Multnomah county’s new idea to fight homelessness idea: Build tiny houses in people's backyards and rent them out to families with children now living on the streets.
The Oregonian wrote about the four tiny houses scheduled to launch June 2017:
Once in the tiny houses, the families will plug into existing county services, including a mobile team that helps people stay in their homes after experiencing homelessness. That includes resolving disputes with landlords, helping manage unexpected expenses and job help.
A family of four costs $32,000 a year to house and help in a shelter. That same family could be supported in one of the pilot project's tiny houses for $15,000 a year during the five-year contract.
People of color, low income communities and rural and tribal people are at the front line of environmental and climate injustice.
OPAL
Source:
Fred Joe Photography
Organizers raised the voices and issues of those most impacted by environmental hazards — people of color, low income Oregonians, rural communities and tribal people — at the People’s Climate March on April 29.
Following a blessing from Native Elder Ed Edmo (Shoshone-Bannock, Nez Pierce, Yakima) at Dawson Park in Northeast Portland, a crowd of nearly 3,000 set off for Buckman Field in Southeast Portland. Marchers repeated a familiar chant, first in English, then in Spanish, “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!”
Intersectionality reigned at the event organized by Oregon Just Transition Alliance. Zen monks demonstrated alongside marchers protesting immigration sweeps and no-cause evictions. Vegans waved “no more meat” signs and youths wearing “Black Lives Matter” T-shirts chanted alongside youths supporting farmworker rights and children holding “Kiddos for Climate Justice” signs and marchers for social justice.
Multnomah County commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson addressed the diverse crowd at Dawson Park: “Listen to front-line communities. Show up for racial justice, economic justice, worker justice and climate justice. Our fates are tied. Everyone has a role to play.”
“This is a demonstration of front-line activism,” said Huy Ong, executive director of OPAL, a recent Meyer grantee and a member of the Oregon Just Transition Alliance along with APANO, Beyond Toxics, Environmental Justice Oregon, PCUN, Unite Oregon and Rural Organizing Project. “The community is here demanding action to stop and reverse climate change and to grow our collective power.”
Carrying a sign that read “System Change, Not Climate Change,” People’s Climate March participant Charlie Graham said he was marching because the world is in crisis.
“The system is the problem,” said Graham, a retired elementary school teacher from Hillsboro. “It’s not just the environment over here or politics over there. Housing, climate change: we’re not on a sustainable path.”
All along the route, one of Tiffany Johnson’s hands gripped the palm of her 9-year-old daughter, Ona. The other hand held a sign that touched on many of the issues on demonstrators’ minds: “This is All Native Land: Love is Love, Immigrants Rights, Science is Real, Environmental Justice, Black Lives Matters, Women’s Rights and Feminism.”
“We go to all the social justice, police reform and environmental marches,” Johnson said. “But we don’t often see ourselves (Ona is Native American and black; her mom, Native American) reflected in the leadership or messages. Native people are commonly left out. It’s really important that Ona see the connections, that she claim her place and her voice.”
Rinzan Pechovnik, a priest from the No-Rank Zendo, a Zen Buddhist temple in Southeast Portland, scanned the crowd of thousands.
“This is the fundamental march,” he said. “We have to throw our bodies in to let the world know we care.”
Cary Watters (Tlingit), a Community Engagement Manager at NAYA, banged a hand drum leading marchers past the convention center.
“Ecological and social justice is really key,” she said. “You don’t have one without the other.”
Mary Phillips recently relocated to North Portland joined the march with her daughter-in-law, Erin, and son Mike, a program associate on Meyer’s Healthy Environment portfolio.
“We have to stay vigilant,” Phillips said. “Climate change affects everything — jobs, health care, housing — and this march shows how intersectional it gets. We’re all together in this.”
A recent interview with Hispanics in Philanthropy shone a spotlight on Affordable Housing Initiative program officer Elisa Harrigan and the work Meyer has been doing around defending the rights and safety of immigrants.
The dialogue with Elisa begins with grantmaking sparked by immigration executive orders in early 2017:
After the recent immigration executive orders by the U.S. president, Meyer’s CEO Doug Stamm responded swiftly. In a post, Stamm called the orders “hateful and inexcusable and counter to the principles of our republic,” and said the foundation group “must stand for the rights of all people of color, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community.” As a symbol matching its pocketbook to its principles, the trust has announced $190,000 in grants to organizations on the front lines of immigration battles.This included $20,000 each to the American Civil Liberties Foundation of Oregon and Unite Oregon, a local organization focused on racial justice.
