Contact: Shawn Uhlman, Prosper Portland, 503-823-7994
The renovation of Africa House in Gateway, upgrades to the Sons of Haiti Lodge in Interstate, improvements to the Junior Achievement space in Lents, and support for the Maybelle Community Center in Old Town/Chinatown are among the most significant awards.
Prosper Portland will award $1.49 million in Community Livability Grants for fiscal year 2018-19 to 23 projects in five urban renewal areas or neighborhoods, leveraging nearly $30 million in private investment. Eight projects in Interstate, five projects in Lents, four projects in Central Eastside, three projects in Old Town/Chinatown and three projects in Gateway will receive funding.
The Community Livability Grant project list includes proposals that honor local culture and history, support expansion of workforce service facilities, and improve community centers and services for diverse residents. Successful grant applicants are required to make a good faith effort to contract with State of Oregon certified Minority-Owned, Woman-Owned, Disadvantaged or Emerging Small Businesses (M/W/D/ESBs). Prosper Portland staff will work with this year’s awardees to identify potential M/W/D/ESB contractors.
Prosper Portland Executive Director Kimberly Branam said, “Over the years the Community Livability Grant program has been an incredible tool to help organizations fulfill the aspirations of their neighborhoods and better serve diverse populations throughout the city. We’re proud to keep the momentum going with this year’s awards.”
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 $10 million to nearly 180 community livability projects across multiple urban renewal areas. This year’s awards will leverage an estimated $29.8 million in other funds and hundreds of hours of volunteer labor.
The full list of 2018-19 recipients follows.
| Project | Description | TIF District | Fiscal Year | Award | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CODA, Inc | Childcare and Acupuncture Room Refurbishment. To update and reconfigure childcare room and acupuncture room. | Central Eastside | 2018-2019 | $32,000 | |
| Shaking the Tree Inc. | Painting the Exterior of Shaking the Tree Theatre. Painting the exterior of the warehouse theatre space, 3125 sqft. | Central Eastside | 2018-2019 | $14,000 | |
| VOZ Workers' Rights Education Project | Improved Workforce Development Hub for Day Laborers. Closed circuit camera and alarm system with security lighting, renovation of existing garage space into one workforce development classroom and two dispatch stations. | Central Eastside | 2018-2019 | $46,375 | |
| YU Contemporary, Inc | Restoration of Historic Windows at the Yale Union Laundry building. Restoration of 14 windows in a 10,000 sqft second floor gallery space. | Central Eastside | 2018-2019 | $32,000 | |
| Gateway Area Business Association | Gateway Branding, Economic Development and Wayfinding. To support the creation of a District Asset Map, as first step of district branding project. | Gateway Regional Center | 2018-2019 | $15,000 | |
| Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization | Africa House. To support the renovation of the newly acquired building and increase office, work, and community meetings spaces to accommodate existing and expanded services defined as high-need by the African community. | Gateway Regional Center | 2018-2019 | $200,000 | |
| DePaul Treatment Centers | DePaul's Campaign for Hope & Recovery. To support the relocation and expansion of the treatment center. Conditional award; must meet CLG program requirement before funds are awarded. | Gateway Regional Center | 2018-2019 | $300,000 | |
| Restoration Outreach Community Center (Miracle Revivals) | Restoration Outreach Community Upgrades. Support the remodel of downstairs space to accommodate a shelter and dance studio. | Interstate Corridor | 2018-2019 | $25,000 | |
| Community Help Institute for Learning & Development - Sunshine Center Montessori Preschool | Sunshine Bathroom Remodel. Upgrade to commercial spaces and bathrooms to expand the preschool and accommodate more children. | Interstate Corridor | 2018-2019 | $30,000 | |
| Vanport Placemarking Project | Vanport Placemarking Project. Design and install permanent markers to bring public awareness of the structural, natural resources, and cultural history of Vanport. | Interstate Corridor | 2018-2019 | $9,000 | |
| Our United Villages, DBA Rebuilding Center | Rebuilding Center Roof Replacement & Solarization. Capital improvement funding to preserve and improve our iconic reuse and community hub on North Mississippi | Interstate Corridor | 2018-2019 | $100,000 | |
| Q Center | Q Resilience Initiative. Facility improvements to our auditorium and art gallery spaces | Interstate Corridor | 2018-2019 | $58,000 | |
| St Joseph's Grand Lodge (Sons of Haiti Lodge) | Preserving African American History. External and interior upgrades to the site: paint, drywall, floors, and windows. | Interstate Corridor | 2018-2019 | $125,000 | |
