Helping Kids and Communities Thrive
- The Multnomah Athletic Foundation provides community grants that support confidence and character-building opportunities with an emphasis on athletic participation for youth.
- The foundation gives highest priority to activities that provide greater access to youth who are economically disadvantaged and under-served.
- We believe we have an opportunity to make an impact on a nonprofit organization’s ability to foster or enhance athletic participation.
- We believe that our community grant partners outreach should reflect the diversity of Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties.
- We believe that there is social, emotional, and physical value in athletic participation. We provide each individual an opportunity 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.
Overview
Who do we fund?
Our grant partners:
- Operate effective programs that primarily serve youth with limited access or underserved communities.
- Develop short and long-term strategies for addressing identified organizational needs.
- Need financial support to meet the demand for core programs and services and effectively administer programs.
- Can be established or start-ups, and are well-managed and financially viable.
- Provide services in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. We focus on the following Oregon counties – Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas.
We offer several grant Q&A sessions to learn more about our process, guidelines and funding. Sessions are not required for funding, but registration for the zoom link is required. Learn more HERE
What do we fund?
The Multnomah Athletic Foundation funding is unrestricted, which began in 2024. This approach is fundamentally about recognizing and addressing power imbalances in service of a healthier, more equitable, and more impactful nonprofit sector. Our commitment is to relationships based on transparency and mutual learning – both internally within our organization and externally with our grant partners. We will ask about the organization’s initiatives and projects that the funding will support.
Starting in 2025, the application will include a question about the percentage of your organization’s work dedicated to athletic programming. This approach allows us to better understand both sport-centric organizations and those with a broader mission that includes a sports program. Based on the response, we will tailor follow-up questions to ensure a clearer picture of each organization’s community impact. The goal is not to exclude any group but to enhance our understanding and support of the organizations we fund.
Our 2025 timeline:
- March 1 Grant Report portal open
- March 1 Application portal open
- June 1 Application and Grant report deadline
- Sept 22 Decisions and funding
Details
Our average grant amount ranges from $7,500 to $10,000. We will be awarding grants in this range to all approved grant partners in 2025 versus asking you for an amount.
An organization’s budget and balance sheet for the most recently completed fiscal year is required. A project or program budget may be required if related to the organization’s mission and scope of community work.
An organization will be expected to complete a grant report on an annual basis describing the organization’s impact on youth athletic participation.
Organizations who have received grants from the Multnomah Athletic Foundation must fulfill final reporting obligations before any new grant funds will be distributed.
Multnomah Athletic Foundation grants are awarded for one year. Generally, grantees can re-apply for a new grant provided they have filed their final report. The deadline for the grant report is on or before the next year’s grant application deadline. A sample report can be found here for the list of required information.
Applicants should request a grant amount that is consistent with a thoughtful and sustainable fundraising strategy. Based on individual circumstances, the foundation’s Board of Directors will use flexibility and apply individual judgment to each request.
Grants are specifically not made:
- To individuals. The group must be a registered and certified a tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
- To fiscal sponsors. The group must be a registered and certified a tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
- For endowment funds.
- For prior deficits or debt reduction.
- For PTO/PTA organizations.
- For political organizations.
- For the collection of funds for re-granting to other nonprofit groups.
Apply and Report
The portal requires you to set up a user ID and password. Once you are signed in, you can save a draft and return to work on the application or report at your leisure. When you are ready, you can submit the application or report. After you submit, it will allow you to print and save the document for your records.
If you made an error, we can reopen the grant application or report for you to make revisions.
As we review the submitted materials, we will reach out if there is anything that needs clarification or explanation BEFORE our grant review team sees the application or report. We want to help you put your best foot forward!