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.
Without community, there is no liberation. — Audre Lorde
For too long, Black communities have faced chronic underfunding, creating competition for scarce resources and tokenizing organizations instead of fostering true collective power. We recognize that no single organization can uplift community alone. That’s why, in our latest round of funding through Justice Oregon for Black Lives, we leaned into the power of collaboration — asking organizations to join forces, dream bigger and build together.
Now, we’re proud to announce $5.7 million in multiyear grants to 13 collaboratives working to create lasting change for Black Oregonians. Some of these groups have long-standing relationships, while others used this opportunity to deepen their partnerships and reimagine what’s possible when resources are shared, not competed for.
The proposals we received reflect the nuance, complexity and richness of our communities. Black Oregonians are not a monolith, and these grants uplift a range of approaches to systemic change — from education and economic justice to housing and healthcare.
Below, we highlight a handful of these projects, offering a glimpse into the transformative work ahead.
Fostering a Diverse Educator Workforce
Oregon’s education system faces a stark representation gap: while students of color comprise 40% of the statewide student population, only 12% of educators share similar backgrounds. In the Reynold’s School District where HOLLA School is located, the number of students of color jumps to 70%. Studies show that students with at least one teacher of the same race have improved academic performance, better attendance and lower rates of suspension.
HOLLA School is addressing this challenge through a Grow Your Own Teacher Pathways collaborative with the Oregon Alliance of Black School Educators, Pacific University and Portland Community College. This initiative provides tuition-free, mentored pathways for BIPOC participants to earn teaching degrees and licenses, breaking down barriers to educator certification and fostering a more representative educator workforce.
Cultivating Food Sovereignty and Economic Justice
Black farmers own less than 1% of the nation’s farmland, while their white counterparts own approximately 95%. In Oregon, one in five Black families experiences hunger, with food insecurity rates nearly triple those of white households. These disparities stem from historical inequities in land access, agricultural support and economic opportunity.
Through this collaborative, these organizations reduce duplicative efforts, strengthen networks and create sustainable solutions for food security and economic justice. Working together shifts the nonprofit paradigm from competitive to cooperative — creating a powerful ecosystem of linked programming that reinforces the impact of the other — ensuring Black agricultural communities in Oregon thrive.
Building Climate Resilience for Black Homeowners
Systemic inequities make it harder for Black homeowners to access energy-efficient upgrades. Studies show they are quoted 8% higher prices for solar installations than white households and have less access to local installers. For low-income families who spend nearly three times as much on energy expenses than the average household, this financial burden means less money for other basic needs.
To address these disparities, the African American Alliance for Homeownership, Taking Ownership PDX and Constructing Hope have launched the Sustainable Black Community Collaborative (SBCC). SBCC not only provides free energy-efficient home upgrades and steeply discounted solar installations for Black homeowners, their job training program also ensures this work is installed by a workforce that reflects the community it serves.
Healing Through Community and Connection
Black communities in Oregon make up just 2.5% of the population and often face cultural isolation, fueling feelings of hopelessness. Historical and present-day inequities compound these challenges, impacting overall health and wellness.
Collaboration is Fundamental for Long-term Progress
In all these projects, one thing is clear: collaboration is key to building thriving ecosystems by and for Black Oregonians. The collaborative model underscores the importance of shared goals and collective action and will serve as part of Justice Oregon’s grantmaking going forward. By leveraging the expertise and resources of each organization, collaboratives can utilize a more holistic approach to systemic change.
This is just as true in philanthropy. We are committed to deepening our connection with funders and will return to our participatory framework that allows for partnership within the community. By working together, we not only amplify our impact but also create sustainable solutions that foster a more resilient future for Black communities.
Congratulations to each of the Justice Oregon for Black Lives collaborative grantee partners. For more information on these or other Justice Oregon awards, visit our award database.
Peering through the newly restored windows of the Billy Webb Elks Lodge, you would never know a fire devastated the building just three years ago. The ballroom chandeliers still glow with warm light; the wooden floors still smell of fresh polish. And if you close your eyes and listen closely, you can still hear the hum of conversation and laughter in the ballroom as soft jazz spills from the juke box.
Images like this fill Deborah Roache’s memory of her childhood. Before she became the fraternal organization’s Daughter Ruler, she grew up hearing stories about how the Lodge was the center of everyday life for generations of Black Oregonians.
