On March 9, Meyer will announce Spring funding opportunities for our grants focusing on building community, supporting a healthy environment and ensuring housing opportunities.
Funding opportunities for our Equitable Education portfolio will rollout later in 2016.
Visit our portfolio pages for specific information on funding opportunities. And bookmark our events page for details on a series nearly two dozen of information sessions, including in-person and virtual open houses, beginning in mid-March and running through early April. Click the events to register for your preferred date.
Finally, to stay in the loop, please sign up to receive our general e-newsletter, Meyer Mail, as well as portfolio-specific e-newsletters.
Staff will answer questions on Meyer's four portfolios and new funding opportunities at community information sessions during March and April. Those include virtual open houses and in-person events in Astoria, Bend, Burns, Coos Bay, Cornelius, Corvallis, Enterprise, Eugene, Grants Pass, Klamath Falls, La Grande, Lincoln City, Medford, Oregon City, Portland, Redmond, Roseburg, Salem, The Dalles, Tillamook, Warm Springs and Woodburn. In addition, we've included conferences and Meet the Funder panels where Meyer staff will be on hand with representatives of other funders.
*Sessions can also be found in chronological order on our events page.
Metro Area
The funding information sessions for the Metro Area have ended, please stay tuned for updates.
Coastal Area
The funding information sessions for Oregon's Coastal regions have ended, please stay tuned for updates.
Emerald Valley
The funding information sessions for the Emerald Valley have ended, please stay tuned for updates.
Eastern Oregon
The funding information sessions for Eastern Oregon have ended, please stay tuned for updates.
Central Oregon
The funding information sessions for Central Oregon have ended, please stay tuned for updates.
Southern Oregon
May 18-20 Meet the Funders Panel (Canyonville)
All Day
This is part of a series of in-person information sessions Meyer plans to host after announcing new funding opportunities on March 9. Each two-hour event will include multiple staff members from each portfolio to answer questions and share insights about Meyer's redesigned grantmaking. Location: Seven Feathers Casino Resort, 146 Chief Miwaleta Ln, Canyonville, OR 97417. For additional information, and to RSVP, please click here
Virtual Sessions
The virtual funding information sessions have ended, please stay tuned for updates.
Meanwhile, if you're thinking of attending a virtual open house, by phone or video conference, be sure to send us your questions on Twitter using #MeyerInfoSessions.
Today I am excited to announce that Meyer Memorial Trust is launching our new funding opportunities.
Over the past 12 months, we paid out nearly $38 million in grants and program related investments. At the same time, we completely overhauled our grantmaking to be more strategic, to have greater impact and to focus on what we believe is the greatest impediment to achieving an Oregon where all people can reach their full potential: Inequities.
The reasoning underlying our focus on equity is straightforward: inequity is a pernicious obstacle to the flourishing and equitable state Oregonians deserve.
Previously at Meyer, we had two main funding portals: Responsive Grants, aimed at larger projects and often larger organizations, and Grassroots Grants, which focused on smaller projects and emerging nonprofits. In addition, in recent years, we began funding three initiatives, one focused on the Willamette River, another focused on affordable housing and a third, in partnership with other local funders, the Chalkboard Project, focused on education. While the initiatives were targeted, most of Meyer’s funding went to assorted requests made through our responsive grants programs.
But our experience with the initiatives was eye-opening and instructive. Where we were unable to measure impact over time from our Responsive and Grassroots grantmaking, we were able to track it via our initiatives. Impact matters, particularly in Oregon, which has relatively few place-based foundations compared to other areas of the country. Although $38 million in grantmaking sounds like a lot of money, only when it is targeted can it help move the needle to make life measurably better in communities across the state.
Within our new focused portfolios — Building Community, Healthy Environment, Housing Opportunities and Equitable Education — we will prioritize work that increases equity for and inclusion of Oregonians who experience disparities because of race, ethnicity, income, gender, sexual orientation, disability and other oppressions. While we will still support some organizations that do not have equity as a primary focus, we are asking all our partners to explore equity within the context of their organizations. And we will challenge and support them to make progress on integrating diversity, equity and inclusion in their work, partnerships, outreach, policies, staff and boards.
