Annual Report FY 2016-17
A Letter from our Executive Director
It’s my pleasure to introduce Prosper Portland’s 2016-17 Annual Report, a look back at our efforts to create economic growth and opportunity and our ongoing evolution as an organization.
This report focuses on who we worked with, what we learned, and why it mattered. As we strive to become a learning organization, we are committed to celebrating success and recognizing when and where we could have done things differently – in each case building on those lessons to have a more positive, equitable impact on our community.
In 2016-17, those discoveries encompassed the following:
- Our funds take long-standing projects to the finish line – like the completion of a much-needed playground in outer East Portland using $125,000 in Prosper Portland community livability grant funds
- Transformative change results from an intentional focus on making resources available to people who have been historically underserved – with 74 percent of Prosperity Investment Program funds going to people of color, businesses like the Cha Lua Deli can grow and thrive.
- Diversity of partnerships, synergy of vision and inclusive community engagement strengthens development outcomes – lessons we took from the Lents Town Center and Burnside Bridgehead projects.
- Business services are enhanced by direct engagement with partners and community members – throughout the year, Prosper Portland staff engaged with more than 8,000 Portlanders, and used that engagement to tailor agency programs like the Inclusive Business Resource Network.
- The future is big – for small businesses. More than 80 percent of businesses served by our traded sector team have fewer than 50 employees and drive a significant portion of employment growth in our region.
In keeping with our strategic plan, we continued to focus on work that serves businesses owned by people of color and women and that benefits low-income and underserved communities. The measures of that work include nearly 275,000 hours worked by apprentices, more than 300,000 hours worked by minorities and 100,000 hours by women on construction projects where our Workforce Equity Policy applied; and more than 1,100 low-income and/or minority recipients of our adult and youth workforce program services provided through partner organizations.
Thank you to the many community, business, and public partners who collaborated to make these results possible. We look forward to continuing our work with you to build an equitable economy for Portland.
Kimberly Branam, Executive Director
1,517
New Jobs
created1,517 Jobs Created
- Recruitment – 718
- Workforce – 354
- Small Business – 227
- Ezone – 180
- PEIC – 38
262 Small Businesses
served262 Small Businesses Served
- 81% of businesses served were people of color
- Increase in avg gross sales: $82,000
1,722
Adults/Youth
servedAdult/Youth Workforce Programs
- 1,231 adult participants served; 61% of color
- 491 youth participants served; 77% of color
Un-employment
at record lowUnemployment
- Multnomah County Unemployment: 3.3%
- United States Unemployment: 4.1%
Learn about: Prosperity | Neighborhoods | Jobs | Partnerships | Equity
PROSPERITY
Inclusive Business Resource Network
David Jenkins, founder and CEO of Marie Ernst™ luxury beauty bars, has benefited from the wide range of resources funded by Prosper Portland via the Inclusive Business Resource Network.
Stats: Inclusive Business Resource Network
Additional Programs:
(Roll over each box for more stats)
Adult
Workforce Program
Adult Workforce Program
- 1,231 participants
- 61% of participants were people of color
- 90% had low incomes at 0-30% MFI
- 65% of participants exited the program with employment
- Average wage was $14.56 per hour
Youth
Workforce Program
Youth Workforce Program
- 491 participants
- 77% of participants were people of color
- 86% had low incomes at 0-30% MFI
- 70% of participants exited the program with employment
Neighborhood Prosperity Network
Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative / Main Streets
- 38 net new jobs
- 52 net new businesses
- 31,732 volunteer hours
- $794,071 operations leverage
NEIGHBORHOODS
Lents Commons
A collaboration between Prosper Portland and the Portland Housing Bureau, Lents Commons is a mixed-use, mixed-income project with 54 units of housing and approximately 7,500 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.
Stats: Prosper Portland Owned or Sponsored Projects
For the 3 projects that broke ground during the fiscal year:
For the 9 projects currently under construction where our Workforce Equity policy applies:
Other Lents Town Center Developments include:
(Roll over each project for more stats)
Zoiglhaus Brewing Co
5716 SE 92nd AveAsian Health & Service Center
Coming 2018Asian Health & Service Center
- $4.9M investment by Prosper Portland
- 25 jobs
- Coming in 2018
Oliver Station
Coming 2018Oliver Station
- $8.1M investment by Prosper Portland
- 126 affordable units; 19 market rate units
- Coming in 2018
JOBS
Oregon Tradeswomen
Oregon Tradeswomen is a Portland-based nonprofit whose mission is to promote the success of women in the trades through education, training, leadership development and mentorship. In 2015, Prosper Portland awarded a Community Livability Grant to install upgrades to their office space and build capacity to house more staff.
Stats: Prosper Portland Grants
Grant recipients include:
(Roll over each project for more stats)
Champions Barbering Institute
Champions Barbering Institute
Lents
K-8
Playground
Lents K-8 Playground
Rose CDC Youth Music Education Center
Rose CDC Youth Music Education Center
Talent Diversity Initiative
Local casting company Cast Iron Studios launched the Talent Diversity Initiative in 2015 in response to the need for more diverse actors in shows like The Librarians and Grimm, both filmed in Portland. The 36-hour intensive acting course gave diverse performers the opportunity to hone their skills with two of Portland’s finest acting coaches and a myriad of guest speakers, at no cost to the actors. Cast Iron’s commitment to promoting a diverse and inclusive talent pool in the Northwest connects with Prosper Portland’s own aim to honor diversity and inclusion in its work to build an equitable economy.
Stats: Enterprise Zone
PARTNERSHIPS
Burnside Bridgehead
Prosper Portland’s collaboration with three very different developers have produced a lively mixed-use neighborhood in the Central City grounded in partnership and community priorities. In 2016-17 all four blocks were either activated or under construction, fulfilling the framework plan for the area that called for a mix of uses (commercial, employment and residential) that activate the site, build on its unique character, and provide opportunities for the community to gather.
Stats: The Yard
Other Burnside Bridgehead projects include:
(Roll over each project for more stats)
Eastside Exchange
Beam DevelopmentSideYARD
Key DevelopmentFair-Haired Dumbbell
Guerrilla DevelopmentSlate
Urban Development + PartnersPaulmang Pau Gualnam, Community Outreach Coordinator, Division-Midway Alliance
Before the Division Midway Alliance hired him, Gualnam volunteered for the district, working with Myanmar immigrants and teaching them what he learned on his own as a newcomer to the city and the U.S. himself.
EQUITY
Sean Murray, Human Resources Director
In 2016-17, Prosper Portland revamped its approach to candidate recruitment, putting more emphasis on use of partner relationships and equitable hiring practices to demonstrate good stewardship and commitment to equity.
Stats: Community Engagement
Our social equity efforts include:
(Roll over each box for more info)
Prosper Portland Equity
Council
Prosper Portland Equity Council
The Equity Council is furthering our journey of inclusiveness as an organization through plans for staff training and facilitation, caucusing, informal meetings and raising awareness and promoting equity within Prosper Portland.LEARN MORE
N/NE Community Development Initiative
N/NE Community Development Initiative
The N/NE Portland Community Development Initiative, established by Prosper Portland and guided by an advisory committee, guides the investment of remaining resources in the Interstate Corridor.LEARN MORE