Established in 1926 as a multiracial YWCA, it provided sanctuary for women of color and immigrants excluded from other spaces. Over the decades, it became a hub for civil rights efforts, community celebrations and cultural preservation — a steadfast symbol of belonging in the heart of Portland’s historic Black neighborhood.
"People don’t realize this place has a pulse,” Roache says. “It’s more than a building — it’s memories, it's family. There are very few spaces left where our community can feel at home, and Billy Webb is that kind of place."
The Lodge thrived as Albina’s Black community flourished, serving as a cornerstone of a neighborhood once brimming with culturally specific churches, jazz clubs, civil rights organizations and even the nation’s only Black Panther-sponsored dental clinic. Through waves of gentrification and urban renewal that displaced much of Portland’s Black population, the Lodge endured as a space where people could gather to support one another and give back to the community they loved.
But just after it gained recognition from the National Register of Historic Places in 2020, a fire tore through the building, taking with it yearslong renovation efforts. As the pandemic took its toll, membership numbers dropped and prospective rebuilding costs soared. Despite it all, Roache and Exalted Ruler, Lou McLemore, remained determined to preserve the Lodge’s legacy.
"Our history, our stories, they’re worth preserving," McLemore says. “If we lose places like this, we lose the cultural heartbeat of our city. We need to preserve Billy Webb not just for us, but for future generations to have a place to connect, celebrate and remember.”
“You cannot know our nation's history without knowing about Black history,” says Zachary Stocks, executive director of the Oregon Black Pioneers. “Every significant event, conflict and achievement which defines the American experience has involved people of African descent. Our ancestors' labors — often uncompensated labors — created the communities where we live today. And Black organizing made possible the legal and social victories of the Civil Rights Movements, which ensured the equal participation in American democracy for all citizens, regardless of race."
Today, only 3% of the sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places honor Black experiences. In Oregon — a state founded as a white utopia — it is 0.5%.
When Meyer became neighbors with the Lodge in 2020, we moved into Albina with an explicit commitment to honor this historic community. By investing in the Lodge as a Justice Oregon for Black Lives grantee, we joined local efforts to combat the erasure of what was once considered the Soul of Portland.
Now the Lodge is on the precipice of a new era, offering more gathering spaces for celebration and meeting rooms for the community to rent in a co-working style. As McLemore and Roache continue fundraising to preserve this piece of history, they join many Meyer grantees and community partners seeking to not only memorialize the past but also shape the future.
Williams & Russell CDC promises to build wealth and economic growth for the Black community, especially those who have been displaced. Through affordable housing and business opportunities, they envision a revival of what was once considered, “Black Broadway.” Albina Vision Trust is constructing what has been recognized as the largest restorative redevelopment effort in the nation. Spanning over 100 acres, they envision a thriving Albina with affordable homeownership, safer transportation and even the country’s first carbon-negative district.
In the Lodge, the returning community could also have a place steeped in the neighborhood's rich history. But only with more support.
"We’re ready to pass the torch," Roache says. "But we need fresh energy, new ideas and community support. We have a vision for Billy Webb that goes beyond its history; we want to make it a space that serves future needs — a place where Black Portlanders can come together, learn, create and thrive.”
As Oregon ramps up its efforts to become a 100% clean energy state by 2040, a coalition of nonprofits is paving the way for communities of color to be active players in building a regenerative economy. With a Justice Oregon for Black Lives collaborative grant from Meyer, Leaders Become Legends (LBL), Constructing Hope and NWXcelerator are creating green technology pathways with people who have been historically excluded from such opportunities.
For this coalition, climate justice and reparative justice go hand-in-hand. Many of their program participants are men who have been impacted by the criminal legal system and young people navigating street violence. By partnering with the collaborative, not only do participants gain a foothold in the green workforce, they also build a new sense of purpose and self-efficacy.
“This isn’t about job placement,” Bretto Jackson, co-executive director of LBL, said. “It’s about bringing back information for our community, building intergenerational wealth and how to heal from 400 years of oppression.”
For Martín Minjarez, the coalition has been a lifeline. In and out of the system since his youth, he knows how difficult it is to move beyond the binds of incarceration. After finishing his sentence last year, he immediately connected with LBL for a chance at a different life. They welcomed him, connecting him with career coaching and financial planning management in addition to trauma-informed therapy and an opportunity to complete his GED. Now a participant of the collaborative’s Green Energy Program, Martín leads a solar installation crew at Imagine Energy, one of Oregon’s longest standing clean energy companies.