One consequence of our new strategy and pursuit of deeper impact is that we will have to make difficult choices. Where in the past we assessed proposals based on their individual merits, we will now strive to identify the strongest opportunities to make progress toward our specific goals with partners who share our commitment to furthering equity. With our focus on building community, supporting a healthy environment, ensuring housing opportunities and achieving equitable education for all Oregonians, we recognize that there will be work and outstanding nonprofits that we have funded in the past that will not strongly align with our new direction and will be unlikely to receive grants going forward.
You’ll find details of our Spring 2016 Funding Opportunities, for which we will begin accepting Inquiry Applications on Monday, April 4th. Additional funding opportunities to support the sector and in the Equitable Education portfolio will be announced later this year and there will also likely be strategy-specific opportunities through our Affordable Housing and/or Willamette River initiatives. All told we anticipate paying out in the range of $36 million this year, including awards made under the Spring 2016 Funding Opportunities, existing and multi-year awards, initiative funding and other opportunities that may present as we get deeper into the new program work.
Before I let you go, a reminder: these shifts in our grantmaking are just part of the ongoing strategic changes you’ll notice at Meyer. We heard your calls for Meyer to take a more active role to convene and leverage our influence. Going forward, we will be an engaged partner in the shared work of making Oregon a more equitable place.
We enter this new era for Meyer committed and energized around the values that drive and shape our work: equity, transparency, responsiveness, innovation, collaboration and humbleness. So as we continue on this journey, we will evaluate our funding portfolios and encourage your candid and constructive feedback. Together we can strive for the greatest possible impact in Oregon. I’ve said it before, we know the road ahead will present some unanticipated challenges and we don’t have all the answers. We’re going to remain transparent about our progress as we move forward. Your input is key.
For now, I invite you to explore our website for details of Meyer’s portfolios, the latest funding opportunities and our updated Frequently Asked Questions about the changes. And be sure to check out Trustee Debbie Craig’s post about why Meyer is changing here.
Over the last month, Meyer has visited fourteen communities and connected with over 1,000 individuals representing the diversity of Oregon’s nonprofits, public educational institutions and government and Tribal agencies. Another 30 information sessions are scheduled over the next four weeks as organizations prepare their response to Meyer’s 2016 funding opportunities scheduled to be released on April 4th.
As Meyer staff has traveled across the state, we’ve brought together organizations interested in learning more about the four key areas we believe to be essential to a flourishing and equitable Oregon. Our visits with you have been an excellent reminder of our shared values toward service and support so that all Oregonians may thrive.
Thank you for your hospitality and candor. We’ve heard loud and clear the barriers urgently experienced by many communities across our state, and your voices continue to deepen our commitment to creating systemic conditions where all Oregonians experience the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Meyer’s working hiatus has deepened our commitment to dismantling barriers and finding meaningful, positive change in communities across our state. We’ve challenged ourselves, and we’re asking you join us in this challenge. Transformative work doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen without you and the communities you serve. We’re grateful for your continued commitment to your communities and our partnership.
If you haven’t yet had an opportunity to connect with us, please consider joining us when we come to your community---we look forward to seeing you!
The Building Community portfolio, along with two other Meyer portfolios, recently announced funding opportunities to help Oregon’s communities increase their collective capacity to improve conditions for communities of color, Oregonians living on low incomes and other historically marginalized populations.
Now fully staffed, the Building Community team has been traveling around the state to explain the portfolio’s goals and help answer questions from prospective grantees and community members at dozens of funding information sessions. As Portfolio Director, I have appreciated learning firsthand about the challenges and successes of people and organizations working in the field around Oregon. And we’ve been impressed by the creativity and resilience we’ve seen from Astoria to Eugene, and from Bend to Burns.
At many of the info sessions and during follow-up calls and emails, we have responded to a number of questions, including:
1 ) How many proposals can my organization submit under the 2016 Funding Opportunities?
An organization may submit only one proposal for itself. However, if an organization is submitting a proposal on behalf of a collaborative, it may submit one proposal for its own organization and one on behalf of the collaborative.
2) Will Meyer review all proposals submitted by inquiry application deadlines, or will reach a certain capacity earlier and stop accepting them?
There’s no limit to the number of applications that can be submitted before the inquiry application deadlines. We will review all timely applications.
3) My organization does not have an explicit equity mission. Will we still be eligible to apply?
Across all of our funding priorities, our grantmaking is framed by our commitment to dismantling barriers to equity and improving community conditions so that all Oregonians can reach their full potential. We believe that the work of many organizations contribute to increasing equity and building inclusive communities. Our goal is to support organizations and collaboratives to build their strength in this area regardless of their starting point or stage of development in this area. All proposals should demonstrate a commitment to equity that is closely tied to overarching goals. Please review our Equity Statement for more information on our approach to equity.
