Portland Harbor Community Grants are available to support community-led projects and programs about the Portland Harbor Superfund.
Donor Name: City of Portland
State:Oregon
City: Portland
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/19/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Goals and Objectives
The goal of the Portland Harbor Community Grants is to support meaningful public involvement, particularly for communities disproportionately affected by the contamination and cleanup. These communities include people with current, traditional, or cultural connections, including:
- Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals
- People who eat shellfish and non-migratory fish like carp, catfish, and bass caught in Portland Harbor
- Housed and unhoused residents who live in neighborhoods near the Portland Harbor Superfund site.
Based on feedback heard from grantees, community members, and government partners, funds will support activities that advance and achieve the following objectives:
- Expand and deepen leadership and participation in the cleanup process by communities disproportionately affected by the Portland Harbor Superfund cleanup and contamination
- Provide resources to support underrepresented community members’ participation in the cleanup design process
- Develop relationships with unhoused residents in the Portland Harbor area, including engagement on Superfund, in preparation for targeted outreach and support during cleanup
- Build community-based organizations’ capacity to shape and support EPA’s plan to minimize impacts of cleanup construction on housed and unhoused neighbors (i.e., transportation routes, emissions, sound, light, and access restrictions)
- Engage and educate communities about the Portland Harbor Superfund, including the Lower Willamette River Fish Advisory, and scientific, technical, policy, and process topics related to the cleanup.
- Support economic development in the Portland Harbor area, including career development in environmental remediation
- Strengthen partnerships among community groups and governments.
Funding Information
Grant requests may be up to $50,000.
Eligible Activities
Below are activities, projects, and programs suggested by grantees, community members, and government partners. The bullets below show how each supports several program objectives. Other ideas are welcome.
- Support BIPOC leadership and engagement in the cleanup process through training, mentoring, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.
- Gather community input to shape EPA’s draft plan to minimize cleanup construction related impacts.
- Sustain community participation in Portland Harbor Community Collaborative Group.
- Collaborate with Multnomah County Health Department to engage and educate communities about the Lower Willamette River Fish Advisory.
- Partner with government and community organizations to co-create and co-host educational events and activities.
- Collaborate with community and government partners to coordinate community feedback and questions on remedy design documents for EPA consideration.
- Collaborate with cleanup contractors to identify the skills and training needed to shape the Superfund Jobs Training Initiative.
- Support career pathways for BIPOC communities in the environmental remediation field.
- Create culturally-specific educational programming that discusses the diverse aspects of the Portland Harbor Superfund.
- Facilitate inter-generational learning and community building through creative storytelling about the people connected to the river and affected by the contamination.
Eligible Costs
Eligible costs include but are not limited to:
- Personnel, staff, or professional services
- Materials and supplies, including printing costs
- Event-associated costs such as venues, permits, or online meetings
- Support for participants, including transit, childcare, and translation services
- Refreshments and snacks
- Stipends and incentives to support community participation
- Required insurance
- Indirect or overhead costs up to 15% percent such as rent, utilities, or fiscal administration.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be a community-based organization, student group, faith organization, neighborhood association, or service group located or providing services within the City of Portland. Applicants must also be able to show they have:
- Leadership by and strong relationships with community members disproportionately affected by the Portland Harbor Superfund contamination and cleanup; OR
- Collaborative partnerships with groups led by Portlanders disproportionately affected by the Portland Harbor Superfund contamination and cleanup.
For more information, visit City of Portland.
