The Southeast Uplift Board of Directors awarded twenty-one neighborhood associations and community-based organizations funds through the 2009 SE Uplift Neighborhood Small Grants Program at their Board of Directors meeting on Monday, January 5. The Directors accepted the recommendation of the Neighborhood Small Grants Selection Committee and approved the release of $43,114 in funds to support community partnerships, capacity building activities to engage new and diverse neighbors and leadership skill development among underrepresented groups in the coalition area.

For the third year, the City of Portland has allocated approximately $200,000 citywide for the Neighborhood Small Grants Program. This program was developed to support neighborhood and community-based organizations as an opportunity to build community, attract new and diverse membership, and sustain those already involved in their organizations.  Grant funds are distributed through the city’s seven neighborhood district coalition offices, with $43,114 allotted to Southeast Uplift for the 2009 program year. By the November 3 deadline, forty grant proposals were received, requesting a total of  $146,514.12.

In addition to the overall program guidelines, SE Uplift’s grant program identified preferred use of funds for projects that helped to build capacity in the neighborhood system, showed partnerships between neighborhood associations and under-represented communities and/or community-based organizations that support those populations and projects that helped to engage people of color, immigrants and refugees, renters, low-income residents, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer residents, or people with disabilities in the civic life of their neighborhoods.

The following neighborhood associations and community-based groups were awarded small grants:

Voz Workers' Rights Education Project, Day Labor Voices: An Expanded Outreach Strategy . Funding will be used for the creation of an organizational newsletter to tell the stories of local day laborers and promote activities and events to local residents and businesses.  As a result of the newsletter project, day laborers will have the opportunity to build community with their neighbors and increase skills for future employment.  This is an innovative project that will help to connect day laborers with their community and build vital leadership skills.

Sunnyside Swap Shop Co-Op:  Sunnyside Neighborhood Useful Goods Exchange. Funds will be used for the third annual Useful Goods Exchange, an event held in conjunction with the neighborhood cleanup where unwanted items can be unloaded and either traded or purchased by those in need.  The event will be held in partnership with the Sunnyside Swap Shop Co-Op, the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association and the Sunnyside Environmental School. Funds will be utilized for promotion of the exchange and expenses event-related expenses.  The Useful Goods Exchange will be an opportunity for organizational relationship building, community building among neighbors and will meet a need, particularly among low-income neighbors. 

Moreland Farmers Market, Moreland Farmers Market:  Opening & Closing Day Events.  Funds will help to expand the reach of opening & closing day events at the Moreland Farmers Market, with a lift-equipped shuttle service for transportation, additional outreach for the EBT food stamp machines and stipends for a youth band at their events.

Richmond Neighborhood Association: Movies in the Park. Funds will be used to support pre-movie entertainment including music, a rock wall and refreshments for two Portland Parks and Recreation Movies in the Park events. This event will help to build community and involvement in the neighborhood association and will serve as an enjoyable community and family friendly event.

South Tabor Neighborhood Association, Get Help! Fair 2009.  Funds will support a fair to bring neighbors together for a day of food and entertainment, but also to raise awareness about free and low-cost services available to sustain physical, emotional and financial health.  The event will benefit neighbors, by ensuring access to community resources, help to raise awareness of and generate involvement in the neighborhood association and provide new opportunities for members of underrepresented groups to become civically involved by inviting diverse community participants to table at the event.

Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association:  Multilingual Mailing.  Grant funding will help to create and mail a multi-lingual informational flyer from the Brentwood Darlington neighborhood to all area residents.  This mailing will be translated into five languages and will include an invitation to community events and provide information about neighborhood association activities and committees to generate additional community involvement. The project is in close alignment with the goals of the grant program, raising awareness about the neighborhood association, building community with outreach for neighborhood events and activities and reaching out to diverse neighbors with a new communication strategy.

Society for Haitian Arts & Culture, Society for Haitian Arts & Culture. Funds will support event-related expenses for the annual Caribbean Festival and promotional materials to raise the organization’s visibility and general awareness of Portland’s Haitian American community. 

African Women’s Coalition, African Refugee & Immigrant Stand for Empowerment (ARISE) project. The ARISE project will work with Somali Bantu women within the coalition area to build leadership and community organizing skills and raise awareness about rental housing rights and Portland’s schools system.  Through education and skill building, the goal is to eliminate oppression and help to engage Somali women in their community and the local PTA.

Jim Bridger PTA, Bridger Bikes Montavilla. A neighborhood family bike ride event is proposed to raise awareness about bike safety, familiarize participants with areas of interest in the Montavilla neighborhood and bring together Bridger families, staff, and PTA members, neighborhood residents, the neighborhood association, local businesses and community groups.  Funds will help to subsidize the cost of the bike safety education program, pay for event-related expenses, marketing materials and promotional items for participants.  A strong sense of community will be built as a result of this project.

