We have covered more than a thousand miles visiting Oregon’s four corners to talk to folks about the goals of Meyer’s Healthy Environment portfolio and the new funding opportunities for 2016.
One of the more common questions we’ve been hearing in regards to the Healthy Environment portfolio has been: 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 and for projects that have the support and involvement of the community.
Each of Meyer’s portfolios offer guidelines for the 2016 funding opportunities and provide ranges for the types of requests that we’ll be accepting.
The Healthy Environment portfolio’s funding ranges can be found here. In general, we expect only to make a few grants at the high end of the range and expect that some of our grants will be one-year awards while others will be multi-year projects. We predict that awards granted at the top of the range will tend to be bigger, more complex and multi-year projects that may involve several organizations working collaboratively. In addition to project length and size, we will also look at the grant request relative to the full budget for the project and the organization, and how much of that 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.
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.
Since arriving in January, I’ve been focused on developing Meyer’s investment strategy to improve educational equity in Oregon. Now I’m hoping you will weigh in at Oregon’s Kitchen Table. The survey is available in both English and Spanish.
To Meyer, equitable education is defined as improving outcomes so that students of color, first-generation students and students living in poverty all achieve educational success. It also means identifying and reducing the disparities in how our most underserved students experience education. In early 2017, we will begin inviting organizations to submit proposals on educational equity; your input now will ensure that Meyer’s strategy represents the views, and articulates the needs, of stakeholders across Oregon.
It’s important to Meyer to have feedback about Oregonians’ values on equitable education. Meyer wants to hear from people at educational institutions, coordinating councils, school districts, early learning hubs, municipalities, institutions of higher education, government, foundation partners and other Oregonians who care about education. Your insights will help Meyer as we work to develop strategies that improve Oregon student achievement and close gaps in educational opportunities and outcomes.
Your feedback will be compiled by Oregon’s Kitchen Table, and all responses are anonymous. Following an inclusive engagement process with stakeholders, a summary report will be shared later this summer.
The last day to submit your feedback was Wednesday, May 25th.
Thank you in advance for participating in this process, and please don’t hesitate to contact us at questions [at] mmt.org (questions[at]mmt[dot]org) should you have any questions.
Since announcing the 2016 Funding Opportunities in March, we have had many great conversations with organizations from across the state. We’ve heard compelling ideas, learned about fabulous work and gained new insights about communities in all corners of our state.
One common theme: we’re hearing a lot interest and questions from groups that are considering submitting an application on behalf of a collaborative. We are excited about the energy for new levels of collaboration in the field, and we highly value efforts to unite interests and work across issues. At Meyer, we understand the power of collaboration and recognize that we cannot work in isolation if we are to make meaningful progress toward an equitable and flourishing Oregon.
This is exactly why we created a place within our new funding opportunities to support collaborative work. As you know from our application information, an organization may submit one proposal for itself and one proposal on behalf of a collaborative. Our intention is to avoid forcing groups to choose between their own organizational needs and the needs of a collaborative effort in which they are involved.
Many of you have asked what makes for a strong collaborative proposal to Meyer and what you should consider in deciding whether to be part of a collaborative proposal. Here are a few things to think about as you decide whether and how to approach Meyer for support of your collaborative efforts through our current funding opportunities:
— Meyer grants will support collaboratives that communicate clear and compelling purposes that align with our funding goals, demonstrate clear partner commitments and roles, and have clear decision-making structures. We want to be clear that we are not asking organizations to create new partnerships just to be eligible for funding. In fact, quickly convened collaborations for the purpose of applying for a Meyer grant are not likely to be competitive. We are looking to partner with collaboratives that are well-organized, meaningfully share resources and decision-making, and are ready to take action.
If your collaborative is just being established or has operated informally and is now ready to become more structured, a technical support grant for planning and development will likely be the best fit for you. Each of the 2016 funding opportunities offer technical support grant opportunities of between $10,000 and $35,000 (depending on portfolio), which could support such planning.
It is also important to understand that available grant dollars are limited — not all collaboratives that apply are likely to be funded, and only one partner should apply on behalf a particular collaborative.
