5 Key Steps to a Stronger and More Inclusive Crisis Response

Getting resources to impacted communities requires more than an equity lens

We initially used an equity lens to make grants in response to applications, meaning that we prioritized organizations addressing fundamental issues in communities of color, low-income communities, and under-resourced rural communities. While the initial wave of applications was overwhelming, only a small proportion came from organizations specifically led by or serving the hardest-hit communities. We knew we needed to improve our reach. Adapting our approach to target the most impacted populations ensured that we allocated vital resources to communities facing the most hardship.

Inclusive community engagement is critical

Although communities have similar needs, the ways in which a given population experiences the pandemic varies. Therefore, the response effort should vary too. Much like the crisis, OCF’s grantmaking strategy has evolved. Community feedback and emerging research drove the shifts in our grantmaking strategy. Across Oregon’s rural and urban communities, Latino/x/e, Black, Indigenous, Asian Pacific Islander populations experienced alarmingly higher rates of impact than their white counterparts.

From March to May 2020, OCF focused on basic issues like food, housing, child care, education, jobs and the economy, social isolation, and health care. The interconnected and intersectional nature of community needs made it difficult to prioritize one need over another, requiring us to adapt our approach.

In June 2020, we shifted from a focus on specific issue areas to one that centers Oregon’s hardest-hit communities. Real-time, on-the-ground information about the pandemic informed our strategic funding decisions. Culturally specific community advisory teams (CATs)—made up of leaders across the state who felt comfortable representing the experience of their community —helped gather these inputs.

Each CAT provided targeted information on how each population was affected by the pandemic. Community advisors enhanced our knowledge and understanding of pressing needs and helped us determine the most strategic way to address them. This inclusive engagement process uncovered emerging grassroots efforts that continue to be fundamental to community recovery. In addition, community advisors gave us invaluable guidance on how to think critically about philanthropy’s role in advancing recovery and healing in Oregon.

This intentional shift from prioritizing issues to a population-based approach with a targeted community engagement strategy significantly increased our funding to communities of color and rural communities.

Targeted outreach ensures accessible funding

As a statewide philanthropic organization with strong ties in every county, OCF initially relied on an open application process to guide our COVID-19 response. However, not all organizations —especially those that are small, grassroots and/or culturally specific —know about or align with our funding opportunities. We needed to adapt.

With the support of Community Advisory Teams, we learned about many organizations who are leading impactful efforts, activities and services across Oregon, but had no previous relationship with OCF. This allowed us to build on and complement existing work, drawing on community energy and investing in community-led and community-driven solutions. The outreach illuminated where OCF could better support communities of color and tighten processes to determine OCF service gaps for nonprofit organizations.

General operating support offers communities flexibility for crisis response

With the help of community advisors, we identified trusted and well-utilized organizations serving communities of color. For grantmaking purposes, we defined these organizations as “serving Black, Indigenous and communities of color (BIPOC)” if our assessment indicated that BIPOC community members make up the majority of their service population. We based these assessments on OCRF applications, staff knowledge, feedback from community advisors, and publicly available information such as websites. Some of the organizations in this group are also culturally specific, meaning they primarily serve and are led by people from a specific communitys.

Determining ‘population served’ is a largely qualitative process

With the help of community advisors, we identified trusted and well-utilized organizations serving communities of color. For grantmaking purposes, we defined these organizations as “serving Black, Indigenous and communities of color (BIPOC)” if our assessment indicated that BIPOC community members make up the majority of their service population. We based these assessments on OCRF applications, staff knowledge, feedback from community advisors, and publicly available information such as websites. Some of the organizations in this group are also culturally specific, meaning they primarily serve and are led by people from a specific community.