Welcome to the recap of the joint meeting of the Allocation Committee and the Community Council on May 6, 2024.

Community engagement results and recommendations 

Above: Dr. Tanisha Tate Woodson (bottom right) presents on the community engagement results and recommendations. 

Consultants Camille E. Trummer and Dr. Tanisha Tate Woodson presented the results of the community engagement process over the last several months that included a survey of more than 500 community members and 100 service providers, 10 focus groups, and 11 interviews with experts who work with children and families in various ways. In total, more than 750 people shared their thoughts during the process.

The consultants offered recommendations in each of PCL’s six program areas based on their analysis of community engagement data. Some recommendations that appeared in more than one program area include:

  • More mental health and social-emotional support programs for children and caregivers.
  • Culturally responsive programs from service providers who represent the cultural backgrounds of the children and families being served.
  • More support for basic needs and wraparound resources.
  • “System navigators” to connect people with resources and guide them through various processes.
  • More services for children with disabilities.
  • Programs and services available for children and families outside of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

View the community engagement slide deck for more details, including recommendations by program area.

At the next Community Council meeting in May and the next Allocation Committee meeting in June, members will discuss the community engagement results and recommendations in more detail to create funding priorities for the competitive grant round planned for fall 2024.

Funding process preparation

Above: PCL Assistant Director Meg McElroy (bottom right) provides an update on preparations for the upcoming funding process.

Staff continues to prepare the application and develop the process for the competitive large grant round scheduled for fall 2024.

In January, the draft application was emailed to more than 300 people at over 160 organizations that serve children and families, including current grantees, past applicants who did not receive funding, and other organizations that could be interested and eligible to apply. Based on the feedback provided by about 50 respondents, staff will continue to further clarify questions and scoring criteria in the program section of the application.

In line with other City of Portland bureaus, PCL is developing a grant application using the Web Grants online platform. The application process will likely include answering some questions within the online platform and uploading other information. Staff will also develop resources to support applicants with the Web Grants system as well as alternatives for applicants who are unable to use Web Grants.

Learn More in the PDF below.

Miss Monday’s meeting?

Watch it on YouTube or on CityNet Xfinity Channel 30 and 330 (HD) May 13 at 5:30 p.m.

Join us for the next Allocation Committee meeting

Our next meeting will be 10 a.m. to noon on Monday, June 24, 2024. Agendas will be sent to our email list, shared on our social media channels and posted on portlandchildrenslevy.org

We welcome your comment on agenda items or the work of the Portland Children’s Levy. If you would like to join the next meeting to participate, please join our email list stay tuned for the meeting invite.