More than a decade ago, I began a training regimen in Pilates with certified instructors. It started out with simple moves. After years of training sessions, I eventually added the Russian Split and the Snake and Twist on the reformer, advanced exercises that build on the basics of Pilates and require both patience and practice. With my newly acquired knowledge, I am now capable of carrying out advanced Pilates sessions on my own and helping others in their learning journey.

When we first began exploring equity at Meyer Memorial Trust around 2012, we started by training in racial equity, the most common catalyst for diversity, equity and inclusion work. Understanding DEI and operating within a DEI lens is complex work. Race intersects with all areas of DEI, so it is not uncommon to focus initially on race to help folks unpack the ways in which oppression works.

Our interactive anti-racism equity training has been grounded in the examination of racial and ethnic oppression through a framework that allows us to examine how the three expressions of racism (illustrated in the cardstack on the left) show up. White supremacy is at the root of historic inequity in the United States. It promotes monoculturalism and the disenfranchisement of communities of color.

Meyer’s trainings — I figure we’ve undergone just shy of two work weeks of daylong equity trainings so far — help to sharpen our skills, strategies and ability to address structural racism and to advance racial equity and social change. The thinking: Once people understand how everyone is harmed by those systems, we can work together to create change within them.

Last weekend, to celebrate Meyer’s 35th year as an Oregon foundation, our staff marched at the Portland Pride parade in support of Meyer colleagues, friends, relatives and neighbors along the identity spectrum: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and more. (For a glimpse at the diversity of the “LGBTQAlphabet,” take a look at this video from Equinox and The Center [the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center]) A few days earlier, we completed our second two-day staff and trustee LGBTQ equity training, with expert trainers from Pride Foundation, dRworks, Yee Won Chong Consulting LLC and Neola H. Young Consulting.

I have four young grandkids, two whose assigned sex is female and two male. In an effort to be a better informed grandfather, I walked into the training feeling an urgency to understand more about gender. It was a thoughtful, challenging experience. At times, I felt moments of uncertainty even as I was enlightened about deconstructing the gender binary, deadnaming and why the Oregon Equality Act of 2007 is such an important bulwark for the protection of jobs, housing and access to opportunities for the state’s LGBTQ community.

I learned much, and the trainers did what they do best: challenge firmly held beliefs. When the training wrapped up, I felt more emboldened and empowered to work against the discrimination of people who identify as transgender, gender-nonconforming, gay, lesbian or bisexual.

Our training has broadened to include LGBTQ issues for a few reasons. A key reason is to assure Meyer staff who identify as LGBTQ that our foundation believes this is important work. Its framework and construct echo the racial equity training Meyer staff and trustees have undergone, to help us understand the broad concepts, oppressions and discriminations that can shape the experiences of LGBTQ people.

When Meyer started equity training, I remember saying to a staff member, “Well, I don’t expect us to become a social justice organization.” Somehow, that felt a step too far for this organization. But with training, I’ve come to realize I didn’t even know what a “social justice organization” really was or why they have had to exist. Marginalized human beings encounter multilayered experiences of personal and structural and cultural -isms every day, at the bank, enrolling their kids in school, buying real estate. Before we began, those truths weren’t anything I, a cisgender white guy who benefits from white privilege, knew innately.

That’s the thing: Without training and education, I wouldn’t have a counter-narrative to the sanitized history that makes it appear that there is no reality beyond one through a binary gender lens or the myth that this country was not built on the bodies and blood of people of color. Time and again, those deeper dives into equity through a racial framework make clear that white people must educate ourselves about the history of racism in the U.S. and how it  manifests at the individual, institutional and cultural levels.

Without training, even well-intentioned people don’t have the ability to identify cultural, structural and institutionalized racism. Or to shift their perspective so they can focus their efforts on dismantling oppression. Being progressive isn’t enough: If we care about making systems change, we must use our position, power and privilege to eliminate racism. As an institution born of wealth, unfettered opportunity and power, we must keep learning.

Why? Because we make mistakes, and equity training teaches us that when mistakes happen, owning the problem and offering a thoughtful remedy is a key step toward the flourishing and equitable Oregon that is our mission.