— If your organization is involved in multiple applications through a variety of partnerships and collaborations, help us to understand your priorities and capacity.We’ve heard from a number of organizations that are considering being partners in a number of grant applications in this funding cycle. Keep in mind that as we review applications, it may be difficult for us to understand how your organization is juggling its involvement in numerous collaborations or coalitions, especially if you have a small staff team or are volunteer-run. As you put together your proposals, help us to understand your capacity to be active and engaged in multiple partnerships. Also, consider what your organization’s key priorities are for Meyer funding and make this clear to us in your proposal(s), recognizing that not every Meyer application you are involved in may be funded.
— The total amount of funding you have or are requesting from Meyer is a factor in our decision-making. We believe that diverse sources of revenue make organizations strong and that too much support from any one source, including Meyer, can create challenges with sustainability and community perceptions of independence. As we consider a proposal from your organization, we will also be considering the amount of Meyer funds your organization is receiving through existing grants, as well as new funding being requested for your organization, including through collaborative proposals.
If you have a current Meyer grant and/or are considering being involved in multiple proposals and would like guidance about the amount of funding you are considering requesting, please contact us.
— Remember that each of the 2016 Funding Opportunities has a finite amount of grant funds available. Each funding opportunity has a specific “up to” grant budget for this year, so the total funded proposals will not exceed these amounts in 2016 funding:
We expect these limited dollars will be dedicated to work across Oregon and across our funding goals. Again, if you are involved in multiple proposals, help us to understand your highest priorities, knowing that not all these proposals may be funded.
You may have other questions and we welcome those, too. Please contact us at questions [at] mmt.org (questions[at]mmt[dot]org) or call us at 503-228-5512. We are excited for the opportunity to support collaborative work that will further our mutual goals! We hope these tips will guide decisions on how best to approach Meyer for support. As always, our team will be happy to assist you.
We are saddened to share the news that Gerry Pratt – the last trustee named in Fred G. Meyer’s will establishing a charitable trust from his personal estate – died last week. He was 88.
The last living member, and longest serving, of Meyer Memorial Trust’s original trustees, Gerry passed away on Friday. Few details are available at this point in time, but his daughter, Barbara Blackhurst, says that his passing was peaceful.
Born in 1927, Gerry’s career carried him through years as an Oregonian reporter and foreign correspondent, as a contributor to the public radio program “All Things Considered,” as host of the television program “Town Hall,” and as a columnist for the Community Press, a Portland newspaper. He went on to work in leadership roles in Fred Meyer’s enterprise, including as head of the Fred Meyer Savings and Loan, and served as a Meyer trustee over three decades. He could be depended on to answer the question, “What would Fred Meyer do?”
A published author, Gerry once described the role of philanthropy this way:
“There is very little the Trust can do to shape society, but it can sometimes point the way by lighting up neglected corners of need. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of making only safe grants, but that really negates the purpose of a foundation. What we do is like a flashlight in a dark room. We can help find the light switch. We are successful when we do that, not by adding light to an already bright room.”
Those who knew Gerry recalled his enormous contribution to Fred Meyer’s legacy and his deep connection with his mentor, boss and friend of many years.
“Gerry was extremely close to Fred Meyer, so we have lost our strongest connection to our founder but we were fortunate to have his steady hand and influence over the Meyer Trust for so many years,” said Doug Stamm, Meyer’s chief executive officer.
A funeral mass will be held for Gerry at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 18, at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1716 NW Davis Street, in Portland.
Q: Where did the idea for Equity Illustrated come from?
Darion: Equity Illustrated was created as our attempt to visually synthesize our understanding of equity and its complexities in a way that could be easily understood. Pretty much everyone in the nonprofit world has seen that image of three people standing on crates alongside a fenced baseball field. We — Meyer Memorial Trust and Northwest Health Foundation’s communications staff— saw it used a number of times at the 2015 Communications Network conference last fall and talked about how helpful it was in highlighting the differences between equity and equality. But the original image has problems. For one thing, it doesn’t address the systemic disparities that equity seeks to overturn. We decided that to dive deeper into the dialogue about equity in Oregon, we needed to start a conversation at home about what equity looks like in our communities — and find a way to help people understand exactly what we mean when we say “equity.”