On his days off, he enjoys helping Green Energy Program participants with another of the coalition’s projects: a holistic career advancement center in Gresham.
While attaching studs to floor joists for what will become a communal kitchen, program participants check in with each other. They may come from different backgrounds, but what they hold in common bonds them: a desire to ascend the shackles of their environment.
“A lot of guys getting out of prison don't think they're going to be successful in life,” Martín said. “After working together on renovating the building one day, we realized we’re actually part of something that will impact someone’s life besides our own.”
The coalition has big plans for the center. They envision it as an entrepreneurial hub where clients can become whole, grow in their careers and give back to their community.
This project, while new, has also earned support from the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF), which prioritizes climate action for communities of color, low-income neighborhoods and people living with disabilities.
“Typically, people are more invested in something when they are also direct participants,” Pat Schellerup, principal & director of business operations at Imagine Energy, said. “Expanding the workforce overall is needed to support Oregon’s, and the world’s, climate change goals. To accomplish this, it’s important the workforce is representative of the most impacted communities.”
In Oregon, less than 11% of the green energy workforce is BIPOC. As our state and country turn to renewable energy sources, there is an opportunity for the communities hit hardest by climate change to be a real part of the solution. If we are to build a just economy, communities of color must be central to what will be one of the most significant transformations in U.S. history.
Michelle Yemaya Benton is the executive director of Black Community of Portland, a Justice Oregon for Black Lives grantee partner. We caught up with her to talk about her new scope of work, how community organizing is in her DNA and what it means to be a revolutionary.
What’s one thing you did recently that brought you joy?
I just came back from my trip to Morocco. It was my first time leaving the country and traveling to Africa was a spiritual experience. The hospitality, the people, the culture, the sunsets — it was really beautiful. I felt like I had to battle my ancestors to come back.
Who has been the biggest influence in your life?
I have two: the matriarch of my family, my great-grandmother Jonnie B. Clarkston and the Black women in Portland. My great-grandmother was my example of generational wealth, what it means to take care of your family and what it means to take care of your community.
It's hard for me to pinpoint one Black woman because there's so many Black women that really influenced my life. My friend Mikinya Jackson, a co-founder of the Melanated Sisterhood of Portland, is a big revolutionary influence; Joy Alise Davis at Imagine Black inspires how I go about my work; Laquida Lanford, the founder of Afro Village, uplifts and empowers me; Noni Causey who runs B.E.A.M is one of my mentors and I can call on her for anything. We support the missions, the movement and each other.
What are some words of wisdom you’d give your younger self?
When I was in high school, I wanted to go to a HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and be an attorney. I didn’t have the grades and I didn’t have the support, but I was organizing even then. I did soulful cookouts, helped start the step team, organized fundraisers — but the school-to-prison pipeline is real and even just having the stigma in your bloodline can affect some roads we walk and it can be intense. So I would tell my younger self, ‘If you want to study law and become an attorney, you need to do the things to get there. Find programs, find outside support. If that’s what you want to do, do it.’
How did you become the executive director of Black Community of Portland?
It was a prayer for purpose. One of my good friends, Mikinya, invited me to a community dinner at The Horn of Africa. There was a long table and lots of Black folks all wanting to empower and uplift the Black community. I sat down and never left. That day, I submitted my application to join the Black Riders Liberation Party, the new generation of Black Panthers for Portland chapter.
Part of our mission is leveling up our community: empowering our people, protecting our people by educating our people. I thought of my younger cousins and how much I needed advocacy growing up. My family is no stranger to the 'war on drugs,' or the New Jim Crow era. The buck stops here. I put that first and that’s how I got into this work.
What new venture is your organization embarking on?
We’re coming together with Imagine Black Futures and The Rosewood Initiative to create what we’re calling the Oregon Black Worker Center. Working while Black in Oregon is a topic not taken seriously or spoken on enough. This center is going to be a space of empowerment, a space for learning and sharing information, opportunities and resources. Our goal is to create a supportive community where Black workers receive fair treatment and respect in the workplace.
