The Collins Foundation awarded 39 single- and multi-year grants totaling more than $1.5 million to Oregon nonprofits at the August meeting of the Trustees.
Arts
Artists Repertory Theatre – $45,000 to support a season of plays and related programs and events for Portland-area audiences
Athena’s Gem – $35,000 to restore the historic Gem Theatre and Star Saloon to create a cultural arts center serving residents of rural Athena and surrounding communities
Ballet Fantastique– $35,000 over two years to increase staffing levels to strengthen the Lane County dance company's organizational infrastructure
Eugene Symphony Association – $20,000 to support 50th anniversary programs and operations for audiences in the southern Willamette Valley through a challenge match
MediaRites – $5,000 to produce four staged readings and discussions featuring Asian American stories and actors in the Portland area
PassinArt: A Theatre Company – $15,000 to produce a season of three plays and related programming reflecting African American perspectives for Portland-area audiences
Portland Center Stage – $100,000 to present a season of plays, arts enrichment, and education/outreach programs for audiences in the Portland area
Portland Revels – $7,000 to produce "Christmas Revels" featuring the music, dance, and storytelling traditions of Irish immigrants in the late 1800s for audiences in the Portland area
Salem Chamber Orchestra – $6,000 to present concerts and related education and outreach activities for audiences in the mid-Willamette Valley
Third Angle New Music Ensemble – $5,500 to present a site-specific, collaborative musical installation at the Mt. Angel Abbey Library featuring contemporary choral and chamber works by Finnish composers
Humanities
Open Hearts Open Minds – $6,000 to provide theater and literary arts programming to incarcerated women at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville
Wisdom of the Elders – $45,000 over three years to hire a deputy director and support a leadership transition to ensure sustainability of culturally based programs connecting Native youth to Native American elders and traditions
Children –Youth
Bienestar – $ 45,000 over two years to expand a kindergarten readiness program in Washington County for low-income Latino families with young children ages 2-4
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Rogue Valley– $25,000 to renovate a clubhouse to expand teen programs for underserved youth in the Grants Pass area
Cow Creek Bank of Umpqua Tribe of Indians – $37,700 to hire a program specialist to integrate Tribal cultural elements into enrichment programs for underserved Cow Creek youth in rural Coos County
Family Building Blocks – $30,000 to xpand parent engagement, leadership development, and peer support for low-income, at-risk parents receiving relief nursery services in Salem
FoodWaves – $ 5,000 to develop and deliver hands-on garden education programs for staff, low-income children, and families at six Head Start sites in Clackamas County
The Harbor – $50,000 to renovate a building to centralize operations and prevention/intervention programs for survivors and individuals at-risk for domestic and sexual violence in Clatsop County
Maslow Project – $30,000 to expand outreach and programs serving homeless youth and families in Jackson County
Community-Welfare
Folk-Time - $15,000 to provide peer-delivered support and socialization in Northeast Portland for adults living with persistent mental illness
Latino Network – $40,000 to support operations and purchase furniture and equipment for a new meeting space serving Latino-led groups and organizations in the Portland area
Macdonald Center – $30,000 to expand outreach and visitation programs for veterans, seniors, and low-income individuals with disabilities residing in Portland, and increase contributions through a challenge match
Friends of Menucha Foundation – $40,000 to purchase and install energy-efficient windows in the main building of a nonprofit conference center in east Multnomah County
Northwest Pilot Project – $30,000 to expand housing and support services to more low-income seniors at risk of and experiencing homelessness in Portland
Opportunity Village – $40,000 to develop a housing community of tiny, affordable homes in Lane County to enable low-income, formerly homeless households to build assets, and increase contributions through a challenge match
Oregon Justice Resource Center – $35,000 to hire a project director to launch two programs to reduce recidivism for formerly incarcerated individuals primarily from communities of color, and for Native American women incarerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville
Quadriplegics United Against Dependency – $75,000 to purchase and install accessibility equipment to create barrier-free affordable housing in Gresham serving low-income individuals with severe mobility limitations and seniors
Store to Door – $45,000 over three years to expand a grocery delivery program to promote independent living for low-income, homebound seniors and individuals with disabilities in the greater Portland area
United Community Action Network – $110,000 to construct an early childhood service center to expand services and centralize community-based resources on one campus for low-income, high-risk families in Douglas County
YWCA of Greater Portland – $75,000 to provide opportunities, safety, and support for low-income women, girls, and people of color in the Portland area through a challenge match
Education
Portland Youthbuilders - $45,000 over two years to implement strategic efforts to improve education, work, and leadership outcomes for low-income, at-risk youth who have dropped out of Portland high schools, and strengthen organizational sustainability
Stand for Children Leadership Center – $25,000 to strengthen parent engagement programs in the Reynolds School District to improve educational outcomes for Latino English Language Learners in east Multnomah County
Environment
World Forestry Center – $100,000 to upgrade lighting in Miller and Merlo halls, and phones and water mains campus-wide in Portland
Health and Science
Familias en Accion – $ 90,000 over two years to create a replicable, team-based health care model that integrates community health workers to provide culturally relevant care for Portland-area Latinos diagnosed with chronic disease
Kemple Memorial Children’s Dental Clinic – $10,450 to purchase technology and dental equipment to provide pro bono dental services for K-12 school children from low-income families in Central Oregon
Liberty House – $80,000 over three years to hire a mental health program manager to consult with children and their families dealing with concerns of sexual and physical abuse in Marion and Polk counties
Northeast Oregon Network (NEON) – $47,500 over three years to deliver health management classes for seniors and individuals with chronic disease, and educate parents on children's health issues across rural Baker, Union, and Wallowa counties
Returning Veterans Project – $11,000 to expand access to pro bono therapeutic and holistic care for Oregon's post-9/11 veterans and their families