The grants are only the latest Meyer moves dedicated to improving cultural outreach. According to Elisa Harrigan, a Latina leader and officer at Meyer’s Affordable Housing Initiative, the organization has worked hard to become more responsive to the needs of underserved Oregonians. Her presence is one example of that change.
In the social sector, no single organization has all the ideas, skills and resources to tackle the big, complex challenges we face. This is particularly true given how quickly change happens today. All by ourselves, none of us can learn or adapt fast enough. But together, in collaboration, when two or more organizations work jointly toward shared goals, we can build trust and social capital that benefits our collective and individual work over the long haul. And we can learn to navigate conflict productively so that we don’t undermine each other’s work even when we disagree.
We have to work together if we’re going to effectively address Oregon’s issues.
That’s why collaboration is one of Meyer’s core values and why we support collaboration in our grantmaking. Last November, we announced a number of collaborative grants. This year, we will again accept collaborative proposals, and we’ve put together some new information on what we mean by “collaborative grants” so you’ll know if the application you are planning fits into this category. Check out the cardstack above for examples of grants awarded in 2016 to support collaborative work.
Once again, an organization may submit one request to support its own organizational priority and also submit a second request to support a collaborative. We know it’s equally important to keep your own house healthy, which is why we continue to support the needs and priorities of organizations that line up with our portfolio goals and outcomes. In addition, we will fund collaboratives that have a clear purpose and an inclusive and equitable approach to sharing responsibilities and resources to advance their goals. You’ll find a few extra questions about these details in the inquiry application if you decide to apply for a collaborative grant.
Strong collaborative requests demonstrate clear alignment with a portfolio goal and one or two outcomes. We look for policy and systems change and/or movement building strategy that is grounded in the perspective of the communities and constituencies they represent and seek to empower. Like all other requests, we will assess collaborative requests based on our values and equity lens.
Although the cap for project grants is $175,000, we recognize that the costs of collaborative projects may run higher because they involve multiple organizations. Meyer will consider requests of up to $250,000 for up to three years to support collaborative projects. In most cases, the largest grants we will make to support a collaborative will be where multiple organizations receive portions of a Meyer grant. We can only fund a few large grants each year, so we recommend that you talk with portfolio staff about whether your collaborative project is a good fit for a large request and to receive guidance on the amount to request before submitting.
What’s not a collaborative request?
There are numerous ways that organizations work together that fall outside what qualifies as a “collaborative grant” through this annual funding opportunity. One example: when you are applying for funding to support only your organization’s work in a collaborative effort. We view this as your organization’s priority for a Meyer grant request. Another example is when your organization hires another nonprofit as a subcontractor to carry out a particular scope of work, such as hiring a nonprofit that provides technical assistance services or hiring a nonprofit to do outreach for your organization’s project. Our collaborative grants support a cooperative arrangement among organizations working jointly under a governance structure they jointly created to serve a common vision.
What if your collaborative is just forming?
For a collaborative grant, we expect you and your partners to work out many of the details about how your collaborative partnership works before you apply; things such as how decisions are made, how resources are shared, and what the role and responsibilities of differents partners are. We understand that the process of figuring out these things often takes a lot of conversation, time and energy. So we also support planning grants of between $10,000 and $35,000 for emerging collaboratives. Emerging collaboratives can use these resources for things such as hiring a consultant to facilitate partner discussions and helping develop shared goals and working agreements. They can also help fund some staff time to engage in this work.
Collaboration is an important driver of effective community change, particularly at a scale large enough to improve social and environmental conditions. That helps us deliver on our mission of a flourishing and equitable Oregon. And that’s why we are committed to supporting your efforts to work together, as well as the work organizations do on their own.
Please contact us at grants [at] mmt.org (grants[at]mmt[dot]org) or 503-228-5512 if you have any questions about collaborative grants and the current application process.
A Meyer-funded coalition of people and groups united in pursuit of a strong, equitable cleanup of the Willamette River Superfund site scored a key victory this winter.
Spurred by grassroots activism against a cleanup plan many criticized as too weak to protect all people against the health risks of Portland’s polluted river, federal officials on Jan. 6 nearly doubled the amount of carcinogen-tainted sediment they plan to remove from the river bottom.
Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said their shift toward a more robust cleanup was a direct result of widespread public outcry against the original plan. The agency received thousands of public comments demanding more, many of them gathered by Meyer-funded community organizers with the Portland Harbor Community Coalition, who strived to capture the voices of low-income, minority, immigrant and homeless Portlanders.
Although the $1 billion plan represents a major milestone for groups demanding a thorough, fair Superfund cleanup, their work isn’t done. With continued grant support from Meyer, the coalition is pushing for economic and social justice in the Superfund process by insisting that cleanup contractors hire a diverse, local workforce and demanding opportunities for public input as the cleanup proceeds.
A couple of years ago, Meyer set out to make some changes that would ensure that our staff represented our commitment to equity. Although we have made progress, we’re careful to frequently assess how our processes can offer a value-added experience for the job applicant as well as for Meyer.
As I pause to reflect on the internal face of Meyer, I see diversity that extends from the north to the south ends of our office. We are often asked: How have we made positive strides? Or, what’s our secret sauce?
Our Secret Sauce
There’s no special recipe. Instead, we’ve applied practices that have worked for Meyer, and I’ll share four strategies.
All team members are encouraged to share new job opportunities with their networks. Their referrals offer tremendous value, especially when they share firsthand the meaningful work that they do as well as what’s appealing about Meyer.
We reach out to community partners and ask that they circulate our job opportunities within their circles, and we reciprocate that support.
We post our employment opportunities on a number of job boards that provide us access to a diverse pool of candidates. Here are a few sites that you may consider:
We have also partnered with a professional search firm to assist us with attracting a broader pool of talent based upon internal resources and the role to be filled.
Toward the True Goal of an Inclusive Workplace
Dr. john a. powell, director of the Haas Institute at U.C. Berkeley, recently made a statement that resonated for me: You may have diversity in your organization, but if you’re not working toward a common goal, you won’t achieve the desired results.
I agree. If the goal of your diversity recruiting efforts is to beam proudly and say, “Look at all of the different looking faces in our organization,” then that’s the only goal you’ll achieve. You may have diverse demographics, but the question will remain: How will you leverage your organization's diversity through a true change that creates an inclusive work culture?
As an example, you might hire a talented candidate who reflects some form of diversity, but if your work culture doesn’t genuinely demonstrate a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere, then both the organization and the new hire will be unhappy. Although the steps toward securing a great hire may look good on paper, the investment of time and effort aren’t sustainable without the larger goal in sight.
If you would like to explore this topic further, please stay tuned for a webinar I’ll be hosting in March. Details to follow soon.
It's been two years since Meyer joined a handful of other foundations to pool funding in a collaborative effort, called Canopy, to drive more community-driven impact investments throughout the Pacific Northwest region.
One of the fund managers in the Canopy ecosystem is Elevate Capital, founded by Portland-based entrepreneur and investor Nitin Rai:
Nitin became a mentor as part of TiE—a non-profit, global community of entrepreneurs, focusing on five pillars: mentoring, networking, education, incubating, and funding. Nitin later became President of the organization, and in this role, launched TiE Oregon Angels to support high-quality emerging companies with early stage investment, mentorship, and support. Since inception, this group has invested over $5 million in 28 startups across Oregon.
When word spread about the success of these startup investments, Nitin eventually connected with Sayer Jones, Director of Mission Related Investing at Meyer Memorial Trust. Meyer is very committed to aligning the foundation’s investments with its philanthropic mission. In his Meyer role, Sayer has consequently been at the forefront of expanding the opportunities for mission-related investing in the Pacific Northwest region. When Sayer met with Nitin, he saw a great opportunity to fill one of the largest gaps in the regional investing landscape—entrepreneurs who need small amounts of capital to get off the ground as well as businesses led by people of color, women or veterans.
Read the case study, with an introduction from Richard Woo, chief executive officer of The Russell Family Foundation and chair of Canopy, right here.
The Ashland Daily Tidings highlighted two nonprofit organizations, Lomakatsi Restoration Project and the Northwest Forest Worker Center, that recently received awards from Meyer for ecosystem restoration and forest work.
Here's what how the Daily Tidings described work the grants support:
Jobs carried out by restoration workers (for Lomakatsi) include planting trees along streams and clear-cuts, pulling invasive weeds and thinning dense, fire-suppressed forests. Both organizations have worked to combat the abuse of forest workers and sub-standard working conditions.