Mt. Scott Community Center, Mt. Scott-Arleta Community Mural.   The Mt. Scott Teen Volunteer Corps will be working with local business owners, community members and a local artist to create a mural on graffiti tagged wall near the community center.  As a result of this project, graffiti will be deterred, a collaborative community art piece will be created, leadership skills will be increased among at-risk youth youth and new relationships will be built. Funds will be used for outreach, materials and fees for the mural artist and expenses related to the mural unveiling celebration.  This is a collaborative project with a realistic scope of work. 

Sellwood Moreland Improvement League, Sellwood Middle School Community Building Project. The Sellwood Middle School, in partnership with Portland State University, aims to build community through participation in the construction, maintenance and use of a community greenhouse on school grounds.  Funds will be used for promotional materials to generate interest and awareness in the project, building materials and permit fees for actual greenhouse structure and event related expenses for the “Sustainable Sellwood Festival,” a groundbreaking ceremony open to the community. 

Asian Health & Service Center, Eight Annual Asian Community Health Fair- August, 2009. Funds will be used to increase the reach and effectiveness of the annual Asian Community Health Fair, which provides free health care to isolated, elderly Asian community members.   Funds will help to increase targeted outreach efforts, add an additional outdoor canopy to serve more clients and provide stipends and food for interpreters and volunteers.

Buckman/ Miracle Theatre Group, Miracle Neighborhood Initiative. The project will help to expand summer arts programming to include a dance class for children and a Spanish language acting class for adults.  Grant funds will be utilized for programming, but mostly to increase outreach efforts to the local community through the printing and distribution of flyers, saturated mailings, newspaper articles, banners and other targeted methods.  This project displays a great effort to connect with neighborhoods and bring more people into their diverse course offerings.

Montavilla Community Foot Patrol, Community Involvement through Public Safety. In an attempt to increase involvement in the Montavilla Foot Patrol and build community, grant funds will be used for outreach materials and event-related expenses for a Movie in the Park event. A new partnership with youth from Africa House will help to increase effectiveness of outreach efforts.

Andisheh Center, Laurelhurst International Festival.  With the support of grant funds, an International Music Festival is proposed to bring music and performers from Latin America, the Middle East and other parts of Asia.  Community-based organizations and nonprofits will be invited to table at the event to promote services and activities.  The goal of the event is to build community and relationships among the Laurelhurst neighborhood association and diverse cultural groups in the area.

Sunnyside Community Renovation Project, Sunnyside Community Renovation Project. Grants funds would be used to provide the materials for a community workday to renovate two bathrooms in a community center space.  These bathrooms primarily serve homeless community members staying in the church’s seasonal shelter and multiple community-based organizations that serve underrepresented populations and neighborhood youth. 

Kerns Neighborhood Association, Kerns Neighborhood Bicycle Safety & Awareness Day. With grant funding the Kerns Neighborhood Association will host a Bicycle Awareness and Safety event, dedicated to making the neighborhood a fun and safe place to ride bicycles. Funds will cover the cost of project materials with the Kerns logo and promotional materials to raise awareness about the neighborhood association and assist with future fundraising efforts.

Brentwood-Darlington/ Portland Impact, Early Childhood Fathering Group. Grant funding will help support the Early Childhood Fathering Groups’ pilot project, which help to engage and educate fathers, a group traditionally underrepresented in parenting programs.  Bimonthly social gatherings will be held to strengthen the father-child relationship, ensure fathers have access to resources and create a community of support.  Funds will allow for outreach, refreshments and transportation to ensure that the program is open and accessible to all fathers.

Arleta Triangle Project, Communicating Neighborhood Identity through Public Gathering Spaces. Grant funds will help to add communicative and artist structural elements to the Arleta Triangle Project, an underused piece of public property that has been in the process of transformation into a gathering space and neighborhood icon since 2004.  The installation of an archway sign and green-powered lighting system will serve to sustain community involvement in the project and make the space more safe and accessible.  A community kiosk will be a vital tool for on-site communication about work parties and related projects, but also will serve as a community posting space for community events and activities.

Chess for Success, Chess for Success After-School Program.  Funding will provide after-school chess clubs in several neighborhood schools and provide training for community volunteers to support the clubs. Chess for Success will enrich the communities where clubs are located by giving low-income students an outlet in which to learn and thrive.  The schools and children that participate will not be required to pay anything, as a result of grant funding.

Creative Science School PTA, Earth Day Celebration Event. Grant funding will be used to expand the Creative Science School’s Earth Day event to a community-wide celebration.  Funds will be used for event-related expenses as well as for outreach materials to draw in community members for a day of education, relationship building and fun.

The projects that were approved for funding are excellent examples of how the community is working together to improve the quality of our neighborhoods by increasing volunteer capacity and building partnerships with community organizations through sustainable projects. The SE Uplift Board wants to thank all of the community groups and neighborhood associations that applied for funds this year. It was obvious that everyone worked very hard on their proposals and demonstrated leadership and dedication to creating communities, which are livable, socially diverse, inclusive, safe and vital.