We have tried to address these questions and many more on our growing FAQ page.
As you think about the funding opportunities in the Building Community portfolio and whether or not they are a good match with your strategic goals, we encourage you to begin by reading through what we fund.
When we consider requests for support, we’ll be looking for good alignment with our goals, strategies and desired outcomes. Think about how the work you propose connects with one of these goals and how it might bring about one or more of the desired outcomes.
Our portfolio team can also respond to your questions about the Building Community portfolio and our funding opportunities. In addition to myself, the team includes:
erin [at] mmt.org (Erin Dysart), Program Associate nancy [at] mmt.org (Nancy Ramirez Arriaga), Program Officer
Yana Velasquez, Administrative Assistant sally [at] mmt.org (Sally Yee), Program Officer
Please let us know if we can answer your questions [at] mmt.org (questions) and join us for one of our upcoming in-person information sessions, or the Building Community specific virtual information sessions.
Thanks for your interest in the Building Community funding opportunity and we look forward to connecting with you soon!
We continue to hear many good questions from our partners, such as:
How many funding opportunities will you have this year?
In 2016, there is one major funding call across the three active portfolios: Housing Opportunities, Healthy Environment and Building Community. Each has a slightly staggered deadline, so you will want to think through which portfolio area and goal is the best fit and apply by that deadline. Housing Opportunities, for example, has the first deadline for inquiry applications, on Monday, May 9th at 5pm. Deadlines for the other portfolios will follow.
I have an existing grant with Meyer. May I still apply?
Absolutely.
How much should I apply for?
That is a great question without a simple answer. We can say that Meyer is rarely the first funder or only funder of a project. We look for projects that leverage other resources.
Each portfolio gives ranges for the types of requests that it will be accepting. In general, we expect to make a few grants at the very high end of the range. Those projects will tend to be bigger, more complex, and may involve several organizations working collaboratively. We'll look at the grant request relative to the full budget for the project and the organization, and how much of an organization's budget Meyer would support if it has multiple grants.
No single factor determines the answer. So, consider these points and try to craft a request that makes sense within the ranges described in each portfolio. See more answers to questions we've heard on our FAQs page. And, finally, reach out to the portfolio staff or questions [at] mmt.org (questions[at]mmt[dot]org) if you want to talk through a grant request size.
Don't forget: the deadline for Housing Opportunities funding is 5 p.m., Monday, May 9th.
We’re pleased to announce that we have selected finalists for the Equity Illustrated design contest. Entries came from Southern Oregon through Central Oregon and around the Portland Metro region, from artists aged 10-63, and in mediums as varied as pencil, photography and computer animation.
In all, we received 47 artist submissions — 29 adult entries and 18 youth entries. We are very grateful that so many people took the time to think about equity in a meaningful way and invest their creativity into the Equity Illustrated contest. The word equity is often used interchangeably with equality, but Meyer Memorial Trust and Northwest Health Foundation see a big difference between the two.
Our judging panel was made up of 11 folks from local nonprofits, social justice organizations, youth leadership groups and other foundations, as well as experts in design and art. The judges reflected Oregon’s diverse communities of color, sexual identity and disability, along with a range of age, socioeconomic backgrounds and privilege. It was deliberate: to ensure that the voices of Oregonians helped decide the youth and adult finalists.
Thanks again to everyone who submitted artwork to help illustrate the difference!
Each of these images said something unique about some facet of equity. Please stay tuned for a message announcing the winners in both adult and youth categories.
Here at mmt.org, we welcome your comments — critical, supportive or otherwise. We reserve the right to remove comments if they contain the following: off-topic statements or links, vulgarity, abusive content, personal attacks or spam. Those who violate this policy will be blocked from commenting.
“Everyone has a voice, no matter who they are or what challenges they have,” wrote Carol Bryan, 14, of Corvallis, Oregon, when she submitted her winning entry for the 2016 Equity Illustrated Youth Design Contest.
Carol’s illustration acknowledges that everyone starts from a different place. Although everyone has a voice, some voices might be softer or louder than others. Some voices might struggle to be heard. Equity is when each person has the tool they need to amplify their voice.
Meyer will announce the first round of grants to be made under our new portfolio framework.