We’re all coming together to build a bigger movement of advocacy and accountability. Community voice is crucial. Right now, we’re reaching out to community members to better understand their needs for this space.
As a revolutionary, what does revolution look like to you and what does it look like in Oregon?
For me, revolution is the sheer audacity and ability to do what you will with your life and not allow the limiting beliefs of others to prevent you from moving forward. It’s being able to empower people. The revolution starts at home. It starts with you.
Revolution in Oregon is giving people the power and authority to live their lives how they see fit. It’s divestment — not just of the police — but of a budget that doesn’t represent the people who live in this state; it’s reparations for Black folks whose families have lived here for generations; it’s removing racist language from our constitution to restructure our policies.
What’s on your bucket list?
Seeing every single country in Africa, touching every single continent in the world and expanding my nonprofit to be a national organization.
These organizations comprise one of 14 collectives funded in the latest round of grants by Justice Oregon for Black Lives, Meyer Memorial Trust’s $25 million initiative co-created in 2020 with Black communities working to advance racial justice and equity.
Seeking to counteract Oregon’s traumatic legacy of erasure, displacement and exploitation, this collective brings a diverse set of perspectives and missions to healing Black communities. With experience ranging from movement building to food sovereignty, members envision a Black wellness center focused on self-sufficiency, skill building, therapies and more.
If their plan comes to fruition, the center could become a beacon for residents in East County where the Black population is increasing, largely due to displacement from rising housing costs in Portland’s urban core. East County comparatively lacks basic infrastructure like sidewalks, parks and natural areas. The collective intends to invest in this neighborhood with much-needed resources.
“An abundance of meticulous and thoughtful consideration has been implemented to provide this Black wellness center to East County,” Durrell Javon Kinsey Bey, co-founder of The BIPOC Rise Moor Healing Center, says. “Not as a fad but as a mechanism of hope and prosperity toward sustainability and self-sufficiency for Black people.”
Healing as a Catalyst for Flourishing Black Communities
When Justice Oregon was established, a steering committee of Black community members identified addressing trauma and healing as a core goal of the initiative. Plans for the wellness center fall firmly within this priority area.
“We heard that we can't have things like economic justice or investments in education without a strong foundation for healing in the Black community,” says Allister Byrd, Justice Oregon for Black Lives program officer.
For Je Amaechi, Unite Oregon’s reimagining community safety manager, the center could be the next Greenwood District or even New Nanny Town (now Moore Town).
“Healing is not an endpoint,” says Amaechi, whose Jamaican heritage and abolitionist principles shape their values. “To really get at the root level, we have to work on healing ourselves and healing each other. Then we’re able to work toward advocacy and collective action.”
Cultivating Black Joy into the Planning Process
To determine if a wellness center of this kind would be impactful, the collective is asking communities directly for their input. But, true to their values, they are prioritizing Black joy and healing throughout the planning process. By offering participants support for immediate needs as well as access to Black therapists, educational opportunities and more, the collective hopes to create a space of safety and comfort.
“These gatherings won’t be traditional meetings,” Kristin Teigen, Unite Oregon’s grants associate, says. “Simply by participating in the needs assessment process, community members will be able to access multiple modes of healing.”
“Not only is [this project] long overdue for East County but for people of African descent,” Kinsey Bey says. “This is well deserving to make strides in the path of karmic reconciliation, moral rejuvenation and above all social equity.”
This post has been updated to reflect the total funding amount for the planning phase of these collaborative grants: $2.6 million.
To achieve Black liberation, we must build power within Black communities; calling on one another to form interdependent networks of nourishment and celebration. We’ve heard this often from our conversations with folks on the frontlines: our impact could be so much larger if we had the time and resources to collaborate with one another. Some groups have found innovative ways to make this happen, but many still need dedicated space, staff and funding to fully realize goals.
In our latest round of funding for Justice Oregon for Black Lives, we’ve reimagined our approach, asking organizations to form collaboratives that will sustain thriving Black ecosystems in Oregon. By removing barriers to maintain long-term partnerships, collaborative funding enables groups to bring their breadth of expertise to tackle systemic issues. These partnerships will allow organizations to learn from one another, share data and strategize, building upon the momentum set forth by those who came before us.
We believe in the strength of the collective. Social justice movements of the past and present knew this to be true as well.
