Review & Scoring
Funding decisions are developed through a process that includes review and scoring by community volunteers, recommendations from the Community Council and Portland Children’s Levy staff, and testimony submitted by applicants. The PCL Allocation Committee will make funding decisions in spring 2025, which must then be formally approved by City Council.
Reviewers must attend one of the four training sessions led by PCL staff to learn how to review and score applications in the WebGrants online grant portal. If you are a volunteer reviewer and need assistance or accommodations, please email info@portlandchildrenslevy.org.
Advocacy limits
Applicants may not advocate to Community Council and Allocation Committee members with the intent of influencing the outcome of the funding process during the entire funding period from publication of the application on September 10, 2024 through April 2025 when final funding decisions are made.
Review and scoring by community volunteers
Volunteers review and score each proposal between mid-November 2024 and mid-January 2025. PCL recruits reviewers through extensive outreach. Volunteers have experience in PCL program areas, organizational and program management, racial equity, diversity and inclusion, program evaluation and research. Volunteers will score each proposal based on the scoring criteria included in the application materials. Each section of the application is scored for a total of 152 points per application.
| 2024 application sections and scoring | Point value |
|---|---|
| Steps 1-4: application forms in WebGrants | ** |
| Step 5: narrative application, uploaded to WebGrants | |
| I. Organization | 52 |
| II. Program design | 80 |
| III. Budget justification | 20 |
| TOTAL | 152 |
** Applicants must complete Steps 1-4 for the application to be scored.
A team of up to 5 reviewers will score a single application. PCL staff will average the total scores of all reviewers to get a total score for the application.
PCL staff will provide each applicant a copy of completed score sheets in February 2025.
Staff funding recommendations
After reviewers have scored applications, staff will develop at least two Levy-wide portfolios of applications for funding for consideration by PCL’s Community Council, an advisory board of 13 community members. The portfolio options given to Community Council will not include the applicant and program names. Portfolio options will be described in terms of differences in how resources are allocated between program areas and to funding priorities within program areas, application scores, priority populations to be served, new and currently funded programs and any other policy variables requested by Community Council in 2024 and early 2025 meetings. Staff will create portfolio options that:
- Prioritize high-scoring applications.
- Reflect priority services and populations as described in the application materials.
- Support a diversity of organizations to serve the community.
- Balance support between currently funded programs and programs not currently funded by PCL.
- Consider the scale and feasibility of the proposed program in the context of amount of funds requested, the experience and expertise of the program and/or agency.
- Consider the program cost per participant in the context of the level of service provided to participants.
- Consider program performance as a past PCL grantee if applicable.
After Community Council meetings in early 2025, staff will draft funding recommendations based on Community Council’s recommended portfolio and any other input they provide. The Community Council will not hear public testimony at these meetings. Due to limited resources, only some applications will be recommended for funding. Staff funding recommendations will be provided to applicants and sent to the Allocation Committee for consideration in making funding decisions.
Testimony in support of application
Applicants may submit written, audio, or video testimony in response to the staff funding recommendation, and the testimony will be provided to the Allocation Committee for their consideration. Instructions for submitting testimony will be provided to applicants in early 2025.
Allocation Committee funding decisions
The Allocation Committee is scheduled to make funding decisions in public meeting(s) no later than May 2025. Applicants will receive notification of meeting dates and times in early 2025.
The Allocation Committee will not hear public testimony at these meetings. They will make funding decisions based on application scores, staff recommendations, Community Council input, applicant testimony, and policy considerations including location of services, adequacy of services to priority populations, feasibility of activities, and cost to support a balanced and integrated citywide system of services.
City Council approval
The Allocation Committee’s funding decisions will then be submitted for final approval to the Portland City Council. Final funding decisions shall be made at the sole discretion of the Portland City Council. The offering of this funding does not constitute a commitment to fund by the City of Portland or PCL.
Public meetings laws and requirements
The PCL Allocation Committee, and Portland City Council are subject to Oregon public meetings 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.
Notification
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, 2025.
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.