Allocation Committee meeting recap (4-7-26)
Welcome to the recap of the Allocation Committee meeting on April 7, 2026.
You can watch a YouTube recording of the video by clicking the image below.
Review of small grants funding process
PCL staff provided an overview of the 2025-26 small grants funding process, including community engagement and outreach, application review and scoring, available funding, Community Council funding recommendations, applicant testimony and more.
View the meeting slides for more details.
Small grants funding decisions
The five Allocation Committee members voted unanimously to fund 12 small grants totaling $2,550,000 over three years to support children and families in the City of Portland.
| Organization name | Program area | 3-year grant amount |
|---|---|---|
| Active Children Portland | After school | $240,000 |
| African Refugee Immigrant Organization | Mentoring | $240,000 |
| Center for Black Excellence | After school | $240,000 |
| En Taiko | After school | $120,000 |
| Kindness Farm | Hunger relief | $140,000 |
| People of Color Outdoors | Mentoring | $180,000 |
| Project LEDO | After school | $240,000 |
| Somali Empowerment Circle | Early childhood | $240,000 |
| The Family Room | Foster care | $240,000 |
| We Belong PDX | After school | $210,000 |
| Wonderfolk | Mentoring | $225,000 |
| Word is Bond | Mentoring | $240,000 |
Prior to voting on the grants, Allocation Committee members explained their rationale for their funding decisions, including review of all applicant materials, applicant videos, scores, testimony, Community Council recommendations, funding priorities developed from community engagement, and other factors.
In addition, Allocation Committee members said they would like to spend time at their next meeting June 16 to consider a process for identifying alternate grant recipients as part of future grantmaking processes. The selection of alternates was considered in the event that a grant recipient declines a grant award due to challenges with city grant requirements.
Next steps
Allocation Committee funding decisions will next go to City Council later in April or May. City Council’s role is to approve the entire set of 12 small grants or remand them all back to the Allocation Committee for reconsideration. City Council cannot make funding decisions about individual grants.
The set of small grants will be considered alongside a proposed 8% increase to the three-year funding of current large grants for use in fiscal years 2027 and 2028. This would total $5.2 million across the two years. This would help grantee partners address rising costs and allow for cost-of-living adjustments. It would also mitigate the impact of funding reductions last year that resulted in PCL awarding lower grant amounts than requested by large grant applicants.
Related: Read more about updated revenue projections in the Jan. 27, 2026 Allocation Committee meeting recap
An ordinance will first be considered in the City Life Committee 2-5 p.m. Tuesday, April 14.
If approved from the committee, the ordinance would then be sent to the full City Council for a first and second reading. Applicants will be notified of meeting dates once confirmed.
If City Council approves the ordinance, funding for small grants would begin July 1, 2026 and run through June 30, 2029. The increase for large grants would also begin July 1, 2026 and run through June 30, 2028.
Miss the meeting?
Watch it on YouTube or on CityNet Xfinity Channel 30 and 330 (HD) on 7 p.m. April 9, 7 p.m. April 10 or 9 a.m. April 12. You can also view the meeting slide deck.
Join us for the next Allocation Committee meeting
Our next meeting will be 2 to 4 p.m. June 16, 2026. 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.