A great example of applied learning: last year, we were criticized for our terminology when referring to people with disabilities on our website, mmt.org. Our intent wasn’t to harm, but using the word ability to encompass people with disabilities did cause harm. Apologies without recompense don’t go very far.

For us to understand where we went wrong, we had to understand why our word choice was wrong. So we read books and we talked to experts and to people with disabilities. We haven’t done organization-wide training, that still lies ahead, but we will because training helps us to become smarter allies, more sensitive advocates and, frankly, better-informed accomplices.

—Doug

Meyer staff and trustees during a two-day LGBTQ equity training in June 2017

As a Korean-American, there isn’t really a day when my racial identity is mistaken. My identity as a lesbian can be, though.

When I came out to my parents, my mom even pointed out that I wasn’t one of those lesbians who “cut their hair short and wore clompy shoes.” (My butch partner, Kris, however, looked down at her shoes and said, “I think I’m your mother’s worst nightmare!”) Unlike with my obvious racial status, I get a pass on my sexual orientation and gender identity. In some of my previous workplaces, the assumption that I was straight led to a significant amount of worry that my acceptance and safety hinged on that mistake.

I am fortunate to feel safe being “out” at Meyer. It’s not always so easy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people whose identities and gender expression do not match the binary male/female “norms,” particularly when they work in organizations rife with implicit or explicit homophobia and transphobia. LGBTQ people have shouldered the burden of these phobias: everything from the inability to be out in the workplace and lack of funding for LGBTQ organizations to significant inequities among the population, personal violence and even mass murder.

At two recent events hosted by Funders for LGBTQ Issues and the Pride Foundation, I was reminded that those of us in “mainstream” philanthropy (i.e. foundations that are not LGBTQ-specific) need to do more to increase safety for LGBTQ employees and to advance equity for the LGBTQ communities we serve. In a workshop titled “How Foundations Can Better Support LGBTQ Staff and Movements: Stories from the Field,” Tamir Novotny from Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and Brian Schultz of the Foundation Center presented preliminary data from a survey of LGBTQ staff in foundations around the country and led an informal “data gathering” discussion about participants’ experiences.

The survey’s early findings were not surprising to the group. Remaining closeted and “navigating your workplace as your authentic self” resonated as ongoing challenges with workshop participants. Heads nodded as our discussion turned to the fear of being seen as biased should we bring up LGBTQ issues. Some noted that questions about personal life, family and home aren’t as frequently asked of LGBTQ staff, and both big wins, such as marriage equality, and terrible losses, such as the Pulse Nightclub massacre, can feel isolating when no one else talks about them. The underemployment of transgender employees in the workforce was particularly notable. And finally, the level of funding to address LGBTQ inequities sends a message to LGBTQ employees regarding awareness or willingness to take action.

A recent report from Funders for LGBTQ Issues revealed that, while on the rise nationally, funding for LGBTQ issues and organizations in the Pacific Northwest dropped by nearly half between 2011 and 2015, from a high of $4.9 million to $2.6 million. Much of the drop can be attributed to a decrease in funding after marriage equality wins. But backlash to that decision is ongoing, and in today’s political climate,  LGBTQ civil rights are increasingly at risk for a population that has long faced significant and persistent inequities. (see cardstack)

Here's a lesson for funders focused on providing resources to alleviate poverty, hunger and violence or determined to change systems to improve conditions by tackling issues such as criminal justice, health care and housing: Including LGBTQ populations in those frameworks, lenses and resource-sharing is not added work … it is the work.

The good news is that as mainstream Oregon funders develop more nuanced and evolved approaches to diversity, equity and inclusion — and our grantees have helped us recognize the inequities and intersectionalities experienced by the LGBTQ community — support for LGBTQ employees and community members seem to be increasing. Four mainstream Oregon foundations made the Funders for LGBTQ Issues 2015 honor roll by increasing their LGBTQ grantmaking by 25 percent or more: The Collins Foundation, MRG Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation and Meyer. And the Pride Foundation, with dedicated staff in Oregon, also provides 23 percent of the LGBTQ-specific funding in the Northwest. All of this suggests more LGBTQ-focused discussions are happening within local philanthropy, and that’s a very good thing.