| St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church | St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church Building Renovation Project. Funding to support infrastructure improvements | Interstate Corridor | 2018-2019 | $150,000 | |
| Emmanuel Church | Market Place Community Impact. To support feasibility study for health and wholeness center - 4 story structure to accommodate: Early childhood education, community and meeting rooms, wealth creation institute, 11,000 sq. living units, Medical wholistic healing and health facilities | Interstate Corridor | 2018-2019 | $25,000 | |
| Junior Achievement | Junior Achievement Exterior Improvement Project. Improvements to the parking lot and landscaping. | Lents Town Center | 2018-2019 | $45,500 | |
| ROSE CDC | 91st Ave Street Mural. Creation of a mural at 91st Ave. in collaboration with Lents Youth Initiative to engage Lents-area youth in community work. | Lents Town Center | 2018-2019 | $9,500 | |
| Seventh-Day Adventist Church | Lents Activity Center Facility Improvements. Improvements to an activity center including lighting and doors. | Lents Town Center | 2018-2019 | $30,000 | |
| White Phoenix Acupuncture | White Phoenix Safety, Comfort, and Visibility Project. To support the installation of an ADA electronic door operator, low-e window film, painted signage on the building front and windows, update monument sign and install non-toxic carpet in the treatment room. | Lents Town Center | 2018-2019 | $18,143 | |
| Wisdom of the Elders | Wisdom Workforce Development Initiative. P rovide the Lents URA with habitat restoration and landscape improvements while helping 15 low-income native Americans adults train for and achieve living-wage work. | Lents Town Center | 2018-2019 | $30,000 | |
| Downtown Portland Clean and Safe District | Garbage can optimization in Old Town Chinatown Skidmore District. Replacing 25 concrete round garbage cans as well Big Belly solar trash compactors that have outlived their useful life. | Old Town / Chinatown | 2018-2019 | $15,903 | |
| Maybelle Center for Community | Maybelle Center Facility Improvements. Improve existing community room, classrooms, and meeting/works spaces. Increase efficiency and safety of the Assisted Living Center. | Old Town / Chinatown | 2018-2019 | $100,000 | |
| Portland Chinatown History Foundation | Portland Chinatown History Museum. Final steps of the transformation of the Kida Company building into the Portland Chinatown Museum; protective roof coating, space renovation, and distinctive signage. | Old Town / Chinatown | 2018-2019 | $87,000 |
Quotes from recipients:
“Prosper Portland and the Community Livability Grant (CLG) program are making a difference in St. Paul’s neighborhood – improving our property to bless the community, making the unknown possible and dreams come true.”
– Pastor Craig Brown, St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church
“By supporting our preschool expansion project Prosper Portland is helping us expand our reach in the community by providing more services, increasing the number of jobs we can provide and improving the efficiency and usability of our property. This grant provides access to capital we would not have normally. I cannot wait until we are able to have the opening of our expanded preschool!”
– Troy Tate, Sunshine Montessori School
“The grant from Prosper Portland will allow us to increase the number of members who can utilize our Community Room, which is at capacity much of the time. By re-configuring underused spaces to high need areas, we can expand access for folks with mobility devices, improve services, and enhance the experience of everyone using the Center.”
– Jillianne Bandstra, Maybelle Center
“Since 1950, we have been inspiring and preparing young people in Oregon and SW Washington with work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy education. We opened our doors on SE Foster Road in 2007 with the launch of JA BizTown, our flagship elementary program that is now reaching nearly half of all Portland Area fifth graders. This grant funding will be used to address several crucial needs in maintaining our building’s exterior, drainage and parking lots while reserving our limited resources for serving K-12 students. This project will have a lasting benefit on the students, volunteers, teachers, visitors and staff who use our building, especially the 13,000 plus students and 4,500 adults who are a part of our JA BizTown program each year. In our overall outreach, we are impacting more than 45,700 students annually, and approximately 45% of students we serve qualify for the Federal Free/Reduced Lunch Program. Diversity and inclusion will be a key pillar of our strategic plan. Junior Achievement is grateful for the support from Prosper Portland.”
– Ryan Deckert, President, Junior Achievement Oregon & SW Washington