April was a busy month at Meyer as we completed statewide outreach for our 2017 annual funding opportunity and our program team began digging into the 607 inquiry applications we received in response to our annual funding call. Applicants can expect to hear in mid-June about whether they are invited to submit full proposals.
But our annual funding opportunity is just one piece — albeit a big one! — of Meyer’s strategy. We continued to make other grants in April, awarding 18 grants totaling more than $792,000 to advance our vision of a flourishing and equitable Oregon. Through these investments, Meyer partnered to establish a rapid response fund as part of the Oregon Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative work, invested in model watersheds under our Willamette River Initiative and supported field convening and learning. These awards continue Meyer’s commitment to social change, collaboration, innovation, diversity, equity, inclusion and responsiveness in this policy environment that is hurting our neighbors, friends, co-workers and community.
You can view the full list of April grant awards here. And here’s a little bit more context about what Meyer funded in April:
Healthy Environment
In our Healthy Environment portfolio, Meyer made seven awards, totaling $708,479, through our Willamette River Initiative to support model watershed organizations working to improve habitat, flow and water quality in key Willamette River tributaries. These grants were made to local watershed councils in Benton, Linn, Lane and Polk counties and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation as part of Meyer’s long-term support of the Willamette Model Watershed Program. So many things about the Willamette River make it a cornerstone of a flourishing and equitable Oregon: cultural practices, salmon, drinking water, recreation, jobs and the spiritual renewal of nature, just to name a few. You can learn more about Meyer’s 10-year Willamette River Initiative, its tributary strategy and grantees here.
In addition to these Initiative grants, Meyer awarded $16,000 in Healthy Environment funds to the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians in support of convening, relationship building and collaboration among Oregon Oregon tribes and environmental and social justice organizations.
Building Community
In the first quarter of 2017, Meyer awarded 32 grants to organizations selected to be part of leadership development and capacity-builder learning communities. These cohorts are working to build equity and inclusion at community and policy decision-making tables through leadership development and to strengthen the broader social sector by integrating diversity, equity and inclusion within organizations. Through these cohort experiences, organizations will come together to lift up collective wisdom and to share and build knowledge to advance diversity, equity and inclusion. In April, Meyer invited four additional organizations to engage in these learning convenings, awarding each of them a $10,000 grant to support their participation.
Learn more about our Leadership Development and Capacity Builder programming here.
Meyer-Directed Awards
Meyer continues to make mission-aligned grants beyond our portfolio-specific awards in response to timely opportunities and needs. In April, we made seven Meyer-directed awards totaling $28,000. Awards included $15,000 to support Meyer’s partnership with the MRG Foundation, Collins Foundation and the Oregon Community Foundation to establish a rapid response fund as one component of the Oregon Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative. This collaborative is building on a history of partnership in support of immigrants and refugees, including past grantmaking related to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. You can learn more about the collaborative here and here.
Remaining funds supported convening and learning, including grants to support grassroots social justice organizations in raising funds in the context of movement building, to inspire and equip social change agents inside grantmaking organizations, and for dialogue about pressing civil rights issues and bridging divides in Oregon.
— Candy