Supporting staff to go to conferences focused on LGBTQ issues, establishing and sponsoring affinity groups, and creating gender inclusive bathrooms are other relatively easy ways to support LGBTQ staff. We recently installed new signs marking Meyer’s gender inclusive bathroom this spring, a simple move that makes visiting our offices somewhat more pleasant for any visitor. But the signs are on just one of the two bathrooms; we still have a ways to go.

So do Northwest funders when it comes to funding to address LGBTQ inequities. There really isn’t a choice: If we are committed to advancing equity, then increasing inclusive and safe workplaces and funding for LGBTQ issues must follow. That, too, is the work.  

—Carol (with brilliant contributions by my trusted LGBTQ colleagues and our allies)

*Data sources: Federal Bureau of Investigation, socialexplorer.com, Census Bureau, Pew Research Center, Williams Institute, National LGBTQ Task Force.

Carol and Kris, partners of 22 years, at their 2003 wedding

The Willamette River restoration community recently hosted six visiting representatives from the Río Laja River Basin, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, for an exchange of knowledge and practice in watershed restoration.

The five-day visit in early June was the latest highlight of an international partnership the two basins launched in 2015 as part of the Willamette community’s receipt of the 2012 Thiess International Riverprize. The award, which recognizes exemplary efforts in river protection and restoration, includes an opportunity to collaborate with a watershed outside the prize winner's home country in an exchange known as a Twinning project. The Meyer Memorial Trust's Willamette River Initiative stewards the project on behalf of the basin's restoration community.

Many of the Willamette’s biggest watershed health challenges are also present in the Laja. Restoration practitioners in both basins are working to improve water quality, increase migratory bird habitat, foster community engagement and restore floodplain function following gravel mining operations, among other shared priorities.

Tara Davis, who coordinates the Twinning project on behalf of Meyer Memorial Trust, said the partnership has enabled participants from both basins to share expertise, engage in cultural exchange and develop professional relationships through multiple visits to one another’s home turf.

“It’s so valuable to be able to talk, to connect, and to learn from our international peers about how they approach similar watershed conservation challenges in a different social and environmental context,” Davis said.

Representatives from the Willamette visited the Laja for a week in March and August 2016, while a Laja visitor came to the Willamette Valley in December 2016. This time, Laja visitors included scientists and advocates from the government, nonprofit and university sectors.

During their time in the Willamette, Laja partners toured restoration projects spearheaded by the Calapooia Watershed Council, Luckiamute Watershed Council, McKenzie River Trust, Greenbelt Land Trust, Clean Water Services and others. They also spent time with Willamette-based groups working in the Latino community, including Oregon State University Extension’s 4-H program and the Eugene-based Huerto de la Familia, and met with numerous other partners to trade ideas and explore partnership opportunities.

“It’s been a very positive experience,” said Mario Hernández Peña, director of El Charco del Ingenio, an important botanical garden and nature preserve in Guanajuato. “The information we’re taking back to Mexico will help us think of new ways to make positive change in our home environment.”

The week culminated in a planning session intended to identify opportunities for further collaboration and brainstorm ways to apply learnings from this visit to Laja partners’ efforts in their home basin.

Learn more about the about the Twinning exchange here.

For additional information about restoration efforts happening in the Willamette Basin, visit willametteinitiative.org.

—Kelly

Fernando Rivera Valdés (foreground), an agricultural engineer from the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, discussing watershed conservation during a tour of restoration sites along Price Creek in the Willamette watershed.

The crimes that took place on a MAX train Friday afternoon in Portland have consumed me and my Meyer colleagues this Memorial Day weekend.

Friday afternoon, on a crowded MAX train in Portland, a white man screamed racist, xenophobic and Islamophobic slurs at two teen girls, one identified as African-American, the other identified as Muslim and wearing a headscarf. When riders intervened to protect the young women, three Good Samaritans were stabbed in the neck, two of them fatally. When the train stopped at the Hollywood Transit Center in Northeast Portland, the suspect ran, and other passengers followed and pointed him out to police, who arrested him nearby.

