Neighborhood Small Grants Program

The 2013 East Portland Neighborhood Small Grant Program grants have been selected.

The City of Portland, through the Office of Neighborhood Involvement made $30,000 available in grants for 2013, ranging in amounts from $500 up to $3,500 per program.

Click on the "Current Grants" to see which programs and events were selected for the 2013 cycle.

Thanks for taking a look at this great East Portland Neighborhood Office (EPNO) program!  

History of the grants program:

 Neighborhood leaders, including many of those here in outer East Portland, asked for resources to help both neighborhood associations and community-based groups create and operate special programs.

  This program, sponsored in the City of Portland by the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, and overseen by neighborhood coalition offices (like EPNO), was first funded by the Portland City Council’s fiscal year 2006-07 budget. 

Goal:

The goal this program is to provide neighborhood and community organizations an opportunity to build community, attract new and diverse members and sustain those already involved. 

2014 Grant Cycle

Applications will be taken for the 2014 Grant Cycle starting from September to the first of November 2013. Those grant applications will be evaluated and chosen in December 2013, with applicants being notified in January 2014.

Proposed projects must address one or more of the following guidelines in order to qualify for consideration: 

• Projects that build community in Neighborhood Associations and communities within EPNO’s area. 
• Projects that build community in community-based organizations working with underrepresented populations within EPNO’s area.

Here’s how it works:

 EPNO leaders recruit a grant-making committee made up of neighborhood, community, business and association leaders. 

 Applicants first make sure the program for which they seek funding will operate in at least one of the 13 EPNO neighborhoods. This is the first thing the Grants Committee considers when reviewing grant applications. 

Typical types of community-building projects:

•  Communications: designing new websites, email lists and forums, newsletter mailing to all households, etc
•  Outreach to build participation and connect with area neighbors and businesses: door-to-door canvassing, A-frame signs
•  Projects that build new partnerships
•  Projects that build relationships between local organizations such as neighborhood associations, schools, PTA’s, churches, non-profits, and businesses
•  Providing language translation and interpretation, childcare, or other efforts to make activities more accessible
•  Community-building activities: street tree plantings, neighborhood clean-ups, park activities, street cleanups, game nights, etc
•  Crime prevention activities: National Night Out, foot patrols, and block watches, etc
•  Community design/build place-making projects such as planning for playgrounds, intersection repairs, and community gardens
•  Neighborhood or culturally specific fairs and/or festivals
•  Special one-time events and projects such as publishing community story books, block parties, neighborhood forums

Funds cannot be used for:

• Costs that may be incurred in preparing your grant application. 
• Direct social services such as food baskets, health clinic services 
• Ongoing general organizational support such as rent, utilities 
• Direct grants, scholarships or loans for the benefit of specific individuals 
• Loans or debt retirement 
• Annual appeals, general fund drives
• Emergency funding
• Capital projects without a strong social component