The “Big Five” civil rights groups worked together to bring tens of thousands to the March on Washington, advocating for desegregation and voting rights. The Chicago Black Panther Party joined ranks with the Young Lords and Young Patriots, forming the cross-cultural group, Rainbow Coalition, to combat police brutality and substandard housing. Today, the Black Lives Matter movement utilizes a “leaderful” model where grassroots organizations and those at the forefront of injustice collectively lead this ongoing pursuit.
I believe that if there can be some form of reparative action for the Black community here, then it can happen across the United States. And that can benefit all communities, not just ours. If we can start here.
Since 2020, 133 groups across the state have been funded through Justice Oregon for Black Lives, totaling $21.4 million. Now, we seek to deepen our impact by creating space for organizations — that are already doing vital work — to dream big and create lasting, systemic change together.
We are excited to announce the following 14 collaboratives that will receive a total of $2.6 million for the planning phase of these transformational projects.
KairosPDX is partnering with Black Parent Initiative,Albina Vision Trust and BEAM to transform the former Portland Public School property in Albina into a Center for Black Student Excellence by forming a youth council to garner input from impacted students on the Center’s function and processes.
A Black Art Ecology of Portland will collaborate with community partners to identify and prepare for a range of long term activities that support the creation and preservation of Black art in all mediums throughout Portland and beyond.
POIC+RAHS will collaborate with Be the Healing and Journeys Oregon to develop a community safety worker (CSW) model to combat violence in the Black community.
Justice Oregon for Black Lives has reached a milestone moment. The initiative, launched in 2020, has just passed the halfway mark on its original five-year timeline, with more than $15.9 million awarded to 105 Black-led and Black-serving organizations in Oregon. In addition to announcing the latest round of awards, we thought now would be a good time to check in with Program Officers Allister Byrd and Nancy Haque on the challenges and lessons learned so far. Here are highlights of our conversation, edited for length and clarity:
With all of the local, national and international momentum leading up to the launch of Justice Oregon for Black Lives, what were some of your hopes coming into this initiative?
Allister: My original hope was that we could do some really radical, broad-thinking, innovative stuff. I heard in those initial community conversations [that Meyer held with Black community members and leaders] that although $5 million a year felt like a drop in the bucket for some folks, others felt that nothing like this at this scale had been done before in Oregon. We really had an opportunity to show that if there can be some form of reparative action for the Black community here, then it can happen across the United States. And that can benefit all communities, not just ours. So that was my hope, and that's still my hope for the initiative.
Understanding that $25 million is a significant investment, but that the need and ambition extends far beyond that — how do you measure success and can you speak to some of the challenges?
Allister: First, we’ve got to meet people where they're at right now in order to get to that bigger state. We’ve been fortunate to have the resources to help catalyze a lot of important and exciting work.
I really love this idea that we're not just filling in the hole, but we're actually tilling the soil. We understand that organizations who are actively hiring staff will want to keep growing their capacity, but they can't do that if the funding is not always going to be there. One of the ways we’ll know we're successful is if the things that we do through this initiative live beyond its time frame.
Nancy: How can we make sure that people and organizations have what they need so they can imagine that bigger, better future? One of the reasons I joined Meyer is because this initiative made me believe there's a commitment to racial justice. It's really indicative of what our values are, how we set up this program for success. So the depth of that commitment is reflected in the grantmaking budget. But it’s also about the operating budget, the staffing and other resourcing for the initiative, all of those details as well.
Allister: To be in this role of program officer is challenging. We have to consider what's the level of political education about each of [Justice Oregon’s priority] areas that you have to have in order to actually make informed decisions about funding. That's something that we just have never really had enough time to deal with because we're trying to get the money out. So I think balancing that urgency with what it really takes to support a community-informed process is the tension that we're always navigating. I hold all that, right? Of loving the work, but also not having enough time or capacity to do everything.
Also, launching a tremendously ambitious, community-informed effort at this size and scale is already a tall order. Doing it in the middle of a pandemic brought in a whole other set of challenges. Like so many other organizations, our leadership changed and we had to adjust to that loss and keep on going. (D’Artagnan Caliman, Justice Oregon’s first director, left Meyer in February to join the 1803 fund as vice president of partnerships.)
Tell me more about the importance of community in Justice Oregon.
