2022 Social Equity & Educational Development Grant – Oregon

The City of Portland’s Office of Community & Civic Life invites to apply for the 2022 Social Equity & Educational Development (SEED) Grant Fund.

Donor Name: City of Portland

State: Oregon

City: Portland

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 12/10/2021

Size of the Grant: $250,000

Grant Duration: 2 Years

Details:

This is an equity-driving, restorative justice and community reinvestment grant program funded by the City of Portland’s 3% local tax on adult-use cannabis retail sales. Racially-biased cannabis policies and disparate cannabis-related arrests, convictions, and sentencing have had long lasting legal, social, economic, and inter-generational consequences on Black, Indigenous and communities of color. This fund aims to rectify some of these past harms and to reinvest in these communities directly.

In alignment with the Ballot Measure 26-180 passed in 2016, the SEED Grant Fund prioritizes historically excluded for-profit and non-profit business owners AND/OR projects, programs or services that support economic and educational development of Black, Indigenous and Latin communities, which were the most impacted by cannabis prohibition. Historically excluded is defined as Minority, Women, LGBT+, Veterans and/or Disabled individuals.

SEED Grant Fund Priorities

All programs and projects funded by the SEED Grant Fund will:

• Prioritize communities, businesses, and individuals who’ve been adversely impacted by cannabis prohibition in program/project services;
• Build sustainable capacity in Black, Indigenous and other communities of color and historically excluded business owners or individuals;
• Reflect institutional commitment to outcomes in equity, collective impact, and economic development;
• Increase community building and civic engagement opportunities for communities working towards equitable outcomes.

Applicants may request funding for projects and programs in the following priority areas including but not limited to:

• Education
  • Youth Training & Development
  • Workforce Development
  • Community Education
  • Health Education
  • STEAMM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Math or Medical)
• Entrepreneurship & Economic Development
  • Business incubation & acceleration
  • Business Support for Entrepreneurs
  • Co-working Spaces
  • Networking & Mentorship
• Expungement & Criminal Justice
  • Criminal justice reform projects and services
  • Legal services and case management support
  • Re-entry housing support and services

Funding Information

For the 2022 funding cycle, $1,000,000 is available for SEED Grant Fund through the following funding opportunities:

• FOUR (4) one-time grants at $50,000 per grant
• FOUR (4) one-time grants at $75,000 total per grant
• TWO (2) two-year grants at $250,000 total per grant ($125,000 per year)

Period of Activity

• The expected project/program start date for the one-time cycle is July 1, 2022 for a period of 12 months until June 30, 2023.
• The expected project/program start date for the two-year cycle is July 1, 2022 for a period of 24 months until June 30, 2024.

Criteria

The SEED Grant Fund seeks applications from non-profit and for-profit entities, of any size. This includes community-based organizations, individuals, firms, teams, or consultants. Please note, newly formed groups or initiatives with fiscal sponsorship from a non-profit entity are also eligible to apply. Multi-entity collaborations, coalitions and/or consortium efforts are also encouraged to apply.

For more information, visit SEED Initiatives.