Search Through Grants for Youth Programs in Portland, Oregon in the U.S.

Making community possible

At U.S. Bank, we are dedicated to supporting our communities through responsive and humbled actions focused on addressing racial and economic inequities and creating lasting change in our communities. Through our Community Possible Grant Program, we are partnering with organizations that focus on economic and workforce advancement, safe and affordable housing and communities connected through arts and culture.

The U.S. Bank Foundation is committed to making Community Possible through Work, Home and Play. We advance this work through collaborative grant making to bring equitable and lasting change through our focus on sustainable, high-impact funding with 501c3 nonprofit partners.

How we partner with nonprofits

We focus on collaborative grantmaking and sustainable, high-impact funding with 501(c)(3) nonprofit partners. We partner with organizations that support:

• Economic and workforce advancement
• Safe and affordable housing
• Community arts and culture

Our strategy

Our community affairs and foundation team work closely with U.S. Bank regional leadership, business resource groups and our National Community Advisory Committee to ensure that prevailing needs are addressed in all the communities we serve.

To make the most meaningful impact, we prioritize organizations that:

• Focus on economic development issues related to work, home and play
• Address more than one of the grant pillars (work, home and play)
• Are based in and serve designated U.S. Bank communities
• Advance diversity, equity and inclusion

Charitable Contributions

Costco Wholesale’s primary charitable efforts specifically focus on programs supporting children, education, and health and human services in the communities where we do business. Throughout the year we receive a large number of requests from nonprofit organizations striving to make a positive impact, and we are thankful to be able to provide support to a variety of organizations and causes. While we would like to respond favorably to all requests, understandably, the needs are far greater than our allocated resources and we are unable to accommodate them all.

Warehouse Donations:

Warehouse donations are handled at the warehouse level - please consult your local warehouse for up-to-date information regarding their donations contacts and review process.

Grant Applications

If the request is under consideration, you may be contacted by staff for any additional information needed. Applications are reviewed within 4-6 weeks, and decisions are made based on several factors, including: type of program; identified community need not otherwise available; indication that evidenced based data will establish measurable results of intended outcomes; community collaboration; broad base of financial support; project budget and operating expenses.

Mission

The DanPaul Foundation will use its resources to help train teachers and parents in early childhood development, protect children from abuse and neglect, stimulate children's personal social responsibilities, and offer them opportunities for enrichment and growth.

The Foundation will also encourage children to be concerned and informed about the environment and the underprivileged, particularly with regard to clean air and water, and adequate housing and nutrition for all.

Beliefs

The DanPaul Foundation believes that children should have ample opportunities for enrichment in their lives, and thus strives to provide many different ways to enrich and expand children's minds through direct programs and monetary support to organizations doing similar work.

We have provided or currently provide grants related to the following program areas:

• Workshops, Conferences, + Seminars: We strive to offer educational workshops, conferences, and seminars for parents and teachers on topics related to early childhood development.
• Student Scholarships: We aim to help students attending post-secondary education institutions by providing need-based and academic scholarships.
• Scientific Endeavors: We desire to advance scientific endeavors which seek to improve the quality of life for everyone in the world.
• Clean Air + Water: We hope to pass on knowledge and practical life skills to youth regarding their personal responsibility to the environment, teaching them about issues surrounding clean air and water.
• Child Advocacy: We believe in protecting children from abuse and neglect and particularly love to support programs that provide education and assistance to children as well as organizations advocating or caring for vulnerable children.
• Homelessness: We want to encourage young people to take a personal interest in seeing that adequate housing and proper nutrition, especially for the underprivileged and homeless, are available.
• Poverty + Neglect: We seek to help those in poverty as well as educate youth about their responsibility to consider the underprivileged and take care of those most in need of life's basic essentials like adequate housing and proper nutrition.
• Refugee Enrichment: We wish to help refugee youth by supporting programs that provide them enrichment and help them transition to life in a new country.

The DanPaul Foundation provides grants to 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organizations as defined by the IRS. The Foundation is interested in providing funding to programs that directly serve the health, education, development, and welfare of the world's youth.

Grants range from a few hundred dollars up to $15,000 per calendar year.

Background

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of underserved communities across the globe by supporting scalable, innovative, and impact-first solutions that leverage existing systems and stakeholders. Our goal is to find social entrepreneurs with dynamic products or services that have a proven ability to positively impact the lives of underserved people, and nurture those organizations at the early stages by providing capacity, capital, and community.