Authorities have identified the men who died as 53-year-old Ricky John Best of Happy Valley and 23-year-old Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche of Southeast Portland. The surviving victim, 21-year-old Micah David-Cole Fletcher of Southeast Portland, remained hospitalized Sunday. The three men are rightly being hailed as heroes. So is the passenger who tried to save the wounded man and the passengers who chased the suspect

The attacker — whose name I won't mention because he does not deserve the attention — has been identified as a white supremacist with a criminal record of robbery and kidnapping. Photos and interviews from a rally in April show the man brandishing an American flag, making Nazi salutes and hurling assorted insults at counterprotesters. He has been charged with aggravated murder, attempted murder, intimidation and felony possession of a restricted weapon.

The stabbings, which happened on the first night of Ramadan, made international news. But here's what strikes me: Most of the initial attention has focused rightfully on the terrible violence that happened Friday and the heroes who stepped up to protect strangers. But I find myself returning again and again to the words that prompted heroic intervention.

In our time, the cultural and institutional racism that underpins our country and our Oregon — which was founded as a “no-blacks-allowed” state — is more and more often laid bare. Individual acts of racist, white nationalist, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, anti-Native and anti–LGBTQ hate speech, threats, terror and violence are also rampant. The Southern Poverty Law Center collected more than 1,300 reported bias incidents in the three months following the 2016 election. That’s an astonishing volume of pain. (You can report acts of hate here.)

I'd wager that those two teens targeted Friday have endured such vocalized hate before, young as they are, and in a town idealized as Portlandia. That's something that should trouble us deeply.

Our Muslim-American, African-American, Native American, Asian-American, Latinx, Jewish, LGBTQ and immigrant communities stand on the front lines of hate and bigotry in this country. They pay the ultimate price for just daring to be, contributing to the social fabric of this country.

All of us have it in us to be heroes. We can be brave in the face of bias and bigotry. We can and must make our voices heard to drown out the insidiousness of hate speech.

My heart breaks for the families of the men who stood up to hate and paid a terrible price, and also for the families of the teenagers. Those young women may well feel traumatized for the rest of their lives. I've said it before and it bears repeating again this Memorial Day weekend: The commitment of Meyer's staff and trustees to work with and support nonprofits working for equity in Oregon, and to voice our opposition to the hatred, bigotry and bias that underlies the #PortlandStabbings, is unwavering.

We are not alone in our determination. Groups and individuals have stepped up to care for the survivors and the families of the murdered men. More than 15,000 have donated to show they support heroism over hate.

Meyer grantee Muslim Educational Trust, and Celebrate Mercy, a national organization aimed at teaching about the life of the Prophet Muhammad through programs and social campaigns, launched Muslims Unite for Portland Heroes on Saturday. As of noon Sunday, the campaign had raised more than $250,000 in 24 hours.

A GofundMe page on behalf of the slain men, coordinated by Portland restaurant owner Nick Zukin, had raised more than $300,000 by noon Sunday. And another GoFundMe campaign, earmarked for the hospitalized victim, had raised $95,000 by noon Sunday.

There is deep-seated hatred among us, but we are better than the worst among us. We are also compassionate neighbors. And that’s what keeps me in the fray.

—Doug

 

Editor's note: An additional YouCaring account was set up Sunday to raise money for the families of the 16- and 17-year-old girls who were verbally harassed by the suspect. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fund had raised $33,000 to help the teens and their families with safe transportation, mental health services and more.

Hundreds gathered at a vigil at the Hollywood Transit Center on the evening after the Portland stabbings. Here, one young man comforts another during a moment of silence. Photo credit: Beth Nakamura/Oregonian Publishing Co.

Meyer's 2017 Annual Funding Opportunity closed on April 19, and a quick crunch of the numbers starkly illustrates the gap between philanthropy and need in Oregon.

