Grant Application, Review & Scoring
On this page
- Grant application
- Review & scoring
Grant application
Registration and application submission in WebGrants
Applications must be submitted in WebGrants, the City of Portland’s grant management system. WebGrants registration information and user guides can be found below. To request ADA accommodations, submit questions, or get technical support, email info@portlandchildrenslevy.org.
Applicants must register as WebGrants users by November 14 to be eligible to apply. This ensures we can assist you with any technical challenges that may arise.
Application components
The application contains 6 steps in WebGrants, including a written and a video component. Staff highly recommends that applicants review the written and video questions and scoring criteria in the full grant application to understand the information needed to complete the application.
Step 1. Eligibility screening. Answer a series of yes/no screening questions.
Step 2. Organization budget documents. Upload a single Excel or .pdf file that contains your annual organization-wide budget for the current fiscal year and the organization’s financial statements for the most recent closed fiscal year that include sources and uses of all funds.
If you’re applying with a fiscal sponsor, prepare and upload an additional Excel or .pdf file that shows your fiscal sponsor’s annual budget for the current fiscal year and financial statements for the most recent closed fiscal year. You must upload an MOU (memorandum of understanding) outlining the roles/responsibilities in the partnership between you and your sponsor.
Step 3. Applicant details. Select your PCL program area, write a one-paragraph summary of your application and fill out staff and board demographics.
Step 4. Grant budget request. Indicate your grant request as the total amount for 3 years and the amount requested for year 1 (July 1, 2026- June 30, 2027).
Step 5. Written component. Prepare and upload a .doc, .docx, or .pdf answering the 5 questions shown on pages 12- 16 of this document. Use the Word template provided below: 14-point Arial font, 1-inch margins on all sides, portrait layout, pages numbered. Stay within the word count limits for each section.
Step 6. Video component. Upload a link to the video component of your application, along with any password or access instructions. Follow the video instructions below.
More on video requirements
The video is an opportunity for you to tell the story of your program and highlight your unique strengths. Below are guidelines for the video component:
- Length: All videos must be 5 minutes or less in length.
- Ensure that the viewer can clearly hear and see the speaker: Minimize background noise. Place the cell phone or camera on a stable surface or use an instrument such as a tripod or selfie stick to hold the cell phone or camera to prevent shakiness. Encourage speakers to look directly into the camera or cell phone and speak clearly.
- Upload the video to YouTube or Vimeo: Follow the instructions for YouTube (How to Upload a Video on YouTube) and Vimeo (How to upload a video to Vimeo – Vimeo Help Center).
- Provide the video link in Step 6 form in WebGrants: Use the WebGrants form to enter any password or other pertinent security info that PCL staff will need to access the video. You will also indicate whether any part of the video is in a language that requires translation. PCL uses contract service providers for translation.
Youth participation in the video in the video is optional. For the protection of the youth, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines.
- Youth are middle school-aged or older
- Youth enthusiastically volunteered and consented to participate in the video. Youth participation is not mandatory or a requirement to receive services.
- The applicant organization has a signed photo release from the youth’s parent/guardian on file.
Grant application and template
Below are the full 2025-26 small grants application and narrative template:
WebGrants user guides
If you need assistance or have questions about registering as a WebGrants user or completing and submitting your application in WebGrants, email info@portlandchildrenslevy.org with “WebGrants” in the subject line. PCL will respond to WebGrants questions and provide assistance as soon as possible.
Application submission and deadline
Submit applications by 11:59 p.m. PST on Dec. 1, 2025. PCL will reject late applications. If you do not receive email confirmation when you submit your application in WebGrants, please contact info@portlandchildrenslevy.org.
Review & Scoring
Application scoring
The written component of the application will be scored by PCL staff using the scoring criteria in the grant application. The video component of the application will be scored by PCL’s Community Council using the scoring criteria in the grant application.
The final score on the application will be the median of written scores plus the median of video scores. Total possible points for the application are 76: 48 points are available from the written component, and 28 points are available from the video component. PCL staff will provide each applicant with a copy of reviewer score sheets in March 2026 once funding recommendations are released.
Both PCL staff and Community Council have a diversity of professional and lived experience in PCL’s program areas, including working with children and families in historically underserved communities. PCL staff and Community Council members will not review any applications with which they have a conflict of interest.
Funding recommendations
After all applications have been scored, PCL staff will create a draft set of recommendations using the following factors:
- Score. High-scoring applications will generally be prioritized over low-scoring applications. The other factors listed here are considered when making funding recommendations and decisions, so score isn’t the only determining factor of whether a grant will be awarded.
- Program area and funding priorities. PCL supports a balance of services across PCL program areas, funding priorities, and location based on the overall applicant pool and community engagement results.
- Program feasibility. PCL considers the feasibility of the proposed program in the context of funds requested and organization experience
- Past performance of prior grantees, if applicable, which includes the extent to which grantees met their goals.
Staff will present the draft recommendations to the Community Council, who will review, edit, and finalize the funding recommendations. The Community Council will not hear public testimony at their meeting. Due to limited resources, only some applications will be recommended for funding.
Applicant testimony to Allocation Committee
After the Community Council finalizes funding recommendations, applicants will have approximately 2 weeks to submit written testimony in response to the funding recommendations. The testimony will be provided to the Allocation Committee for review in advance of their decision-making meeting. Instructions for submitting testimony will be provided to applicants in early 2026.
Allocation Committee funding decisions
The Allocation Committee plans to make funding decisions in a public meeting(s) no later than May 2026. Applicants will receive notification of meeting dates and times in early 2026.
The Allocation Committee will not hear public testimony at these meetings. They will make funding decisions based on application scores, staff and Community Council recommendations, applicant testimony, and policy considerations including program areas and funding priorities, service array and location, feasibility of activities, and cost to support a balanced and integrated citywide system of services.
Portland City Council approval or remand
City Council will review the Allocation Committee’s funding decisions and either approve all of the Allocation Committee’s funding decisions or remand all small grants funding decisions back to PCL.
Once the Allocation Committee funding decisions are on City Council’s agenda for consideration, small grants applicants may use City Council’s procedures for providing written, virtual, or in-person testimony in support of or opposition to the funding decisions or the funding process. The offering of this funding does not constitute a commitment to fund by the City of Portland or PCL.
Notification of grant award
PCL will notify all applicants of the results of the selection process promptly upon the decision of the City Council. Contracts for services will begin on July 1, 2026. Applicants selected for funding will receive written confirmation of selection. Funds will be available for use by selected projects after grant agreements with the City of Portland have been executed.
Advocacy limits
Applicants may not advocate to PCL staff, the Community Council, or the Allocation Committee with the intent of influencing the outcome of the small grants funding process from publication of the application on October 15, 2025 through April 2026 when final funding decisions are made by the Allocation Committee.
Public meetings law and requirements
The Allocation Committee and Portland City Council are subject to Oregon public meeting law (ORS Sections 192.610-690) which applies to any meeting of a quorum of a governing body of a public body. Public meetings must be publicly noticed and take place in a location that accommodates public attendance. The law does not require that the public be allowed to testify at a public meeting; the law is a public attendance law, not a public participation law. The presiding officer is authorized to keep order at a meeting and, where there will be public participation, may determine the length of time people may speak and in what order the testimony will be taken.