Our application process is designed to be open and accessible, and we accept applications year round from across our priority geographies and sectors. Borrowing from our venture capital legacy, we find exceptional entrepreneurs and provide them with: 

Capacity

• The core of DRK’s model is deep and extensive operational and technical support for each portfolio organization, both through dedicated hands-on Board service and specialist capacity-building resources for fundraising, board and organizational development, leadership, financial support, and scaling strategy,

Capital

• DRK provides up to $300,000 USD in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, and

Community

• DRK convenes our portfolio and alumni annually, facilitating connections and community. 

What We Fund

DRK Foundation funds early-stage social impact organizations solving the world’s biggest social and environmental problems using bold, scalable approaches.

What stage of growth does DRK Foundation typically fund?

Early stage: Organizations who are early stage, which we define as post-pilot and pre-scale. This typically means: 

• Your program, product or service is already being used in the market or in the field, 
• You have early indication that your model is having its intended impact on the beneficiary populations,
• Your organization is relatively young (ideally between two and five years old, although we will consider both younger and older organizations).

Venture funding: In the case of for profits, we typically support Seed to Series A organizations, and never lead rounds; we also generally but not exclusively refrain from participating in financings exceeding a $15M USD post-money valuation.  

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. 

PNC Foundation

Strengthening and enriching the lives of our neighbors in communities where we live and work.

Vision & Mission

For decades, we have provided resources to seed ideas, foster development initiatives and encourage leadership in nonprofit organizations where imagination and determination are at work enhancing people's lives everyday.

The PNC Foundation's priority is to form partnerships with community-based nonprofit organizations in order to enhance educational opportunities, with an emphasis on early childhood education, and to promote the growth of communities through economic development initiatives.

Foundation Grant

The PNC Foundation supports a variety of nonprofit organizations with a special emphasis on those that work to achieve sustainability and touch a diverse population, in particular, those that support early childhood education and/or economic development.

Education

The PNC Foundation supports educational programs for children and youth, particularly early childhood education initiatives that meet the criteria established through PNC Grow Up Great. Specifically, PNC Grow Up Great grants must:

• Support early education initiatives that benefit children from birth to age five; and
• Serve a majority of children (>50%) from low- to moderate-income families; and
• Adhere to all other standard PNC Foundation guidelines, as outlined on the PNC Foundation website, applicant eligibility quiz, as well as the Foundation policies and procedures; and
• Include one or a combination of the following:
  • direct services/programs for children in their classroom or community;
  • professional development/workforce development for early childhood educators;
  • family and/or community engagement in children’s early learning
• Additional considerations:
  • The grant focus should include math, science, reading, vocabulary development, the arts, financial education, or social/emotional development.
  • The grant recipient, or collaborative partner, should have early childhood education as an area of focus. If the organization’s focus is beyond birth to age five, the specific grant must be earmarked for birth to age five.
  • Incorporate opportunities for PNC volunteers in classroom or non-classroom-based activities.

Economic Development

Economic development organizations, including those which enhance the quality of life through neighborhood revitalization, cultural enrichment and human services are given support. Priority is given to community development initiatives that strategically promote the growth of low-and moderate-income communities and/or provide services to these communities.

• Affordable Housing
  • The PNC Foundation understands the critical need for affordable housing for low-and moderate-income individuals.
  • We are committed to providing support to nonprofit organizations that:
    • give counseling and services to help these individuals maintain their housing stock;
    • offer transitional housing units and programs; and/or
    • offer credit counseling assistance to individuals, helping them to prepare for homeownership.
• Community Development
  • Because small businesses are often critical components of community growth and help foster business development, the PNC Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations that
    • offer technical assistance to, or loan programs for, small businesses located in low-and moderate-income areas or
    • support small businesses that employ low-and moderate-income individuals.
• Community Services
  • Support is given to social services organizations that benefit the health, education, quality of life or provide essential services for low-and moderate-income individuals and families.
  • The PNC Foundation supports job training programs and organizations that provide essential services for their families.
• Arts & Culture
  • Support is given for cultural enrichment programs benefitting the community.
• Revitalization & Stabilization of Low-and Moderate-Income Areas
  • The PNC Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that serve low-and moderate-income neighborhoods by improving living and working conditions.
  • Support is given to organizations that help stabilize communities, eliminate blight and attract and retain businesses and residents to the community.

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

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 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.” 

