & mortar improvements may be aligned with strategic objectives and typically are achieved with funding outside of an annual operating budget. Roundhouse will consider one Capital Program grant per year per organization, as long as the organization has no other active grants with the Foundation. If your organization has another open grant with Roundhouse (i.e. reports that have not been submitted) or has received a grant in the last 12 months, please contact us before applying.

About The Roundhouse Foundation

What started in 2002 as a collaboration between Founder and Trustee, Kathy Deggendorfer, and her mother, Gert Boyle, has grown into a dynamic and unique private family foundation. The Roundhouse Foundation is dedicated to supporting programs that inspire creativity, connect people with each other and their sense of place, and ensure sustainability for the long-term economic success of Oregon’s rural communities.We focus our work in and across four areas that are fundamental to thriving rural communities – Arts & Culture, Environmental Stewardship, Social Services and Education. We understand the interconnections of these focus areas and value opportunities that work at their intersections.

The Roundhouse Foundation: Small Grants

Small grants can support grassroots, innovative work and projects that may not have a need for a significant budget. Small grants also offer opportunities to explore and test new approaches and endeavors which can then be replicated for broader impact. For new partners, this is a great first-time grant program to consider as we get to know each other. We rarely consider requests for general operating or personnel expenses through the Small Grants process. If you’re not sure which of our grant programs will be the best fit for your proposal, please contact us.