By-the-numbers

Meyer received 606 inquiry applications under our community, education, environment and housing portfolios, totaling $74 million.

Meyer expects to award $17.1 million under the funding opportunity, about 23 percent of what was requested. That gap is why Meyer invests in strategies that expand and deepen the impact of our grantmaking.

Most of the requests, 284 inquiry applications totaling $31 million, came under the Building Community portfolio, which works to further the vision that Oregonians can achieve their full potential, have a voice in decisions that affect them, and engage in and help build vibrant communities. The portfolio will invest $4.8 million toward that vision this year.

The Equitable Education portfolio saw the second largest request, with 166 requests, for a total of $23 million. This portfolio will invest $5.2 million through the funding opportunity to help Oregon students to realize their goals of increased academic achievement with the absence of disparities at all levels of the education continuum.

Nonprofits made 80 inquiry applications under Meyer's Healthy Environment portfolio, totaling $8 million. In all, Meyer will invest approximately $3.3 million through the portfolio to advance the vision of nurturing a resilient natural environment, while supporting the well-being of Oregon’s diverse cultures and communities.

And finally, 76 organizations applied for $11.7 million in funding under the Housing Opportunities portfolio. The portfolio will invest approximately $3.8 million this year to open doors to opportunity and strengthen communities through safe and affordable housing.

What comes next?

Meyer uses a two-step application process for our annual funding opportunity: Inquiry Applications and Full Proposals.

Beginning in mid-March, Meyer welcomed inquiry applications from eligible organizations seeking to advance one of our portfolios' goals. (You'll find a sample from the Building Community portfolio here). After the deadline of April 19, Meyer's inquiry applications review process normally takes approximately 65 days.

After reviewing Inquiry Applications, Meyer invites the most promising applicants to submit a full proposal. Meyer will notify organizations in mid-June whether or not they are invited to submit a full proposal. If invited, organizations will have three weeks to submit a full proposal, due in July. A sample preview of the full proposal application and questions is available at https://mmt.org/portfolio/community/full-proposal-questions.

After reviewing proposals and following up either in person or over the phone, Meyer anticipates making final award decisions by the end of 2017, with funding available to organizations in early 2018.

Questions? Check out our list of frequently asked questions at www.mmt.org/apply/applicant-resources/your-questions. Or contact us at grantops [at] mmt.org (grantops[at]mmt[dot]org) with questions about GrantIS.

— Kimberly

Collaboration can be a powerful force for 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.

— Jill

As we traveled throughout the state this past year sharing information about Meyer’s new structure and funding opportunities, we heard you clearly: Meyer’s equity focus left some questions unanswered for rural communities. Leaders, community members and organizations want to know how Meyer is thinking about rural needs, concerns and strengths.

Meyer values rural communities. They are a crucial part of our Oregon community and identity. The rural entrepreneurial spirit has elevated Oregon’s diverse landscapes and waterways and opened doors for more people to explore them. Rural residents who depend on and care about their surrounding natural environment have innovated for decades to transition from natural resource-based economies and have persevered to recover from the last financial crisis. The resiliency and ingenuity of rural communities are strengthened daily through inherently collaborative approaches to work and life.

Although the strengths and character of rural communities help mitigate some of the impact, they can’t entirely eliminate existing and growing inequities. We know that Oregon’s rural communities generally experience higher poverty rates than urban areas. Oregon rural household incomes are comparable to the national average, yet home prices are nearly 60 percent higher in rural Oregon than the national average in rural communities. Higher unemployment rates and lower wages contribute to youth migration to urban areas, leaving a growing aging population to bear the cost of essential services. Historically under-resourced rural communities are left to deal with reduced or eliminated education, health care, emergency, social and economic services.

With economic challenges taking center stage, additional barriers faced by some community members are often unheard and thus unintentionally reinforced. People with deep roots in rural communities who self-identify as LGBT, women, people of color, indigenous, immigrants, and people with disabilities are left out of conversations that impact their daily lives. Local governments and organizations are challenged to engage representative voices at decision-making tables but often have minimal experience and resources to undergo change processes that deliver different outcomes. Opportunities to build strength across differences are missed, and community divisions can be exploited by external groups with no local ties. Compounded inequities contribute to loss of confidence in government, further decreasing civic engagement and participation in democratic processes.

