We at the Multnomah Athletic Foundation acknowledge that diversity, equity, inclusion and justice are the pillars of a healthy organization and are essential for communities to thrive. We recognize that institutional racism, inequitable systems, discriminatory practices and implicit bias are harmful and limit access for youth. We resolve to grow our awareness, our voice and our actions to help even the playing field and create more opportunities for youth to fulfill their potential. We commit to engage our community, build authentic relationships and ensure that the grants and scholarships we provide support our increasingly diverse communities.

Scholarship Belief Statements

• We believe we have a unique opportunity through our scholarships to make a significant difference in a student’s ability to attend college and succeed despite financial need.
• We believe that our scholarship recipients should reflect the diversity of the communities that we serve.
• We believe that there is social, emotional and physical value in athletic participation.
• We define athletic participation broadly to include individual athletes, team sports, club sports and all abilities athletes.
• We believe in supporting high achieving individuals with demonstrated ability to succeed in higher education.
• We believe that volunteerism and community connectivity are critically important aspects of student development.

Grant Belief Statements

• We believe we have an opportunity to make an impact on the ability of a nonprofit organization’s ability to foster athletic participation.
• We believe that our community grant partners outreach should reflect the diversity of the communities that we serve.
• We believe that there is social, emotional and physical value in athletic participation.
• We strive to provide opportunities to experience the value of team, dedication and participation through athletics.
• We embrace our opportunity to lead by harnessing our collective resources and passion.
• We are a catalyst connecting people and resources for the benefit of our communities.
• We give highest priority to investing in partners who provide opportunities to neighborhoods and populations with limited access and resources.

“We at the Multnomah Athletic Foundation started our Equity and Inclusion journey in 2017. This started with equity statements that helped guide our grant and scholarship review teams to more equitably represent our community. 

In 2020, national events and movements challenged us to examine what we could do to elevate our support which led to a recommitment to our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (D.E.I.J.) statement. We remain steadfast in educating our staff, board and community as we seek more inclusion and equity in the greater Portland area.”

Executive Director, Lisa Bendt, and the Foundation’s Board of Directors welcome you to use the resources on this page to further your own education.

October 29th Panel Discussion: Inclusion and Equity in the Nonprofit Sector.

To read the full follow up from the event and to see what the panelists had to say after the event, visit our newsroom.

You can view the full recording of the panel discussion here: