2021 Community Grants Program

The deadline for the fall cycle is July 15. If your application is ready sooner and can be submitted by the Early Bird deadline of July 1, you will be automatically entered into a drawing for one of two $2,500 grants for general operating support. 

Grant decisions on all applications will be made by the OCF board in early November 2021. For information about the fall cycle deadline, please check OCF’s website for updates in the spring.

All nonprofit organizations based in or doing work in Oregon are eligible to apply.

No. Given that community conditions are in a state of significant transition, all grants will be one year in duration. This will ensure that OCF has maximum resources available to support changing needs as they emerge in future years. 

Yes! We encourage arts organizations to apply for any needs that align with our funding priorities and address the current climate our communities are facing.

Please note that small arts and culture organizations with operating budgets under $100,000 who do not fit the criteria for general operating support through this framework will have the opportunity to apply for operating support in 2021. Please stay tuned for updates on arts & culture grant opportunities on OCF’s website and social media channels in early 2021.

No. We are intentionally not limiting the issue areas addressed by organizations or their specific requests (everything from environmental issues and the arts to addressing basic needs is eligible). Our emphasis is instead on ensuring our resources reach populations most disproportionately impacted by current conditions. Rather than assessing how your organization fits this framework topically, please consider the people and communities served and the type of grant funding that is most appropriate to meet their needs.

Grants for general operating support will be limited to culturally specific organizations (of any size) and rural-based organizations with operating budgets under $100,000. Organizations that fit that criteria – regardless of issue area – may apply for general operating support; otherwise, they may request project/program or capacity-building support.

501(c)(3) organizations, Tribal entities and government entities are eligible to apply. Additionally, organizations may work with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor to submit an application. Applicants must submit formal paperwork confirming the fiscal sponsor relationship .

We welcome a wide range of requests and do not discourage organizations from applying for what they need. That said, we know nonprofits’ funding needs will far exceed grant dollars available, and we will prioritize funding that addresses current challenges and needs of populations who have been disproportionately impacted due to inequities.

We encourage organizations to assess their fit with guidelines before applying. We also encourage you to share needs with donors by submitting information through the Organization Profile Form  tool on our website. This form is not a grant application, but a tool to help OCF collect information

Apply for a grant by visiting OCF’s website and submitting an application through OCF’s online portal: https://oregoncf.org/grants-and-scholarships/grants/community-grant-program/. Register an account with the portal before applying. Before submitting a request, please read over important information on the program page, including the guidelines and the list of questions we ask in the application. Grants will be no more than $40,000, and average grant sizes will be a round $20,000.

Due to highly limited resources, we are restricting operating support requests to organizations who serve communities who have experienced historical underinvestment by philanthropy and have been underrepresented in OCF's grantmaking, both in terms of requesting and receiving funding, and who often have less access to outside sources of funding. If your organization’s most urgent need is operating support and you don’t fit the criteria, we encourage you to share your needs with donors by submitting information through the Organization Profile Form tool on our website. This form is not a grant application, but a tool to help OCF collect information on needs that can be shared with donors.

Through 2021, the program will not prioritize requests for capital efforts. With the magnitude of need and limited resources, we are focusing on programs, projects, and operational needs.

Yes. In this transitional year, organizations who have received funding in 2020 are eligible to approach us with any new or evolving needs that align with our funding priorities. Please note that organizations may apply to the program only once in 2021.

An organization that is culturally specific meets the following criteria:

1. The organization’s mission, activities and outreach all intentionally focus on a population that has experienced significant bias or discrimination due to their race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, immigrant/refugee status, or national origin;
2. The organization’s staff, board and volunteers reflect the population they serve;
3. The population being served recognizes the organization as specific to their community; and
4. The majority of members and/or clients are from the specified community, such as African, African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, Latinx, Native American, immigrant and refugee, LGBTQI+, disability community, etc.

We define a rural-based organization as one that focuses on a community with a population of 35,000 or fewer that is NOT directly adjacent to (or part of a) metropolitan area of 50,000 or more.

Under-resourced communities have high proportions of low to moderate income residents and generally receive below average services and financial resources from government sources. Many, but not all, of them comprise an above average number of people of color, immigrants, and/or geographically-isolated individuals. People earn lower incomes due to many factors, but they often have been negatively impacted by social and economic marginalization. Some communities have been intentionally disenfranchised by decades of redlining and/or economic disinvestment that limits access to resources and services, devalues physical assets, and weakens community anchor institutions. Others may experience geographic isolation that results in limited investment in critical infrastructure such as medical facilities, internet connectivity and transportation. Combined, these conditions create what we refer to as under-resourced communities.

One of the benefits of a community foundation responsive grant making program is our direct connection to evolving needs and priorities of the communities we serve.  We anticipate launching a longer-term responsive grantmaking strategy in 2022 that incorporates key learnings and inputs from community partners throughout 2020 and 2021. The program will likely evolve to ensure we can continue to support the ever-changing landscape in Oregon.

If you submit a request to “2021 Community Grants,” your application will be accessible to OCF donors. We also encourage you to share information with donors by filling out the Organizational Profile Form on our website. The latter is not an application but does allow you to share your needs with donors.

No. Organizations who were invited to reapply for continued funding in fall 2021 will not have to fit the new framework. You can request support for the same activities for which you were invited to reapply.

Instructions for reapplying will be emailed directly to renewal applicants.

Organizations who have previously been invited to reapply to the Community Grants Program in the fall cycle will have the opportunity to modify their request, although OCF cannot accept adjustments to the specific dollar amount for which organizations were invited to reapply. Should organizations wish to modify or broaden their request, the application should state clearly how your organization could continue to generally meet the purposes of the original grant awarded. Decisions on fall renewal applications will be made in early November 2021.

If your organization is located, or provides services, in an area impacted by the 2020 wildfires, but you seek funding for services or capacity that is not directly related to fire recovery, rebuilding or resiliency work, it would be better to apply for support through the Community Grant Program.  

If your organization has received support from the Community Rebuilding Fund, you are eligible to apply for the Community Grant Program if your request is meaningfully different from, or is a significant expansion of, the work you received funding for via the Community Rebuilding Fund.

Please reach out to the program officer in your region:

• Central Oregon – Cheryl Puddy (cpuddy@oregoncf.org)
• Eastern Oregon – Cheryl Puddy (cpuddy@oregoncf.org)
• Metro Region – Carly Brown (cbrown@oregoncf.org), Melissa Hansen (mhansen@oregoncf.org), or Eva Miller (emiller@oregoncf.org)
• North Coast – Eva Miller (emiller@oregoncf.org)
• Northern Willamette Valley – Deb Vaughn (dvaughn@oregoncf.org)
• South Coast – John Moriarty (jmoriarty@oregoncf.org)
• Southern Willamette Valley – John Moriarty (jmoriarty@oregoncf.org)
• Southern Oregon – Amy Drake (adrake@oregoncf.org

Email us at grants@oregoncf.org and we will get back to you as soon as we are able.