We are on this journey together. As Meyer continues to deepen its approach in service of a flourishing and equitable Oregon, our commitment to rural communities is unwavering. We will continue to think inclusively and remain flexible and responsive to meet Oregon’s needs. We will promote advocacy to lift communities across Oregon that are most impacted by inequities rooted in bias and systemic oppression.

Inequities impacting rural communities mirror those elsewhere in the state, but we know they are uniquely experienced because of distinct circumstances such as population size, geographic isolation, poverty levels and compromised infrastructures. It is these distinctive circumstances that guide how Meyer thinks about rural communities to ensure support reaches historically under-resourced communities in highest need.

We invite you to read the factors we consider when thinking of rural communities included in our Applicant Resources along with other resources we use to think inclusively, equitably and at the intersection of identities. Knowing applicants are also interested in learning more about their communities’ demographics and how to best serve them, we have included links to tools applicants can use to collect demographic data in our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Resources page.

On this journey, we count on staying in conversation as we explore new ways of thinking about rural communities and the growing diverse communities that live in them.

Rural leaders are the experts in what equity looks like in their communities. Please join us for a virtual information session on Rural Equity on April 6, 2017. Local leaders will share their stories of advancing equity in environmental work in rural Oregon with potential applicants. Registration for virtual information sessions is open and can be accessed here.

Looking forward to more conversation as we make our way around the state.

— Nancy

At Meyer, we ask our grantees to engage with communities most impacted by disparities. And we value the wisdom our grantees develop about the work they do and the people they serve.

When we launched our new portfolio-based funding model last year, we knew we would want to shine a light on that collective wisdom. Drumroll ... Introducing Meyer’s Nonprofit Sector Learning Collaboratives and our first cohort of Leadership Development and Capacity Builder grantees!

Last November, we called for proposals to facilitate the development of leaders and organizations providing capacity building services to other organizations. I’m overjoyed to announce those grantees. The breadth of the organizations we’re funding through these two funding streams is exciting because the grantees represent all our portfolio priorities in education, housing, the environment and community building. And we were pleased that the percentage of Meyer applicants from rural communities, 30 percent, was the same percent of rural-based grants that we awarded.

Meyer had originally allocated $2.3 million for the Leadership Development and Capacity Builder grants in 2017. But because of the strength of the applications and opportunities to partner with organizations that really aligned with the funding goals, we’re awarding a total of about $2.9 million over two years.

Leadership Development: $1.5 million awarded through 22 grants

Why?

Socially based inequities are complex. Leadership development provides Oregonians with more connections, skills and resources to address areas of inequity that matter most to them. That’s the short game. The longer game is to build the power of people in communities that have not been represented in the traditional halls of power.

Many service organizations work with general populations. But organizations that are culturally specific are often made up of people from their target service community and provide services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. That can lead to better outcomes for communities that are facing the greatest disparities. And leadership development capitalizes on the collective wisdom in communities while reducing reliance on a single leader who may come and go. The idea here is to spread out the leadership knowledge and leadership skills.

Meyer received 50 proposals for leadership development, totalling $3.1 million. Forty-five percent of the grantees serve the Portland area and 12 serve culturally specific populations.

Grantees for leadership development include Communities United for People/Enlace, a statewide-organization serving women, especially women of color impacted by violence, criminalization, climate change and immigration issues; Momentum Alliance, serving youths from marginalized communities in the Portland area; and EUVALCREE, serving Latinos in rural Malheur County.

Two to highlight include a grant for $80,000 to help the American Leadership Forum bring urban and rural leaders together to create genuine dialogue and leverage relationships that bridge the urban-rural divide that can keep Oregonians apart.

Another $80,000 grant, to the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis, will help build the leadership skills of teens working to advocate for better policies and relationships with local law enforcement.

Capacity Builder: $1.4 million awarded through 10 grants

Why?

