At the February meeting of the Trustees, The Collins Foundation was proud to award 28 single-year grants and 10 multi-year grants, totaling nearly $1.8 million invested in nonprofits across Oregon.
Arts
CoHo Productions -- $5,000 to produce “Playhouse Creatures” for audiences in Portland
Lord Leebrick Theatre Company (d.b.a. Oregon Contemporary Theatre) -- $12,000 to support performances, operations, and arts education programs for youth and adults in the Eugene area
MediaRites -- $8,000 to support Theatre Diaspora’s culturally specific programs to include more Asian American and Pacific Islander playwrights and actors in Portland's theater landscape
Metropolitan Youth Symphony -- $12,000 to provide music education and performances to develop musicianship among racially and economically diverse youth in the Portland area
Miracle Theatre Group -- $150,000 over three years to support culturally specific theatre productions and Latino arts and culture programs for diverse audiences across Oregon, and capital improvements at the organization's facility in Portland
Portland Symphonic Choir -- $10,000 to support a collaborative project and performance with Portland Public Schools to enhance choral music education and career development for high school students
Siletz Bay Music Festival -- $7,000 to support free community outreach concerts to engage audiences of varying ages and income levels in Lincoln City
Children & Youth
Ashland Family YMCA -- $75,000 to restore and recommission Camp Low Echo to expand residential camp and environmental education programs serving Southern Oregon youth and families
Camp Fire Columbia -- $30,000 to provide youth development and mentoring primarily for students of color attending middle schools in low-income Portland neighborhoods, and support the organization's continuing equity work
Schoolhouse Supplies, Inc. -- $20,000 over two years to increase staffing levels to expand distribution of donated school supplies to students from low-income families in the Portland, Parkrose, and David Douglas School Districts
Youth Empowerment Shelter -- $20,000 to support personal advisor positions to facilitate wraparound services for runaway and homeless youth in the rural mid-Columbia region
Community Welfare
Bethlehem Inn -- $125,000 to construct the new family residence and service hub to enhance services for more homeless families and individuals in Central Oregon
Community Vision, Inc. -- $75,000 to construct the seven corners community collaborative facility to house wraparound services and an assistive technology lab serving individuals with disabilities in Multnomah County
Constructing Hope Pre-Apprenticeship Program -- $84,000 over three years to establish an operations manager position to expand workforce development and career readiness programs for low-income people of color and formerly incarcerated people seeking entry into the construction industry
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon -- $150,000 to present the 2017 Collins Lecture, support operations, and provide a 1:1 challenge match to engage faith communities statewide in service to culturally diverse youth, adults, and families impacted by poverty
Jewish Family & Child Service -- $15,000 to support wraparound services and operations serving low-income adults, families, and seniors in the Portland area, primarily from Jewish and immigrant communities
Junction City Local Aid -- $10,000 to support a part-time warehouse manager position to coordinate donated food, clothing, and supplies for low-income individuals and families in rural Lane County
Living Yoga -- $12,000 to implement a team-teaching model for free youth classes held in correctional facilities, treatment centers, mental health facilities, and transitional centers in the Portland area
Maybelle Center for Community -- $30,000 to establish a volunteer coordinator position to expand services for isolated veterans, seniors, and individuals with disabilities living in low-income housing in Portland
NAMI Oregon -- $10,000 to certify and train bilingual volunteers to deliver a culturally-specific mental heath literacy curriculum to Latino families, and train new instructors to expand mental health literacy and resource information for service providers
Portland Homeless Family Solutions -- $50,000 over two years to establish housing specialist and retention specialist positions to assist homeless families in Multnomah County to find and retain stable housing
Reedsport Church of God (for Project Blessing) -- $8,000 to support capital improvements related to building access, volunteer and client safety, and flood prevention at a food pantry serving residents in rural Douglas County
Refugee Disability Benefits Oregon -- $20,000 to provide legal representation and advocacy for refugees with disabilities residing in Oregon who are seeking approval for disability status from the Social Security Administration
Rogue Retreat -- $15,000 to support operations to provide housing and case management for homeless individuals and families in Jackson County
Society of St. Vincent de Paul La Pine -- $40,000 to construct a new thrift store addition to support operations of a community food pantry and social service programs for low-income residents of Rural Deschutes County
St. Stephen's Episcopal Parish (for Clay Street Table) -- $40,000 over three years to hire a resource specialist to establish a sustainable operational infrastructure for a volunteer-driven meal and pantry program serving homeless and other low-income individuals in Portland
Environment
Confluence Environmental Center -- $55,000 over two years to establish an executive director position to strengthen organizational infrastructure and formalize internal equity practices to promote environmental health and social justice leadership in Multnomah County
Environmental Education Association of Oregon -- $40,000 to implement a regional framework for inclusive environmental education, and deliver equity trainings to leaders in the environmental education community
Klamath Lake Land Trust -- $25,000 to purchase and restore 15 acres of critical habitat along the Sprague River, build an interpretive trail, and continue restoration of 300 acres in a critical conservation corridor in Southern Oregon
Friends of Tryon Creek Park -- $20,000 to support internal work and community engagement with culturally specific organizations to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into organizational practice
Wallowa Resources -- $80,000 over two years to build organizational capacity to expand partnerships, community development work, and sustainable stewardship of natural resources in eight rural counties
Health & Science
Cascade AIDS Project -- $130,000 over three years to renovate a building to create the LGBTQ+ health center providing culturally relevant primary care, mental health, and medical services for LGBTQ individuals in the Portland area
Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. -- $125,000 to develop the Garlington Health and Wellness center to deliver mental health and addiction services integrated with primary care and wellness services for low-income individuals in northeast Portland
Clackamas Volunteers in Medicine -- $25,000 to support operations and programs providing free primary and chronic care services in Clackamas County for uninsured and underinsured individuals, primarily in the Latino and Pacific Islander communities
Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation -- $190,000 over two years to construct the beaverton wellness center to expand culturally appropriate medical, behavioral health, and dental services primarily for Latino individuals and families in Washington County
Humanities
Josephy Center for Arts and Culture -- $31,000 over two years to support programs and exhibits featuring the diversity of rural Wallowa County arts, history, and culture
Neskowin Coast Foundation (d.b.a. Sitka Center for Art & Ecology) -- $20,000 to upgrade and integrate a new server, database, and website to gain efficiencies in operations and student enrollment processes
Portland Classical Chinese Garden -- $20,000 to promote Chinese arts and humanities and collaborate with a diverse mix of cultural organizations to engage children and families in Portland