The Collins Foundation awarded single- and multi-year grants totaling more than $1.6 million to Oregon nonprofits at the October meeting of the Trustees.
Arts
Eugene Concert Choir – $9,000 to support a season of choral music performances, education, and outreach for audiences in the southern Willamette Valley
Friends of Chamber Music – $8,000 to present the Beethoven-Bartok Festival, a week-long series of concerts and programs for Portland-area audiences
Oregon Ballet Theatre – $80,000 to support programs and operations, and outreach efforts to engage diverse audiences in the Portland area
Humanities
Caldera – $40,000 over two years to provide year-long arts education and mentoring to low-income and at-risk middle and high school students, the majority of whom are students of color in Portland and Central Oregon, and incorporate policies and practices promoting equity throughout the organization
Josephy Center for Arts and Culture – $15,000 to support programs and exhibits for residents and visitors in rural Wallowa County
Lake Arts Council – $3,000 to present community and school concerts featuring a brass quintet from Mexico to engage more Latino audience members in rural Lakeview
Literary Arts – $24,000 to support Writers in the Schools programs in the Portland area taught by a diverse group of authors, and Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships, including a Writers of Color fellowship
Old Church Society – $25,000 to upgrade the church's auditorium to attract new performers and audiences in Portland
Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education – $40,000 over two years to expand education staffing to create new multi-cultural, standards-based education programs about the Holocaust for middle and high school students in the greater Portland area, and enhance other educational offerings
Children –Youth
Camp Fire National Headquarters Columbia – $ 20,000 to provide year-round programming and mentoring for at-risk, low-income students and students of color attending middle schools in the Portland Public School District
Playwrite – $25,000 over two years to support programs and operations to provide positive intervention strategies serving a diverse group of marginalized Portland-area youth impacted by trauma
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Rogue Valley District Council – $20,000 to expand rest stop, shower, and laundry facilities for low-income and homeless individuals and families in Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon Child and Family Council – $35,000 over two years to support family-centered literacy and educational programs for low-income Latino children and parents in rural Jackson County
Spoon Foundation – $21,500 to develop, implement, and evaluate a pilot training program addressing nutrition and feeding issues for Lane County foster parents and child welfare professionals to improve the development and wellbeing of Oregon foster children
Treasure Valley Children’s Relief Nursery – $30,000 over two years to support child therapy and family-centered programs to strengthen the stability of at-risk families in rural Malheur County
Community-Welfare
Catholic Community Services of Lane County - $25,000 to launch a collaborative project to provide coordinated day services for homeless families with children in the Springfield area
Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation – $10,000 to expand the Asking Saves Kids (ASK) campaign in Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley, raise awareness of community turn-in events, and enhance the agency’s website
Habitat for Humanity of Oregon – $80,000 to provide funding, training, and technical assistance to Habitat affiliates across Oregon to position them to provide housing and home repair assistance to low-income seniors, families, and individuals with disabilities
Hacienda Community Development Corporation – $90,000 over two years to hire a project manager and data manager to incorporate financial coaching into all agency services to promote asset-building for low- and moderate-income Latino families in Portland
City of John Day – $40,000 to construct and furnish a community meeting space in the new fire station in rural John Day
Living Yoga – $10,000 to expand trauma-informed yoga classes to serve at-risk youth and adults in correctional facilities, treatment centers, and community programs in the greater Portland area through a challenge match
Mercy Enterprise Corporation – $120,000 over three years to hire a .5FTE project manager and build an investor education website to support a Community Investment Trust for ethnically diverse residents in an under-resourced, low-income neighborhood in East Portland
Mid-Columbia Senior Center – $20,000 to construct an elevator and enclose an exterior stairway to provide access to all levels of a senior center facility for those experiencing mobility limitations in the Columbia Gorge-area
Ronald McDonald House – $125,000 over two years to renovate a facility providing temporary housing for families with critically ill children who are receiving medical treatment in the Portland area
Sisters of the Road – $20,000 to provide meals and support services in Portland to individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness through a challenge match
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Rogue Valley District Council – $20,000 to expand rest stop, shower, and laundry facilities for low-income and homeless individuals and families in Jackson County
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Crook County – $14,500 to purchase a refrigerated truck to ensure the safe handling of perishable food for low-income individuals and families in rural Crook County
Education
Airway Science for Kids - $50,000 over three years to upgrade technology and increase staffing to expand STEM education through aeronautics for middle school students, primarily targeting girls, low-income students, and students of color in Portland and Hillsboro
All Hands Raised – $150,000 over two years to coordinate a collaborative partnership for the Cradle to Career initiative to insure equity for students of color and improve educational outcomes for all students, ages 0-24, in Multnomah County
Concordia University – $200,000 over three years to construct a new College of Education and community wellness center to implement a collaborative teacher education model predominately serving K-8 African American, Hispanic, and English Language Learning students and their families at Faubion School in a low-income, Northeast Portland neighborhood
Downtown English – $10,000 to support a family-centered English language acquisition and literacy program for low-income Latino families with preschool through middle school children in Lane County
Salem Schools Foundation/Salem-Keizer Education Foundation – $50,000 to renovate a building to serve as a college and career readiness hub primarily targeting low-income, minority, and ELL students, and first-generation high school graduates in the Salem-Keizer-area
Environment
McKenzie River Trust – $60,000 over three years to hire an associate director to increase the organization's capacity to conserve land and river habitats in Western Oregon
Oregon Zoo Foundation – $80,000 to equip and furnish classrooms and provide interactive exhibits for a new Zoo education center in Portland, and expand teen programs, including employment for teen presenters from low-income communities of color
Sandy River Basin Watershed Council – $40,000 over two years to hire a .5FTE project coordinator and support tribal cultural educators to provide experiential outdoor environmental education/restoration programs for diverse groups of elementary and middle school students, many of whom are low-income, from the Reynolds School District and Sabin School in Northeast Portland
Health and Science
Volunteers in Medicine Clinic – $45,000 over two years to hire a pharmacist to manage distribution of pharmaceuticals to low-income, medically underserved, underinsured, and uninsured individuals in Lane County