Allister: We talk with people all day. Not just about their organizations, but about, ‘What are you dreaming about? What else could we do? Who else are you connecting with?’ That is the heartbeat of what we're trying to do here.
The community conversations that we had in May 2021 were also the first time that a lot of Black folks doing work in Oregon, not just Portland, had the opportunity to be in virtual space together. [The opportunity for a grantee] to say, ‘I just started this nonprofit a few years ago and I'm sitting here with Sharon Gary-Smith of the NAACP, and we've never met before, but this is an opportunity for us to convene.’
Just seeing the byproducts that happened as a result of getting folks together in this space has been really, really amazing. That doesn't mean that everybody agrees all the time and the initiative is not perfect by any means, but I see that sort of connective tissue really forming through this and that's been really amazing to watch.
What advice would you give to organizations who want to do this type of work?
Nancy: Decide at the get go what your goals are. Living your racial justice values is setting up that program for success, which means giving it enough capacity and not siloing the work. Yes, there can be this program that can be for this particular community, but you have to think about it in a holistic way. You have to think about how this kind of racial justice initiative fits into the organization and how the whole organization is supporting it.
Allister: I would say, do all of that and then talk to another organization. Do a lot of funder organizing around this so there is an ecosystem supporting it.
Thoughts on the future?
Allister: I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to get to meet amazing Black folks all over the state who are doing really incredible work for their communities. You know, seeing all of the movement that's happening.
Ultimately, I’m trying to help grow the kind of place that I want to live, which is a place where Black people are happy and resourced and where there are cross-racial justice efforts happening. I love that part of this work. I love the people in this work.
Justice Oregon has been known for its high number of first time grantees. In this latest round of awards, what is one organization you are particularly excited about?
Allister: We are so excited to award $6.94 million (including multi-year grants) to 62 organizations in this third round. They are all doing incredible, important work, but if I had to choose one organization, it would be PRISMID Sanctuary. It’s a communal gathering and healing space for Black and Indigenous artists in North Portland, thoroughly curated by musician and composer Esperanza Spalding.
I’d also like to highlight the Gordly Burch Center for Black Leadership and Civic Engagement. They’re celebrating the history of Black leadership in Oregon with a mission to train and support the next generation of Black leaders and to increase the number of Black policy makers, community and civic Leaders across Oregon.
Nancy: I would choose Love is King. I had never heard of this group before the process and I am so inspired by the work they are doing. They bring small groups of Black Oregonians to the Arctic every summer to meet with Indigenous leaders and to see some of the lands and people that are being threatened by climate change. The folks who go on the trips are then paired with a conservation organization and a dozen went to Washington D.C. this year to testify in Congress.
Listed below are all of the Justice Oregon for Black Lives Awardees (Spring 2023)
African American Alliance for Home Ownership*
African Heritage Education and Empowerment Community*
African Women's Coalition*
Allen Performing Arts Inc.*
Be-BLAC Foundation*
Black Circus*
Black Community of Portland
Black Oregon Land Trust*
Black United Fund of Oregon
Boys and Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area*
Camp ELSO
Clackamas Education Service District*
Colostrum Coalition*
Community Violence Prevention Alliance*
Equity Splash*
Ethiopian and Eritrean Cultural and Resource Center*
Friends of IFCC*
Friends of the Children - Portland
Get Schooled Foundation*
Gordly Burch Center for Black Leadership and Civic Engagement*
Justice Oregon for Black Lives was born from the depths of overwhelming heartbreak — a response to the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and multiple other overlapping traumas that fueled a growing movement to end systemic and structural racism. The initiative also recognized the urgency and opportunity we had to transform institutions, systems and narratives in Oregon, a state founded on stolen lands and explicit in its constitutional exclusion of Black people.
As we began developing a set of funding priorities in conversation with community advisors across the state, issues of public safety, education and economic justice were clearly top-of-mind. We also heard about two other important priorities that Meyer had less experience in funding — efforts to promote healing and to increase Black joy.
In February, we announced our first round of awards from the inaugural Call for Proposals that addressed the first three priorities — Reimagining Public safety, Investing in Education and Economic Justice.
Now, it gives me great pleasure to share the names of the organizations that will be doing the equally important work of Addressing Trauma and Healing and Shifting Black Narrative through Arts and Culture.
I want to emphasize equally important because it truly is. We cannot rise out of the depths of a collective trauma without also committing to the work needed to restore and reclaim our souls and our stories.
