Welcome to The Collins Foundation

2024 Black Equity Movement (BEM) Grant News

The Black Equity Movement Committee (BEM) was formed in 2020 with a vision for transformational grantmaking to Black-led/Black-serving organizations in Oregon. The committee is a reflection of the decade-long intentional path Collins has been on to deepen our culture of learning, action, and accountability for sustainable change. 

Your words of wisdom and candid conversations moved us forward in developing a relationship-based grantmaking model that we believe can be more responsive to the needs of Oregon’s communities. In addition to a streamlined grant application process, we continue to engage with grantees and potential grantees to make sure they’re grant application ready, from essential documents to providing support for identifying necessary resources for organizational stability. 

Growing relationships “beyond the check” has strengthened the community of grantees and potential grantees seeking a BEM Operations Grant. For some, the BEM grant is their first major source of funding. That seed money has allowed them to grow their capacity and seek grants from other funders.

This year, we awarded $1,852,000 dollars to 61 organizations across Oregon. That’s a tremendous increase from when we started BEM funding in 2020.

While we celebrate the impact in community with BEM funding, we also acknowledge the challenges that may be ahead. There is so much to be done to realize an equitable future for Black Oregonians. We are committed to this work and look forward to our continued partnership.

With Gratitude, 

The Collins Foundation Black Equity Movement Committee

Kimberlee Pierce Sheng, Committee Chair, Trustee

Ryan Luria, Trustee

Jackie Murphy, Chief Programs Strategist

Tonisha Toler, Program Officer

What’s Next For The Collins Foundation: Grantmaking Shift Announcement

To align our internal and external practices for more effective grantmaking, Responsive grants will be closed until early 2025, not summer 2024 as originally posted. Application deadlines have not been set yet for 2025. However, the Black Equity Movement (BEM) grant is open and the application period is from July 29 through September 10, 2024. Please visit BEM's page to learn more. Collins will also continue grantmaking for the Oregon Immigrant & Refugee Funders Collaborative during this time.

We realize the impact this may have on some grantees. In our strategic planning process, Collins staff and trustees recognized that a deep commitment to equity and racial justice is foundational and aspirational for us. We're taking the time to match this commitment with action. For the next several months, we’ll work on shifting our internal organizational culture to develop a relationship model of grantmaking to foster trust and collaboration with Oregon’s nonprofits. Our goal is to become a learning foundation anchored in honest and respectful relationships with the communities we serve. This means we learn from nonprofit organizations, trust their expertise to understand the needs and barriers in our communities, and work in partnership with them for long-term, sustainable change. 

Please read our Equity Commitment Statement and Strategic Priorities to learn more about who we are, what we believe, and how we work. 

We’ll continue to provide updates here.

If you need assistance on a current grant award, contact our grants manager, Leann Do. ldo@collinsfoundation.org 

For general questions, reach out to Kymberli Contreras, our executive administrator at kcontreras@collinsfoundation.org or call 503-227-7171.