FY2025-26 Community enhancement program (CEP)

CEP project nominations will be accepted from November 12, 2025 through January 9, 2026, with project selection anticipated in spring 2026 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, 2026, 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 and community emergency preparedness.
• Benefit youth, seniors, low income persons or underserved populations
• Foster and enhance community enrichment through educational programming, arts and cultural projects.

What We Do

On the surface, Foundation work may seem to only be about giving money to a nonprofit organization — simple as that. But no! When done well, a foundation’s money giving is only a small part of its activities. To give is not the end game. Well, then why do we exist? TO EFFECT CHANGE!

Who changes? As a Foundation, we do. As a receiving nonprofit organization or partner, they do. The people the nonprofits serve also change. We seek to energize our nonprofit partners to excellence by helping them find positive change resulting in the ability to better the lives of those less fortunate. How is this done? In our changing times the answer to the question is – THINK DIFFERENTLY!

We accomplish our core value to effect change by employing the following key strategies to support our nonprofit partners:

• Conduct site visits of our nonprofit partners to hear and see what they do, meet their people, learn their processes, and provide recommendations on how we may help to advance their mission.
• Attending nonprofit fundraising events such as luncheons, galas, or evening programs to understand how the nonprofit functions in their community.
• Attending our nonprofit fundraising events such as luncheons, galas, or evening programs to understand how the nonprofit functions in their community.
• Awarding grants to help key nonprofits to accomplish their mission.
• Introduce nonprofit partners to other partners that promotes networking opportunities in support of common goals.

Our Mission

The primary interests of the Foundation are to partner with nonprofit organizations which address the needs of at-risk youth, families, and the elderly.

The Foundation has a commitment to bettering the lives of the less fortunate in the areas of Families In Crisis, Education, and Mental Health.

Our Values

Our Foundation is in the CHANGE business. Energizing our nonprofit partners to achieve excellence, helps them find positive change.

Thos nonprofit partners that achieve excellence in the art of positive change are considered for the Queen Award.

By providing support, our partners can better the lives of those less fortunate to become productive and self-sufficient in their community. Our core value is witnessing positive change in our partners, and those who are helped by them.

Areas of Focus

• Families in Crisis
• Education
• Mental Health
• Caring for Children

Background

Benefitting communities where Nike employees live, work and play.

The Nike Community Impact Fund was established at Oregon Community Foundation in 2010. Through this fund, Nike employees work with OCF to award at least $550,000 per year to nonprofits and schools in the Metropolitan Portland region, the Northern Willamette Valley and in southwest Washington to give youth positive experiences in sport and physical activity, and advance healthier, supportive and more inclusive communities.

Nike believes in the power of sport to unleash human potential and build community. It fuels this belief through Made to Play, its commitment to getting kids moving through play and sport so that they can lead healthier, happier and more successful lives.

The Nike Community Impact Fund (NCIF) takes a collaborative approach to grant making by partnering with Nike employees to participate in the grant-making process and directly impact the local communities where they live and work.

NCIF helps local organizations bring the benefits of sport to their communities, giving kids an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of quality play and active lives, and creating stronger communities where sports and physical activity are a highly-valued part of everyday life.

Funding Priorities

• 75 Percent of grant awards support projects that promote sport or physical activity in the community.
• 25 Percent of grant awards support organizations and projects that address community challenges through innovative or proven community-based solutions

Emphasis is placed on inclusive programs that serve underrepresented populations.

Nike Community Impact Fund – Portland Metro And Northern Willamette Valley: 75% of grant awards support projects that promote sport and physical activity in the community. 25% of grant awards support organizations and projects that address community challenges through innovative community-based solutions.

Nike Community Impact Fund - Community Store – Northeast Portland Only: 100% of grant awards support projects that promote sport and physical activity in the community.

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

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. 

The Williams Family Foundation was established in 2017 to provide grants to qualified 501(c)(3) organizations that serve youth, adults, the arts, and animal welfare organizations. We seek to primarily provide funding for special projects to enhance infrastructure, programs, and outreach. 

We invite qualified organizations to make grant applications. Our typical grant amount is less than $10,000. We favor applications that propose to use funds for infrastructure, specific outreach efforts or specific events.

Primary Areas of Interest

• Assist faith based organizations of all traditions that provide shelter, educational and family support and provide basic necessities for those in need.
• Arts Organizations – Musical, Art and Theatre organizations that enrich the cultural climate in the community.   
• Young People – Promote good mental, physical health and education of young people.
• Animal Welfare - Animal Rescue Organizations, Animal Protection Organizations.
• Other Worthy Causes – Promote other worthy charitable, educational and medical research activities.

