Building a Future Where All Students Thrive

I have worked in and around education my entire 22-year career. I’ve coordinated youth programs in a small rural community in Eastern Washington, worked in higher education at public and private colleges, awarded grants to fund educational programs in philanthropy, and led educational initiatives at the state level. I also currently serve on my local school board.

All that is to say I have experienced different sides of the educational world and I’ve witnessed more than a few educational initiatives that began with great promise, only to be abandoned or defunded before they had the chance to yield real transformation.

And yet, stability and commitment are more important than ever as we work to support young Oregonians in school and life. It takes time to see significant change in education and we need to stay the course to allow efforts to mature.

The cumulative impact of historical underinvestment in education, learning losses exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and current efforts to dismantle the Department of Education threaten to further destabilize the structural and funding supports that are in place to ensure equitable access to opportunity. Even with increased funding from the state in the last five years, our student outcomes have not improved and in most cases have continued to get worse.

It’s no surprise that our youth-serving organizations and educational institutions are strongly signaling the need for more support. We received 330 applications for funding through Our Empowered Youth — the most of all three portfolios in our 2024 funding opportunity

I am incredibly proud to announce that we have invested in 47 organizations with awards totaling $7.3 million. Here are some highlights from the awards, followed by the full list of all 2024 funding opportunity grantees. Congratulations to all!

Community-Driven Approach

When we launched the Empowered Youth portfolio last year, we listened to our community, followed the research and considered the educational policy landscape to understand where Meyer dollars could have the greatest impact. One enduring lesson is that our chances of success are much improved when we follow the lead of our communities. That is, when we invest in efforts that empower students, families and educators to advocate for the policies and programs that will best serve them.

A standout example of this is a partnership between the Jefferson 509J School District and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to develop a Native dual language immersion program so that Indigenous students can learn in a culturally affirming environment ($200,000).

A Workforce that Reflects Our Diverse Youth

More than 41% of Oregon’s K-12 classrooms are filled with students of color, yet fewer than 14% of today’s educator workforce share their racial or ethnic backgrounds. Culturally relevant, community-led programs are essential in addressing this disparity. By funding initiatives that support historically underserved students, we are working to close the opportunity gap and ensure that every child has access to an education that meets their needs.

Chemeketa Community College is collaborating with five other community colleges across Oregon to develop a Bachelors of Applied Science in Education consortium. Their shared goal is to develop accessible and affordable pathways for diverse educators in rural communities ($300,000).

Expanding Access in Rural and Underserved Areas

Rural communities face unique barriers to education, from limited financial resources to geographic isolation. Some of the grants that are specific to those communities include: Project Youth+, an organization working to engage first-generation, low-income and under-represented college students in Southern Oregon ($100,000); Four Rivers Community School, a public charter school working to strengthen transitions from early education to college and career for bilingual and bicultural students in Malheur County ($175,000); and the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, dedicated to bringing more BIPOC artists into rural coastal schools and enriching arts education for all students through their K-8 Create program ($140,000).

Addressing Root Causes of Inequities

In addition to direct student support, many of our grantees are working to address the root causes of inequities in education.

The Early Childhood Equity Collaborative is working to improve pay and training for early childhood educators ($90,000). Vision to Learn is advocating for state funding to provide free vision screenings and glasses for all students ($60,000). Better Together Central Oregon is bringing school districts, higher education, social service agencies and community leaders together to improve systems alignment and track student outcomes in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties ($290,000).

Defending Education in a Challenging Political Landscape

I want to close by acknowledging the reality of our world right now. Our democratic institutions are under attack, especially our educational institutions.

Many critical efforts which support our most marginalized and vulnerable students, including children with disabilities, English language learners and students of color are being dismantled under the guise of fairness and equality.

Our team at Meyer is working hard to respond knowing that at the end of the day, our grant dollars can only go so far. So we will work alongside our community and fight to maintain and protect these important programs. We must support each other and advocate for a future in which all of our students can thrive in a just and equitable educational environment.

— Michael

 

Our Empowered Youth Grantees

2024 Funding Opportunity applicants submitted proposals under one of the following portfolio goals. Here are the awarded organizations organized by those goals.

Goal 1: Build Power for a Thriving Education

Afghan Support Network

Better Together Central Oregon

Black Educational Achievement Movement

Black Parent Initiative

Children's Institute Early Childhood Equity Collaborative

Disability Rights Oregon

Eastern Oregon University Foundation

Elevate Oregon

Jackson County Community Services Consortium

Muslim Educational Trust

Oregon Trio Association

Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center

Project Youth+ College Dreams

Southern Oregon Child and Family Council

Vision to Learn

Young Roots Oregon

 

Goal 2: Close the Opportunity Gap

Chemeketa Community College Collaborative

College Possible

Columbia Gorge ESD Collaborative

Four Rivers Community School

Get Schooled Foundation

Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest

Jefferson County School District 509J

Josephine County Foundation

Marshallese American Network for Interacting Together

Neskowin Coast Foundation

Northwest Alliance for Alternative Media and Education

Northwest Regional Education Service District

Portland All Nations Canoe Family

Reading Results

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

Youth Empowerment Project PNW

 

Goal 3: Build an educational system that reflects our students

Be BLAC Foundation

Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization

Clackamas Education Service District

Eugene School District 4J

Mentoring Individuals Into New Territory Through Education

Multnomah Education Service District Collaborative

Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native PLC

Northeast STEAM Coalition

Oregon Alliance of Black School Educators

Portland Community College Foundation

Portland State University Foundation*

Samoa Pacific Development Corporation

The Fathers Group

Transponder

United Way of Southwestern Oregon