A central tenet of Meyer is equity. So we asked ourselves: What will that mean for organizations that are early in their journey to embody equity in their ranks and programs? And where will they get the support they need to meet us along the way? The answer is to support capacity builders with grants and collective learning.

Capacity building grants traditionally help strengthen what nonprofits do. These Capacity Builder grants help strengthen management support organizations that help nonprofits be more effective. You could say these grants support those capacity builders to strengthen their own equity chops and their services to be more effective in helping the nonprofits they work with get — and get better at — equity.

Meyer received 36 proposals totalling $4.3 million.

Two to highlight include a $88,195 grant over two years goes to Northeast Oregon Economic Development District — which serves nonprofits in Union, Wallowa and Baker counties — to help embed diversity, equity and inclusion into their trainings and to provide ongoing support to the organizations they serve through facilitating DEI discussions.

Another two-year grant is a turn on the saying: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. The $147,178 grant to Oregon Health & Science University’s Evaluation Core Unit helps train small nonprofits serving marginalized communities to evaluate their work through research, collection and analysis of their data — and to provide them with a complete evaluation of their own work.

We’re asking all of the Leadership Development and Capacity Builder grantees to participate in learning collaboratives: one year for leadership development, two-years for the capacity builders. Over the course of their grant periods, we’ll host Learning Collaboratives through a series of meetings: three for Leadership Development grantees, four for Capacity Builder grantees.

Our Learning Collaboratives are intended to serve as an opportunity for grantees and Meyer staff to lift up collective wisdom to share and build knowledge to advance diversity, equity and inclusion work. With facilitator support, participants will be encouraged to reflect, plan and, to some extent, take action. All the grantees will have a chance to learn from experts in the field and will have a voice in informing how Meyer might fund these types of work in the future.

These collaboratives will help Meyer model best and promising practices among leadership development and capacity builders to advance DEI in Oregon.

— Carol

I was once a grantwriter. And this time of year, during the month when Meyer’s annual funding opportunity is open, I feel the pain of grantwriters.

Grantwriters are tasked with figuring out how to write the most compelling application possible in fewer than 2,000 words and convince a funder that a particular project is worth investing in. Coupled with funders’ selection criteria and processes, which are not always clear and can even seem arbitrary, the application process can feel downright frustrating.

One of Meyer’s values is transparency, and we strive to be open about our grantmaking and decision-making criteria. That’s why we organized in-person and virtual information sessions and created a new section on our website to share useful resources for applicants. I hope these tips help make applying for Meyer funding even easier.

Eligibility vs. alignment

Many organizations are eligible to apply for Meyer funding, but not all of them will be in alignment with our goals.

Eligibility means that the applicant fulfills certain requirements, such as having tax-exempt status and meeting our nondiscriminatory policy. Eligibility is a paved road — you’re either on it or you’re not.

Alignment, on the other hand, is more like a hiking trail — sometimes the path is clear; sometimes it’s harder to see. To show us that your project or proposal is a good fit with Meyer’s portfolio goals, you’ll want to demonstrate not only that the work you’re proposing to do directly ties to our desired outcomes but also that you have a strong analysis of how this work is (or is committed to be) rooted in equity and inclusion.

To get an idea of the projects we might fund, check out what each portfolio funded last year. Building Community’s list is here, Healthy Environment’s is here, and Housing Opportunity’s list is here. The Equitable Education portfolio begins making grants this year.

Read about our funding priorities, grant types and amounts

For some organizations, choosing a portfolio will be easy; for others, it might be a bit more difficult. If you’re in the latter category, spend some time reading about the different portfolios and decide which of their goals your work aligns with most closely. If you still have questions after looking at the portfolios, feel free to email us at questions [at] mmt.org (questions[at]mmt[dot]org) or visit Meyer’s frequently asked questions page.

In the Inquiry Application, you will have an opportunity to choose one — just one — portfolio goal and up to two outcomes your proposed work will help to achieve.

To read more about the types of funding available, please click here.