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.

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?

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

The June & Julian Foss Foundation was established in 1997. It is comprised of the descendants of June & Julian Foss and their immediate families. The Philosophy of the June & Julian Foss Foundation is based on love of family, respect for diversity, intolerance of bigotry, and generosity of self. We consider society’s most important strength to be that of families, though we define family broadly. We value integrity, self-reliance, self-esteem, and spirituality, and we consider a sense of humor to be an important attribute. We intend to support programs and projects, especially those directed to children and youth, that promote these values and that encourage an entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of curiosity and wonder.

Our mission is to promote change in the life situations of young people to help them grow into healthy, responsible adults, and to promote philanthropy within our family.

Priorities 

The Foundation’s priority interests are

• Children and young adults
• Children and young adults with mental illness or physical disabilities

The Foundation focuses on programs that

• Strengthen families
• Promote recognition of equality and respect for diversity
• Promote recognition of the innate value of self and others
• Promote respect for one’s own values and those of others
• Enhance capacity for individuals to recognize their own capabilities
• Enhance capacity for self-sufficient living

Size of Grants

Grants made by the Foundation generally do not exceed $5,000.

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

Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the United States that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners, not as donors and recipients, to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good.

Each year, the Mutual of America Foundation sponsors a national competition in which hundreds of organizations demonstrate the value of their partnership to the communities they serve, their ability to be replicated by others and their capacity to stimulate new approaches to addressing significant social issues.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive the Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $75,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Since its inception in 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 262 partnerships from cities and towns across America. Like so many of our clients working in the nonprofit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on society.

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.

Corporate Contributions

Community involvement and corporate citizenship are an example of Insperity’s mission in action. We are committed to helping the communities where we live and work because together, we know we can make great things happen.

Grants

Philanthropic grants are a strong part of our community outreach and aid institutions needing financial support to meet important service goals.

Event Sponsorship

Fundraising events are an important part of nonprofit support. Insperity provides event sponsorships to approved charities to assist them in meeting their financial and community goals.

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.

Nature Education Grants

Metro's Nature in Neighborhoods community grants provide opportunities to connect people with nature across greater Portland. The nature education grants are offered every two years.

Purpose of Grants

Nature education and outdoor experiences grants support and create partnerships in local communities that improve water quality, restore fish and wildlife habitat and connect people with nature. These grants prioritize programs that advance racial equity, diversity and inclusion, make communities more resilient to climate change and include greater community engagement.

Potential Projects

Funding is available for projects that promote cultural, environmental and economic equity. As examples, projects could:

• build relationships and partnerships that promote nature education and outdoor experiences by and for people of color
• increase the number of visitors and staff at parks and natural areas who represent diverse racial, ethnic and cultural groups and other historically and continually marginalized groups
• develop the capacity of organizations that serve people of color to lead nature education and cultural programs in parks and natural areas
• support outdoor nature programs that include family and community collaboration and culturally specific organizations that center people of color, specifically support programs that are led by and for these communities
• integrate outdoor nature education with school-based and science, technology, engineering and math curriculum
• support community engagement and nature education programs that include hands-on restoration activities to improve fish and wildlife habitat in local communities
• support mentorship, youth corps and job skill development or otherwise prepare participants for continuing careers or higher education in natural resources, nature education or other nature-related science, technology, engineering or math fields.

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation Vision

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, "A Foundation for All", was established in 2002. It was begun in order to give a clear voice for those who wish to be a part of the many, worthy, forces for change in our world.

We are a foundation whose purpose is to look ahead towards the future, giving the past its due by remembering where we came from, and how much we can all accomplish together. We aim to make the critical difference on our planet by recognizing and having respect for our ever changing world. We respect all Life, the Environment, and all People, no matter who they are.

Georgia-Pacific Foundation

Established in 1958, the Georgia-Pacific Foundation sets aside resources to improve life in the communities where we operate. We’ve worked with thousands of outstanding community-based programs, service projects and disaster relief efforts, focusing our investment in four areas we believe make the most impact:

• education
• entrepreneurship
• enrichment of community
• environment

Investment Priorities

• Aligns with GP’s mission and values
• Aligns with GP’s Four Focus Areas of giving: Education, Environment, Enrichment of Community and Entrepreneurship
• Serves communities where GP has manufacturing facilities
• Creates value by contributing to and positively impacting long term well-being and sustainability of GP communities