Justice Oregon for Black Lives 2024 Collaborative Planning Grant FAQ

Updated August 2023

Can I apply as part of a collaborative if I already have funding from Justice Oregon?

Yes. We know many Justice Oregon grantees are already working across issue areas with partners formally and informally. By funding collaboratives, which we define as three or more organizations working toward a common goal, we hope to formally support these partnerships to create a larger impact.

Collaboratives often require a lot of staff time and money. How will this funding support our capacity to do the work?

We’ve heard repeatedly from grantees and community partners that entering a collaborative process can be overwhelming. We hope to ease this process by funding staff positions for coordination of the collaboratives, data collection and other emergent needs. Justice Oregon is also partnering with technical assistance providers to ensure access to the necessary tools, resources and cohorts required to successfully coordinate this work. We hope that by providing funds for this important planning work, organizations will be supported to dream big on their collaborative project.

What’s the expected timeline for starting the work?

We strongly believe that collaborating and working on “big ideas” necessitates time to pause, breathe and imagine. We will do this by creating a multi-step process:

1) First, collaboratives will apply for a planning grant (i.e, Phase One) that would cover the first 6-12 months of work. The application for this planning grant is available from early June until Wednesday September 13, 2023 at 5pm.

2) After Meyer leadership approves the initial application, funding of up to $200,000 per selected collaborative will be released in November/December 2023.

3) In 2024, collaboratives will have the time to hire staff, finalize planning and begin the work. Collaboratives will deliver their final plans to Justice Oregon staff by November 2024. By late 2024/early 2025, selected collaboratives will be funded for their big idea projects (Phase Two).
The plan can be reworked and added upon as needed throughout the lifecycle of the collaborative.

What types of data are you hoping to collect through the collaborative process?

All collaboratives should think about what impact looks like for the communities they intend to serve. Once collaboratives reach the project phase, we hope they can identify common metrics that include a mix of community-wide measures and local/state statistics to guide the work. We also hope the groups can engage in self-assessments to ensure the collaborative is increasing capacity for all of the partners involved.

My organization is not interested in working within a collaborative. Will you have another open call for individual organizations?

At this time, the main focus of Justice Oregon is providing collaborative funding opportunities.
We strongly encourage current Justice Oregon grantees to stay connected with Meyer's program team as we anticipate additional grant opportunities through our new funding priorities later this year. All new funding opportunities are announced in our newsletter and posted on our website.

Do all of the organizations within the proposed collaboration need to also be Oregon based?

As Meyer can only fund in Oregon, we do require that the lead collaborating organizations is based in Oregon or performing work in Oregon. However, if you'd like to contract out with a consultant or entity not in Oregon with grant funds, you could do that. Reach out to justice-oregon [at] mmt.org if you have any other questions.

How many organizations are required for each collaborative?

Each collaborative must consist of at least three collaborator organizations. The lead collaborator should be a current or former Justice Oregon for Black Lives grantee.

What are the responsibilities of the lead collaborator?

The lead collaborator will be listed as the applicant in the application form. If funded, the lead collaborator will receive the grant from Meyer and be legally responsible for the administrative and financial management of the grant, including disbursing the funds to the other collaborators as subgrants and ensuring that the terms of the grant are met, including coordinating submission of the final grant report.

What is the difference between a collaborator vs. another type of contributor to the project such as a consultant or vendor?

Collaborators are responsible for carrying out the project funded by the grant. We envision they will work together to use their discretionary judgment in planning and carrying out the work, evaluating progress towards the objectives they’ve set for the project and contributing reflection on the overall success and challenges of the project in the final grant report. All collaborators must be eligible to receive grant funding from Meyer (see Question 10 for more guidance about eligibility).

The application and proposed budget may name specific contractors, vendors and individual consultants if they are known at the time of the application, but they are not considered collaborators or subgrantees. They may be for-profit entities, mutual aid organizations, clubs, individuals, etc. Their work and expertise may contribute toward the goals of the project, but they are not responsible for overall planning, decision-making or evaluation of the project.

Do all collaborators need to be 501(c)3 public charities?

No, but if your organization intends to be a collaborator and isn’t a 501(c)3 public charity, please contact us at justice-oregon [at] mmt.org for further guidance. Meyer’s eligibility guidelines can be found here.

Can individuals be included?

Individuals can be included on the project as contractors or consultants. Individuals may not be collaborators, even if they have personal fiscal sponsorships.

What are the grant sizes?

The planning grants are for up to $200,000. Smaller request amounts are perfectly fine as well. Ask for what you need at this stage.

How soon will Phase One funds become available?

Approximately Nov/Dec 2023.

How many proposals will be awarded?

Depending on the request amounts, we estimate about 10 planning grants will be awarded at this stage.

How will the grant funds be divided among the collaborators?

That is up to the collaborative to determine. The organization set up as lead for the application will receive the check and the collaborators should all be in agreement about how to spend the funds.

Are these grants all one year and what comes after?

The time period for this planning grant (Phase One) is calendar year 2024. Funds from this first grant can be spent on the planning work to prepare for the second project phase application in 2025 and onward.

Can you collaborate with groups that you are just now meeting?

Yes, you are welcome to collaborate with new or existing partners.

Can you collaborate with groups that are not BIPOC-led?

Yes, however the focus of the collaboration should be on projects that will have lasting impact for the Black community, whether or not all collaborators are Black-led.

Can a fiscal sponsor and sponsee collaborate on the same proposal?

Yes, fiscal sponsors can also be collaborators in their own right.

Are matching funds required?

No.

When does the application open?

The application is open now, in order to begin filling it out you will need to email justice-oregon [at] mmt.org with the names and contact information of the lead organization and any known collaborators.

Can collaborators apply to Meyer for the same grant or something different?

If the collaborative is funded through Justice Oregon, the same project would not be eligible to apply to Meyer again for additional support. New projects from existing grantees are welcome.

What if one of the collaborators has a current grant with Meyer, does that mean they’re ineligible to apply for this opportunity?

No, a current grant is not an eligibility issue.

The following questions refer to the second part of this multi-year grant opportunity. We define Phase One as the current planning grant opportunity that covers approximately Nov/Dec 2023 through the end of 2024. After that, selected proposals will proceed to Phase Two, which we define as the “big idea” project period starting in early 2025.

Do all collaborations that are funded in Phase One (planning grant) have to apply for Phase Two (project grant)?

No, a funded project could end after Phase One if all collaborators agree that applying for Phase Two will not further the work. Outside of these Justice Oregon opportunities, Meyer funds collaboratives via directed funding as well.

Do the Phase Two collaborators need to be exactly the same as the Phase One collaborators?

No, we understand that life is dynamic. Some planning grants may end there and not return for the larger project stage, but our hope is that most groups apply for Phase Two.

If we hire staff for the planning phase, is it expected that we can show we have secured funds to sustain the position after the first grant period?

There is no expectation of sustained staff after the projects end. We encourage organizations to hire contractors or part time staff to best maximize their planning grant.