The Northwest Forest Workers Center's Promotora Program employs women from the forest worker community in Medford to train forest workers in preventing on-the-job injuries and educate them about their rights. Lomakatsi's partnership with tribal communities as well as its 40-person technical and on-the-ground workforce has focused on forest worker training and building the range of skills of forest workers since Lomakatsi was founded.
You'll find the full story, including grant amounts here.
Portland State University’s Institute for Sustainable Solutions has formed a new partnership with Neighbors for Clean Air and Lewis & Clark Law School’s Northwest Environmental Defense Center to pursue cleaner, healthier air for all Oregonians.
The partnership, BREATHE Oregon, will provide clear scientific data, legal analysis and community outreach so residents and policy makers have the information they need to make decisions that improve air quality in Portland and throughout Oregon.
BREATHE Oregon builds on a research partnership launched last spring between the Institute for Sustainable Solutions, the City of Portland and Multnomah County to assess heavy metal pollution in Portland-metro neighborhoods in response to community concerns about elevated levels of toxins found in the area.
“The BREATHE Oregon partnership helps ensure that meaningful scientific research about local air pollution moves from PSU labs into the hands of community advocates and policymakers,” said Robert Liberty, director of the PSU Institute for Sustainable Solutions.
Linda George, PSU professor of environmental science and fellow of the Institute for Sustainable Solutions is leading PSU’s research efforts. “It’s our hope that our research will engage local residents and inform future air quality oversight in our state,” George said.
A $250,000 Meyer Memorial Trust grant funds the partnership. In addition to scientific and legal analysis of air quality data and impacts, the award supports a series of community symposiums and a fleet of student interns who will work with local organizations to expand outreach about air quality issues.
“The path toward cleaner air is complex, and informed community involvement is essential,” said Mary Peveto, the co-founder and president of Neighbors for Clean Air. “Through BREATHE Oregon, we’ll work with communities most affected by air pollution to ensure they have access to accurate and relevant information and a seat at the table. We’re excited about collaborating with our neighbors, our university, and our state regulatory offices for healthier air.”
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Oregon Health Authority are in the process of overhauling industrial air toxic regulations to align them with public health, as directed by Gov. Kate Brown’s Cleaner Air Oregon initiative. The Cleaner Air Oregon advisory committee includes representatives from each of the BREATHE Oregon partner organizations, providing a direct connection between academic research, community advocacy, legal analysis and policy recommendations.
“State health experts and regulators depend on accurate, scientifically sound data and engaged, well-informed communities to protect the health of Oregonians,” said Lynne Saxton, director of the Oregon Health Authority. “We welcome the partnership of Meyer Memorial Trust and the grantees to achieve cleaner air in our state.”
- Laura Gleim, Institute for Sustainable Solutions
It’s no secret that the lack of equity and diversity in Oregon’s environmental movement has been an issue for decades. So we weren’t surprised that many Healthy Environment portfolio applications focused on building organizational capacity for effective diversity, equity and inclusion work. After all, every journey starts where you are.
The Healthy Environment portfolio awarded seven grants to fund technical assistance focused solely on diversity, equity and inclusion. Common activities included training staff and board, developing an equity strategy and integrating diversity, equity and inclusion into an organizational strategic plan.
Several of these grantees are in the beginning stages of equity work — a crucial moment to build capacity. We look forward to continued support for this foundational work as a precursor to implementation. For organizations that are further along in their equity journeys, we are also supporting implementation of equity priorities, which is woven into many of the projects and organizations that we funded this round, although the descriptions of these grants on our awards database doesn’t label them as being for “equity implementation.” Examples of these efforts include creating a statewide environmental justice coalition, integrating equity into climate change policy and supporting economic development with tribes and rural, low-income communities.
Developing foundational elements for diversity, equity and inclusion work creates a stronger, inclusive, resilient and more successful environmental movement. We foresee continuing to support this work in future grant cycles. We also plan to continue funding the implementation of organizational and programmatic equity priorities. Something to consider if your organization is at the beginning stage of equity work and looking to partner with Meyer: we don’t recommend applying for both capacity building and implementation of DEI at the same time. It’s difficult to predict exactly what your implementation needs are before you complete planning and other foundational work.
Overall, I am extremely grateful to work at a foundation that is both walking the equity talk and lifting up grantees in their equity journey, especially by supporting organizations committed to equity and growth over time whether they are at the beginning or advanced stage of this work. I look forward to working with Meyer’s current and future grantees in creating a flourishing and equitable Oregon.
