Portland Children’s Levy Newsletter November 2015
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Pass it On
**The Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission is pleased to announce the opening of its 2016 Community Technology Grants funding cycle and encourages eligible organizations to apply. The Pre-Application deadline is Dec. 8th, 2015.
The Community Technology Grants program supports public and non-profit use of interactive, multi-media communications technologies for public benefit purposes. The MHCRC anticipates granting about $800,000 in the 2016 grant cycle, beginning with a Pre-Application process. For more information and access to the Grant Guidelines and Pre-Application instructions, please visit www.mhcrc.org.
If you have questions or would like to discuss a proposal, please contact Rebecca Gibbons, 503-823-5515, rgibbons@mhcrc.org.
**PCL has a limited number of sponsorships available through its Event Sponsorshipprogram for nonprofit organizations looking for help to underwrite event costs. The Levy will award 10 $500 sponsorships for events related to its funding areas per year; five sponsorships are available for events from January through June 2016, with applications accepted on a first-come, first-served basis in early December.
Details can be found on PCL website here or contact marygay.broderick@
** The City of Portland’s 2015-16 Fix-it Fairs are scheduled for the following Saturdays: Nov. 21st at Parkrose High School; Jan. 23rd at Ron Russell Middle School; and Feb. 20th at George Middle School (Spanish language fair). The fairs are a free event where people can learn simple ways to save money and connect with community resources. The PCL has several tables at the fairs: if your organization is interested in attending any or all of the fairs to spread the word about your services, please contactmarygay.broderick@
**The YWCA offers high-quality and engaging social change trainings.
**Meals 4 Kids, a PCL-funded program through Meals on Wheels People that delivers meals to children and their caregivers throughout Portland, is looking for volunteer drivers. Interested? Contact lynette.vicens@
In the News
**New Avenues for Youth was recently featured on OPB’s Think Out Loud(click here) and in The Oregonian (here) for opening Unity House – Oregon’s first ever housing program for LGBTQ youth.
**Open School, formerly Open Meadow, just broke ground on Open School East, a school for struggling middle and high school students. Read and listen to the OPB story at this link.
**Making preschool available for more Oregon kids…read The Portland Tribune story here.
PCL Programs Making a Difference: Oregon Food Bank
Sally and her husband have four children, two of whom are students at Gilbert Park Elementary School. Sally is a stay-at-home mom who loves to volunteer and spends lots of hours each day at the school helping in myriad ways. Her family has struggled through many hard times and they recently lost their SNAP eligibility because her husband’s manufacturing job pays $2 more than the qualifying wage.
Sally was very happy to hear that the Oregon Food Bank, through support from PCL, was starting a food pantry at Gilbert Park. Before it opened, she had to travel to a different school pantry or various churches to access food. Now the pantry is close to her house, making it convenient for her and her family. Receiving food for her children each week at the pantry is a tremendous help.
She likes everything about the Gilbert Park pantry, especially that it provides fruits and vegetables and knowing that her kids will eat everything she brings home. She’s trying new recipes with items she gets from the pantry, such as chicken noodle soup and a spaghetti sauce. She and her daughter volunteer there as well, and her goal is that everyone in her family will eat healthy and stay healthy this winter.
PCL Allocation Committee meeting news
There are currently no Allocation Committee meetings scheduled. Agendas are sent to the database before the meeting and posted on the PCL website here. Questions? Email marygay.broderick@
In other news, two reports are now available: an audit of PCL completed by the City of Portland Auditor’s Office here and the PCL 2013-14 annual services and outcomes data report here.
“Like” us on our new FB page
The Portland Children’s Levy has a new, more dynamic FB page. Click on the link above to “like” it and please pass along to your colleagues, clients and board members as well.
Take a look at the PCL 2015 Progress Report featuring “A Day in the Life” for grantees serving Portland’s children! Click here to view the PDF online. Also, hard copies will be available at all Allocation Committee meetings or by contacting
marygay.broderick@portlandoregon.gov
Contact PCL Staff for the Following Areas
*Director, After School & Hunger grants:
lisa.pellegrino@portlandoregon.gov
*Assistant Director and Early Childhood & Mentoring grants:
meg.mcelroy@portlandoregon.gov
*Child Abuse Prevention/Intervention & Foster Care Grants Manager:
lisa.hansell@portlandoregon.gov
*Communications Director:
marygay.broderick@portlandoregon.gov
*Fiscal Specialist:
john.kelly@portlandoregon.gov
Who We Are
The Portland Children’s Levy was created by city voters in 2002 and overwhelmingly renewed by the electorate in Fall 2008 and Spring 2013. Funding for the new five-year Levy began July 1, 2014 and includes hunger relief as a new focus area.
The Levy is supported through a property tax paid by City of Portland homeowners that generates $12 million toward investments in proven programs in areas of Early Childhood, After School, Mentoring, Child Abuse Prevention/Intervention, Foster Care and Hunger Relief. The Levy reaches over 8,000 children and their families annually; in addition, Levy-funded hunger relief services provide food to over 11,000 children and9,167 parents/caregivers annually.
The Levy is annually audited and administrative costs do not exceed 5 percent.
Questions? Contact: Call Mary Gay Broderick at 503-823-2947 or e-mail marygay.broderick@portlandoregon.gov
See our website at www.portlandchildrenslevy.org