This spring, Meyer received 675 Inquiry Applications, requests totaling more than $95 million under our Building Community, Healthy Environment and Housing Opportunities portfolios.
In November, Meyer anticipates announcing awards made under our Spring Funding Opportunities as well as under our Affordable Housing and Willamette River initiatives, Chalkboard Project, foundation collaborations, legacy programs and additional funding opportunities to support leadership development and capacity builders.
I was once a grantwriter and nothing brought on the dread quicker than to read that a foundation was looking to fund proposals and organizations that “aligned” with its mission, goals and strategies.
That term, “alignment,” sounded vague and subjective to me. What did that even mean? Now that I’m on this side of the funding equation, I see how, in designing the application process, Meyer’s intention has been not only to determine which organizations and proposals share our priorities, but also to help organizations define their work and think deeply about what they do, how they do it and whom they benefit. So let me help demystify what Meyer means when we speak of alignment. I hope you find the following tips helpful:
— If you received a Meyer grant in the past, take note of how we have refocused
Through our recent redesign, it became clear to us that we wanted to deepen our work with organizations that are working to address the root causes of oppression, structural biases and the systemic inequities that exist within our state. (Read our Equity Statement here.)We know that organizations all over Oregon are protecting our environment, supporting communities and working for affordable and safe housing; we want to go a step further and partner with organizations that not only serve historically marginalized populations, but also value their perspective. We are specifically looking to partner with folks who are already engaged in this work and those who are committed to increasing their impact.
— Check out what we fund and do not fund
There’s a big difference between fit (whether a project does the type of work or proposes to achieve the kinds of results we want to fund) and eligibility. Regardless of how strong a proposal might be, it must meet our eligibility requirements and align with what we seek to support. Our eligibility information can be found here.
— Read about our Goals, Strategies and Desired Outcomes
When you fill out your inquiry application, Meyer asks you to choose one goal with which you feel your work most aligns. Deciding which goal to choose is an important part of the application process, especially if you already have a project in mind or have started a program that doesn’t neatly fit under just one goal. If you feel your work might align with two or more goals within a portfolio, or with goals in different portfolios, choose the goal/portfolio that you think most aligns with your work (e.g., 51% or more of the intended activities can be tied to the goal area). When we review inquiry applications, we will look for good matches between your proposed project and our specific goals.
Some organizations will find an easy fit with our goals and outcomes. Others will find it more difficult. If that’s the case, the next section will hopefully provide more guidance. And if you have questions, we’re happy to help you think this through, just send us an email or give us a call at 503.228.5512.
— Visit our Funding Opportunities page
Once you’ve clarified your eligibility, look at the individual portfolio pages for more information about current funding opportunities. Building Community’s page is here and Healthy Environment’s is here (the Housing Opportunities’ deadline has already passed and Equitable Education will announce its funding opportunities in early 2017). Through Meyer’s portfolio pages, you will find the total available funds for each portfolio, types of grants and dollar ranges for each and what the application process looks like, including a preview of the inquiry questions, deadlines and links to create or update your account in GrantIS (Meyer’s online grant application system).
— Determine if Meyer and your organization share goals and desired outcomes
To help you think about whether your project is a good fit, take our goals and turn them into questions. For example:
Building Community Goal 1: Invest in strategies that dismantle inequities and create new opportunities to advance equity → Does my work/project dismantle inequities and create new opportunities to advance equity?Good question, but not necessarily easy to answer. So look at the intended outcomes under that goal and do the same: put them in question form and see if your organization’s work fits one or more of them. For example:
Building Community Outcome 3. Policy and Systems Change: Increase equitable opportunities and reduce disparities through changes in public policy, systems and institutional practices → How does my project increase (or is looking to increase) equitable opportunities and reduce disparities through changes in public policy, systems and institutional practices?
If you’ve read through the goals and outcomes, have asked yourself those questions and still can’t see alignment between your project and our funding priorities, talk with us. We might be able to help you think about whether there is a fit, or share honestly if we do not see compatibility at this time.
— Decide the type of support you’ll need
What type of support do you need? Is the work underway or just starting out? Do you need an infusion of funds to build your organization’s capacity or are you looking to construct a new building? Click here for the types of support the Healthy Environment portfolio offers and click here for Building Community’s funding types.
— Ask for feedback
If you are not invited to submit a full proposal this time around, please let us know if you would like feedback about your application.
We are looking forward to reading about the great work you all do. Happy grantwriting!
