August 14, 2024
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Shawn Uhlman, Prosper Portland
Significant projects include the relocation of The Courts skatepark; site preparation for a Youth Center at Mt. Scott Learning Center; build-out of the PHAME Academy’s Accessible Arts & Community Space; and a commemorative art installation at Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO).
Prosper Portland will award $1.42 million in Community Livability Grants for fiscal year 2024-25 to 18 projects in five tax increment finance districts or neighborhoods. These funds will leverage more than $1 million in private investment. In Central Eastside, Interstate Corridor, and Lents Town Center five projects were funded in each district, along with two projects in Gateway Regional Center and one in North Macadam.
Prosper Portland Executive Director Kimberly Branam said, “These grants highlight our long-standing commitment to fostering thriving, resilient neighborhoods. We are pleased to make these investments in community-serving projects and support the organizations that serve our city’s diverse populations and neighborhoods.”
The evaluation committees for each area included representatives from community organizations, neighborhood and business associations, and non-profit organizations as well as individual business owners and Prosper Portland staff.
The Community Livability Grant Program gives funding priority to projects that improve access to jobs and workforce development services; support wealth creation opportunities for small business owners; honor and enhance the neighborhood’s cultural diversity and history; deliver a community asset tailored to the community’s expressed priorities and opportunities; and advance goals of area-specific action plans.
Since 2006, Prosper Portland has awarded more than $15.2 million to 263 community livability projects across multiple neighborhoods and TIF districts.