Use plain language

When talking about your work, don’t assume we know what you do, who you are, or what communities you serve. Answer each question fully and in as plain a language as you can, providing examples if appropriate, and avoiding jargon and acronyms if at all possible.

Check out the cardstack above for an example organization and program description for “Awesome Organization.” It can be a bit of a Goldilocks situation to find the sweet spot of clarity and simplicity.

Connect your work to root causes and systems-level impact

For your proposal to be competitive, you’ll want to make a strong connection between your programs and services and the root causes of the problem you want to address.

To continue with our previous example, improving access to chocolate is a worthy cause in its own right, but Awesome Organization’s proposal would be significantly more competitive if it demonstrated that it not only addresses the immediate need of the community, i.e. access to delicious chocolate, but that it is also thinking about what creates that immediate need (in this case: lack of farmer training and access to capital — especially for farmers from underserved communities), and how the organization can effect long-lasting change (in this case: providing low- or no-interest loans to farmers to keep chocolate affordable, and addressing barriers to access to both connections and spaces for innovation for farmers and chocolate makers).

Some additional tips

Create or update your profile in GrantIS, our online submission platform, with plenty of time and consider that:

• The setup takes a few days.

• If you already have a profile, you’ll need to certify that your organization’s information is correct.

• New this year: You’ll need to add your executive director or CEO’s start date.

• If you are applying through a fiscal sponsor, the process can take additional time.

Right-size your ask

Familiarize yourself with the range of funding amounts in your chosen portfolio. In determining whether your request is “right-sized,” we will consider your project size, project complexity, project budget, organization size, and what other funding you’ve secured.

Prioritize conveying key information in the body of the application

We receive such a high volume of requests that — as much as we would like to — we may not be able to read attached materials we have not specifically requested. Equity demands that we give all organizations the same amount of time and attention.

Let us know if you’re experiencing challenges

If your organization is going through a major change or has experienced some challenges recently, note it in your application and explain how the challenges might impact your project.

Write clearly and concisely, but don’t sacrifice meaning

If your friends or next door neighbors can’t understand what your organization does or what your proposal is about, we probably won’t either.

If you’re not funded, ask for feedback

If you are not invited to submit a full proposal this time around, we encourage you to contact us so that we can go over your Inquiry Application with you and discuss our perspective on what you can consider when submitting your next application.

We are looking forward to reading about the great work you are all doing and meeting some of you at the information sessions. In the meantime …

Here’s wishing you a productive grantwriting season!

— Violeta

For the people doing the muddy, demanding physical labor to restore the floodplain forests of the Willamette River Basin, a typical day goes like this:

You wake up hours before dawn and get dressed in waterproof clothing from head to toe because you’ll almost certainly be working in the rain.

You head to “the cooler,” a massive refrigeration facility near Salem, to load your truck with a few thousand cottonwoods, dogwoods, thimbleberries and other native Willamette Valley trees and shrubs.

Just after sunrise, you arrive at the riverside farm or public park where you’ll be planting. If winter rains have flooded the access road, you lug all those plants into the site on foot, unwrap the twine that secures each brown paper parcel of bare-root saplings, drop a few dozen into your knapsack, and start digging holes.

The best planters have a strong back and a distinct rhythm to their work. Dig-two-three … plant-two-three … stomp-two-three … dig-two-three …

Before sundown, you’ll have planted across hundreds of acres, preparing a future forest where native Oregon fish and wildlife will thrive.

An experienced worker can put more than 1,000 saplings into the ground in a day. By the end of the winter planting season, Willamette River Initiative grantees will have planted more than half-a-million native trees and shrubs this year along the river and its tributaries.

The planting is just one facet of a massive, basin-wide effort to achieve meaningful, measurable improvement in the health of Oregon’s largest and most heavily populated watershed with support from this Meyer initiative. Since its inception in 2008, the initiative has awarded $14 million in grants to fund restoration as well as science, advocacy and organizational capacity for groups working on the Willamette.

Learn more about the initiative, including profiles of some of the projects we’ve supported, here. And if you come across a planting crew during your next nature walk, be sure to thank them for making tomorrow’s Oregon a greener place for all.

— Kelly