Our team has been heartened by all the different ways that grantees have addressed these outcomes in their applications and we cannot wait to see the lift in hearts and spirits that this work will inspire. We also want to express our gratitude for the patience of these organizations, some of whom have waited a year for funding as we balanced our desire for urgency with our responsibility to design a community-informed, fair and clear process.
A few highlights of the awards:
Black Art/ists Gathering will realize their vision of increasing Black joy as they host an intergenerational convening of Black artists.
Bridge-Pamoja will have resources to promote healing practice to mend cultural rifts between African and African-American communities in Oregon.
The Community Doula Alliance will support Black doulas in practicing their cultural and traditional birth and postpartum models of care.
What could be more joyful than a brand new baby coming into this world, surrounded by love and caring? It’s our hope and our future.
In all, nearly $1.9 million will go to 17 organizations, including eight first-time awardees and four organizations that work outside of the Portland Metro area. We are excited to partner with so many new organizations — to connect with you and to connect you with one another, for an even more powerful and enduring impact on our incredible community.
Though August has been designated Black Philanthropy Month, we recognize that this work is ongoing and requires sustained commitment to thrive.
In that spirit, I want to note that our 2022 Call for Proposals is now live. One key thing to know is that we are accepting applications for all five community-identified priorities in this round. In response to feedback from our community, we have also extended the window for submitting an application from four to six weeks and will continue to accept applications prepared for other funders, as well as video applications as an alternative to written narratives. More information and resources can be found here.
Intentionally funding Black joy is just one step on a long road to true liberation. As we move forward together, let’s make this path a well-worn one.
“If we want a beloved community,” the late bell hooks once wrote, “we must stand for justice.”
In 2020, amid a once-in-a-century pandemic and the largest popular uprising for racial justice seen in this country in generations, Meyer established the Justice Oregon for Black Lives initiative. It was immediately our biggest single project ever, funded at twice the amount originally suggested, and imbued with goals and guiding principles that we have adapted over time, but never abandoned.
We are thrilled to announce that, in our second round of funding to date, Justice Oregon is granting $4.8 million to 49 state-based and local organizations, including 14 organizations that will receive multi-year funding.
In her recent message on Meyer's new mission statement and the work ahead, outgoing CEO Michelle J. DePass, whose vision and voice brought Justice Oregon to life, wrote, "Justice goes beyond building a flourishing and equitable Oregon. It is a commitment to correction. Our commitment to repair and restore."
Recognizing institutional philanthropy’s role in perpetuating current systems of power, we’re determined to transform this dynamic and ensure our grantmaking honors the values that we’ve set forth. That means holding ourselves accountable to our community and our values, and it informed the participatory grantmaking approach that got us to the vibrant group of organizations we’re supporting through Justice Oregon.
Over the past year, we have engaged in conversations with dozens of community members all over the state, representing every sector from agriculture to the arts. Supported by Meyer staff, our mighty team of two held 10 bi-weekly community conversations with Black facilitators to come to consensus on how to make incremental progress toward Black liberation through five priority funding areas. The list of grantees below represents the first three priority funding areas: economic justice, investing in education, and reimagining public safety. And we're excited that tomorrow we open our invitation-only process for the remaining two funding areas: changing the Black narrative through arts and culture; and, addressing trauma and healing in the Black community.
These conversations reinforced our personal understanding that Black people across Oregon are not a monolith — our needs and vision for the state are informed by the lived experience of our many intersecting identities. What we are all committed to, however, is a vision of thriving Black communities free from the constraints of white supremacy.
As Black History Month comes to a close and Women’s History Month begins, Meyer’s Justice Oregon team is celebrating Black hope and optimism by announcing this inaugural round of grants made with deep input from Black communities and in support of leaders and movements helping to shape Oregon’s future. We are honored that many of this grantee cohort are organizations led by Black women and Black-led and serving organizations of all sizes in our communities.
Throughout the grantmaking process, we’ve worked with a rotating grant review committee of 10 Black leaders — both from the world of philanthropy as well as other sectors — who’ve candidly shared their visions of justice, the needs of Black Oregonians and ways that philanthropy can help right systemic wrongs and be a transparent partner to them in support of a liberated Black future. Their input was integral in determining our 49 Justice Oregon grantees.
