Portland Metro, North Coast Nonprofits Receive $2.6M Boost (Photo) -12/03/24
PORTLAND METRO, NORTH COAST NONPROFITS RECEIVE $2.6M BOOST
Oregon Community Foundation Distributes Record Investments in 2024, Announces New Grant Opportunities for 2025
PORTLAND, Ore. – Culinary training for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Peer mentorship for unhoused adults in Washington County. Mental health counseling for survivors of sex abuse. These are just a few of the projects and programs in the Portland Metro region and North Coast receiving a $2,615,695 boost from the 2024 Fall Cycle of Community Grants from Oregon Community Foundation. The statewide funder has distributed 105 new grants in the Portland Metro region and North Coast to support capacity building, small capital and new or expanding projects by nonprofits.
The announcement comes on #GivingTuesday, an international day of generosity that follows Thanksgiving.
Statewide, the new round of funding includes 248 grants for nearly $5.8 million. That brings the total awarded in Community Grants by OCF to a record $11.1 million for the year, including funding previously announced in the spring.
“Collectively, these projects support community resources that help to build a sense of belonging in the communities we serve,” says OCF Board Member Karis Stoudamire-Phillips, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Community Initiatives at Moda Health and Delta Dental of Oregon.
“From job training to mental health support to services to people experiencing homelessness, Oregon Community Foundation is extremely proud to support our nonprofit partners making a difference in the metro region and all across our state.”
The grants are possible because of the generosity of Oregon Community Foundation donors.
Just as the new funding reaches Oregon nonprofits, OCF has opened the next round of Community Grants to be distributed in spring 2025. The deadline is Jan. 14, 2025. Find details here. The goal is to provide equitable access to flexible funding for organizations serving communities’ most pressing needs throughout Oregon.
Find the full list of fall 2024 grantees here. The list below of representative grants demonstrates the breadth of impact the funding has on nearly every aspect of life for Oregonians.
Germaine’s Culinary | Portland | $20,000
To support culinary training program for people experiencing intellectual or developmental disabilities.
"Germaine's Culinary Inc. provides hands-on training to people experiencing intellectual or developmental disabilities. Students work alongside professional chefs to gain skills that prepare them for community-based employment, which in turn translates to empowerment and independence. Our mission is to ensure that people with disabilities not only live and work in their communities but thrive. Germaine's Culinary has a critical secondary mission: to relieve food insecurity in Portland. While students learn marketable skills, they prepare hot meals for those in need."
~Lori Irish Bauman, Founder and Board Chair
Germaine's Culinary Inc.
United Way of Columbia County | Rainier | $20,690
To increase capacity to recruit and train additional volunteers for the Senior Volunteer Program.
"This program has made such a difference for Grandma June. As a 92-year-old, she has made friendships and built support that she needs to stay healthy. She loves her quilting team on Wednesday mornings and appreciates the ability to carpool with others. Grandma felt especially special at the Fair Pageant. She was treated like a true princess. My grandmother taught me so much about community and helping others--she continues to do that through this program."
~James, Adult Grandson of a Senior Volunteer
Contact: Claire Catt, Executive Director
United Way of Columbia County
www.unitedwayofcolumbiacounty.com
LIFEBoat Services | Astoria | $35,000
To expand current services by establishing a new Daytime Navigation Services Center to help community members address their housing and health needs.
“LIFEBoat Services provides the only true low-barrier shelter and stand-alone peer-support program in Clatsop County. Our trauma-informed, peer-to-peer approach gives us the unique opportunity to build relationships with some of the most vulnerable individuals in our communities.”
~Erin Carlsen, Associate Director
Contact: Osarch Orak
Executive Director
503-741-3572
oz@lifeboat-services.org
Nehalem Bay Health Center & Pharmacy | Wheeler | $40,000
To open a new dental and pediatric dental service clinic.
“Many of our patients face barriers to health care, and having dental care available locally – particularly care focused on our pediatric population – will help set the stage for lifelong dental health and will improve the overall health of our community.”
~Gail Nelson, CEO
Total for Fall 2024: 248 grants of $5,789,074
- Portland Metro: $2,349,889
- North Coast $265,806
- Central Oregon: $394,562
- Southern Willamette Valley: $965,200
- South Coast: $206,000
- Southern Oregon: $545,000
- Eastern Oregon: $322,617
- Northern Willamette Valley: $700,000
- Out of State: $40,000
About OCF’s Community Grants Program
For 27 years, OCF’s Community Grants program has invested in community livability and vitality by listening and responding to people closest to innovating opportunities they want to advance. As Oregon has grown, so too has the complexity of issues facing so many Oregonians. Compounding these challenges is a history of systems that have not benefited everyone equitably. OCF recognizes this reality. The Community Grants program continues to provide funding for nonprofits addressing the pressing needs of communities across Oregon, informed by the voices of people who know their communities the best.
Since 1973, Oregon Community Foundation has worked to improve the lives of all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy. In partnership with donors and volunteers, OCF strengthens communities in every county in Oregon through grantmaking, scholarships and research. In 2023, OCF distributed $225 million in grants and scholarships. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations can work with OCF to create charitable funds to support causes important to them. To learn more, please visit oregoncf.org.
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