Q: Why a design contest?
Laura: We could have gone so many different directions with this. We could have held an essay or video contest. We could have hired a designer to create an image illustrating equity and had much more control over the final product. But a design contest made the most sense to us for two reasons. Reason one: Humans interpret images in milliseconds and remember images much more readily than words. Images are also the easiest way to catch and keep people’s attention and spread information, whether on the Internet, in a presentation or in print. Reason two: Meyer Memorial Trust and Northwest Health Foundation look to communities to guide us in our work. We didn’t want to create an image to show people how we understand equity. We wanted community members to show us how they experience and understand equity, and we wanted Oregonians to talk to each other and help each other understand what equity means for Oregon.
Q: What was the response to the contest?
Darion: Robust! Our community partners helped us spread the word about Equity Illustrated to nearly 33,000 Oregonians across social media channels. We heard from folks who went old school, using emails, coffee dates and even phone calls (!) to promote the contest. But we also heard from, and were grateful for, people who passed along details about the contest via Facebook, Twitter, memes, videos, blogs, reshares and likes.
Q: Who benefits?
Laura: Through equity, we can improve life for all Oregonians. But it’s difficult to achieve equity when people don’t know what it means. With these images in hand, it will be easier for us and our community partners to explain equity to Oregon’s elected officials, to our peer grantmakers, business owners, teachers and school administrators, nonprofit staff and board members, health care workers and all Oregonians. When people understand what equity means, together we can move toward a more equitable Oregon!
Q: Who entered the contest and how were the winners chosen?
Darion: The response to Meyer and NWHF announcing the contest was huge. We saw excitement all over social media and through word of mouth.
Just over 40 youths and adults from across the state submitted entries to the contest. They ranged in age from 10 to 63. We drew together a panel of 11 volunteers from local nonprofits, social justice organizations, youth leadership groups and other foundations, as well as experts in design and art. The panel reflected Oregon’s diverse communities of color, sexual identity and disability, along with a range of age, socioeconomic backgrounds and privilege. They selected winners based on a rubric that considered design, understandability and impact, message and content, creativity, accuracy, and inclusiveness.
Q: What did you learn from the contest?
Laura: My own understanding of equity has become more complete. Before we ran this contest, I didn’t see any conceptual problems with the original equality vs. equity illustration.After researching and reading articles about equity, seeing illustrations from people all over Oregon, and hearing from all of the community members who judged the entries and chose our finalists, I understand that equity is more complex than boxes, a fence and baseball can represent. Furthermore, communities experience equity, and barriers to equity, in more ways than could ever be captured by a single image.
I also learned that equity is an issue Oregonians care about deeply and passionately.
Darion: Like Laura, I, too, feel greater clarity and a deepened understanding of equity. For me, one of the most valuable things I learned through this process is how beneficial actively listening and engaging can be, and I feel the listening portion is often overlooked. Being a part of an intentional process of community inclusion and engagement (both hallmarks of Meyer and Northwest Health) showed me how crucial it is to any organization doing equity work.
Q: What’s next?
Laura: That is a good question. First and foremost, we’ll be working to spread the winning images as far and wide as possible. These images were made to explain equity, and that’s what we’ll be using them for. We hope others will use them for that as well.
As far as the contest goes, and whether we’ll run it again, that’s something we haven’t talked about yet. To be determined.
Darion: Laura’s right! Our first mission is to get these images out to the community as tools for other foundations, nonprofits and community members, whether they’re just beginning their equity journeys or already engaged in conversations around equity. These images weren’t meant to be the end all of the conversation, only an entry point to help people dive a little bit deeper. I also hope that people who maybe thought they knew everything there was to know about equity are able to learn a little bit more.
Personally, I don’t think equity work is ever done.
You can learn more about the contest winners here and view the winning illustrations here.
