We all desire to be seen and acknowledged for who we are — not just for what we can do or the challenges we have been through.
When Justice Oregon for Black Lives launched in 2020, it was in response to what we’d heard, what we’d seen on our television screens and on our streets. It was a response to what years, decades of data revealed about the experiences that Black Oregonians faced throughout our state. Inequitable access to employment, housing, community safety and fair treatment.
As we begin to reflect on the first five years of Justice Oregon and chart the next iteration of this work, we have already learned far more than we anticipated.
The creation of the initiative alongside community members helped reset the balance of whose voice was centered and whose expertise was valued. If we believe in the strength, ingenuity and wisdom of community, how do we trust that? How do we show that? We started by listening and to this day, that has been one of the greatest pathways to growth and impact.
We learned that building the capacity to serve the Black community well takes time, especially when you haven’t received equal opportunities from the start. But that time and support paid off with stronger leadership, infrastructure and programs and helped create the conditions for more transformative and lasting change.
Shifting from a competitive model of grantmaking to one that centered collective learning, collaboration and relationship-building laid the groundwork for innovative ideas. We have been able to plant seeds of connection and belonging among organizations and their leaders — efforts that build up energy and momentum rather than causing more exhaustion and competition.
We’ve got some good momentum and positive progress but that’s not enough. Five years wasn’t going to erase centuries of injustice or inadequate access to opportunities. You will continue to see Meyer delving into this work — refining how we can provide better capacity building support and seed collaborative solutions to longstanding problems — alongside a revamped community advisory group. The Meyer Board of Trustees’ decision to incorporate this initiative into our ongoing work signals its importance for the Black community and all of Oregon.
Over the last five years, more than 130 organizations have received a Justice Oregon grant. Forty-seven percent received their first Meyer grants through this initiative. Intentionality yields results.
Early qualitative analysis of information from our grantees shows Justice Oregon’s general operating funds and multiyear funding has helped grantees strengthen their organizational operations, deepen their programming, and have a greater impact in ways that would not have been possible with other types of funding.
Incredibly, 84% of grantees report that they have been able to leverage their Justice Oregon grants to secure funding from other sources. All organizations have a beginning. To be part of that is an honor, an opportunity — not just a risk.
Our CEO Toya Fick frequently says that one of our best takeaways from this first-of-its-kind initiative should be the lessons and results that can inform grantmaking throughout the rest of our organization. That’s on our list too. As our grantees are continuing to implement this fifth year of funding, we look forward to sharing more of our lessons, our plans and stories of impact in the coming months.