Large Grants

BLACK UNITED FUND OF OREGON Addressing Equity & Building Economic Power

In 1983, leaders in Portland, Oregon, noticed that charitable organizations were providing minimal support to communities of color. To combat this inequality, those same leaders started the Black United Fund of Oregon (BUF) as a way to help channel resources to communities of color and to other under resourced communities.

For almost 40 years, BUF has been focusing on positively impacting Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and underserved communities in Oregon by increasing access to social, economic and educational opportunities and working to reduce systemic inequities. BUF’s work increases postsecondary success for both youth of color and low-income youth, increases equity in the distribution of philanthropic support to communities of color, provides resources and mentorship to emerging BIPOC businesses and entrepreneurs and builds unity and resiliency among organizations served and led by BIPOC and female leadership statewide.

BUF serves the community through three pillars of service: post-secondary options, community giving and community justice and equity. Each pillar offers long-term, culturally specific support that comprehensively addresses equity and builds economic power. Heritage has pledged $40,000 to support two of BUF’s initiatives under these pillars: Mentor4Success and support and resource navigation for Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs.

Mentor4Success supports youth achievement by offering one-on-one mentorship, postsecondary academic application assistance, professional certification application assistance, scholarship writing and other workshops and early career building support. The program is available to youth regardless of their chosen postsecondary path—from college to the trades to direct-to-career pursuits. Despite its location in historically Black NE Portland, participants in BUF’s programs reside in underserved areas across Portland and in Oregon and SW Washington communities where Black-led, Black-focused resources are few and far between. In fact, many students travel locally or regionally to attend BUF events.

Mentor4Success is BUF’s largest and longest-serving program and, over the years, has evolved with the help of a diverse group of supporters, community members, youth leaders, volunteers and educators to integrate new supports from “BUF Talks” (conversations with career mentors who center Black voices) and deepen the one-on-one mentoring provided.

The Community Justice & Equity (CJE) program equips and empowers local entrepreneurs by providing culturally specific support and access to the tools needed to build and sustain a small business. While the program is open to all, it emphasizes support for emerging Black-owned businesses who have historically been plagued by systemic bias and inequity, which has been exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19. BUF’s full-time CJE coordinator provides the one-on-one mentorship that many business owners of color struggle to access. He also provides resource navigation to help these businesses obtain additional specialized support through technical assistance providers, such as connecting them to culturally specific bookkeepers, marketing and design firms, website developers, strategists and more.

The two programs are linked through their focus on education, which leads to career-preparedness, living wage employment and, ultimately, wealth creation. As Dr. LM Alaiyo Foster, BUF’s president and CEO shares, “At BUF, we believe education is a catalyst of change; with resources, support and opportunity, together we can break generational cycles and instead introduce and reinforce generational thriving. At BUF, we believe we (our collective community) are the change we’ve been waiting for. At BUF, we’re here to serve.”

Salvation Army

Using Mobile Vans to Move Homeless Individuals into

Permanent Housing

The Salvation Army Northwest Division has devised a creative way to connect with those experiencing homelessness: a van. The program, called Street Level, was created in response to the growing homeless population throughout King County, which, according to the Department of Community and Human Services was about 40,800 people in 2020.1

The Salvation Army wanted a better way to connect with those living on the street or in their cars. So, the two-person team drives the bold red and white painted vehicle around cities outside of Seattle (like Kent, Auburn and Renton) meeting people where they are. In addition to offering something to drink and basic necessities, like socks and personal hygiene products, the team also works to connect them with affordable housing and job opportunities.

The Street Level team is able to take services to the front line of those in need, and it’s with the support of community leaders, housing entities, social service agencies and law enforcement that they’re able to do so. They can immediately assess the needs of each individual or family and develop a plan that makes sense for their situation. This is an essential piece of the program and part of what makes it so successful.

Through the program, the Salvation Army committed to housing eight individuals per quarter for a three-year period. Since then, they’ve housed an average of 28 individuals per quarter, which is three times higher than anticipated. Since it began three years ago, the Street Level program has permanently housed close to 400 individuals with 97% remaining in permanent housing for 12 months or more. This equates to serving 2-3% of the unhoused population in King County.

While the program has exceeded expectations, there are still thousands of people living in abject poverty facing eviction, mental health challenges, social isolation and, ultimately, homelessness.

The Salvation Army is hopeful that with more vans, they’ll be able to reach more people. So, Heritage donated $50,000 to help with the costs associated with securing and outfitting additional vehicles. As of December 2021, they now have two fully operational vehicles and have purchased two additional vehicles. Street Level is a relationship-based, longterm partnership with a goal to create community that helps individuals find and remain in permanent housing with the confidence, support and network to achieve long-term success.

1 https://kingcounty.gov/depts/community-human-services/data-insights.aspx

Other Large Grants

Community Action of Washington County

$45,000 over three years

Homestead Community Land Trust

$50,000 over two years

Imagine Children’s Museum

$30,000 over three years p:ear

$100,000 over five years

Pierce College Foundation

$50,000 over five years

Saint Martin’s University

$50,000 over five years

Shelton YMCA

$50,000 over five years

Unite Oregon

$30,000 over three years

The Oregon Law Foundation was established in 1981 with a mission to support access to justice in Oregon by obtaining and distributing funds to provide legal services to persons of lesser means, promote diversity in the legal profession and educate the public about the law.

Oregon lawyers put client money in a special account called an Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts or IOLTA. Banks and credit unions add up the interest from all the IOLTAs of their Oregon customers and send that interest to the Oregon Law Foundation.

Oregon Law Foundation IOLTA grants are primarily awarded to organizations providing free or low-cost civil legal help to people at or below 125% of the federal poverty guideline.

Civil legal help responds to community needs by prioritizing cases based on close contact with the community. Case priorities are driven by both the number of people experiencing specific problems and the effect those problems have on people’s lives.

The foundation grantees provide core services that are critical for strengthening local communities. They assist victims of domestic violence, help people with disabilities obtain or maintain housing, advocate to increase affordable housing, advocate for the rights of immigrants, help the homeless with legal matters and government benefits, provide education on rights and responsibilities in consumer credit and operate a statewide low income tax program.

As a result of Heritage Bank choosing to participate as a Visionary Level Leadership Bank from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022, the Oregon Law Foundation received $60,612. Based on the OLF’s Social on Investment analysis of Oregon civil legal aid, Heritage Bank produced $207,899 of total economic impact for Oregon’s individuals and communities with low incomes.