28 Local Initiatives to Receive Funding to Support Children and Families
United Way of Lane County announces $600,800 in grants beginning July 1
Children enjoying their nutritious meal as part of the Boys & Girls Club of Western Lane County’s Healthy Habits Nutrition Program. United Way funding will help continue this program in the Florence area.
Beginning July 1, 2023, twenty-eight local initiatives helping kids and families will receive a total of $600,800 in United Way grant funding this year. As two- and three-year grants, full funding totals over $1.4 million in investments over the next few years. Funding is possible thanks to donations from local community members and organizations.
These investments are part of United Way’s strategy to affect deep and lasting change for children and their families in Lane County. This includes making fewer, more focused, multi-year grants; supporting collaborative, cross-sector partnerships; prioritizing preventative “upstream” strategies; and prioritizing funds for communities traditionally denied access to opportunities due to race/ethnicity, geography, income, ability, and more.
“We couldn’t be more excited about these grantees. We worked very intentionally to find partners who were serving every corner of Lane County and who are improving the lives of children across several spectrums, including food insecurity, youth mental health, early literacy, and educational supports. Leveraging our learnings from the pandemic, we also worked to improve and accelerate the funding process for partners, getting these investments into the community quickly so our nonprofit partners can continue to do their critical work.”
Ophelia’s Place is one of the funded organizations and will receive $20,000 this year for their work empowering teenage girls throughout Lane County.
Students pose for the camera while decorating posters at the Junction City Ophelia’s Place branch.
“Recent studies tell us that support for mental health in teens – especially in girls, youth of color, and youth in the LGBTQIA+ community – is needed more than ever. This grant from the United Way of Lane County will help Ophelia’s Place facilitate a suite of mental health services to youth, with a focus on connecting with and serving girl-identified youth who face inequities due to their perceived racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, sexual, and gender identities. Therapy, empowerment groups, after-school workshops, and professional development for youth-serving providers will all help girls navigate past the many societal barriers in their way of receiving equitable access to social and emotional support. Empowered girls change the world – this grant will help them do just that.”
Funded Organizations and Initiatives
United Way will distribute two types of grants. The most substantial “Community Transformation” grants ($63,000-$70,000 per year, over three years) will fund cross-sector, multi-agency collaboratives working to create systemic change in Lane County:
School Food Security Coalition (FOOD For Lane County, 15th Night, The Arc of Lane County)
Violence Prevention Coalition (Hope and Safety Alliance, 90by30 Initiative, Kids FIRST, Sexual Assault Support Services, Siuslaw Outreach Services)
Greatness Rediscovered In Our Time (LCC Foundation, Lane ESD/Lane AABSS program, NAACP, LCC)
Upriver Siuslaw Vision Team (Mapleton School District, Siuslaw Watershed Council, Siuslaw Vision)
The additional 24 “Community Support” grants ($5,000 - $20,000 per year, over two years) will fund individual organizations addressing needs of children and families over the next two years:
A Friends of the Children staff member plays with a child. United Way funding will help Friends of the Children expand their long-term youth mentorship program into Springfield.
Parenting Now
Pearl Buck Center
Relief Nursery
SMART Reading
South Lane Mental Health Services
Xcape Dance Company’s Tip Tap Grow Preschool
Black Cultural Initiative
Bohemia Food Hub
Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Lane County
Community Sharing Program
Creswell Family Resource Center
Daisy C.H.A.I.N.
Eugene-Springfield NAACP
Family Relief Nursery
Florence Food Share
FOOD For Lane County
Friends of the Children - Lane County
H.O.N.E.Y. Inc.
Junction City Local Aid
Mapleton Food Share
Oakridge Food Box
Ophelia's Place
OSLC Developments’ 15th Night initiative
Our Community Birth Center
Learn more about each grant here.
In total, 81 requests for funding were submitted, totaling $3.4 million in requests, more than five times what was available in funding.
Focus on new partners, emerging organizations, and preventative efforts
Priority was placed on programs serving marginalized communities, including communities of color, rural communities of Lane County, families navigating poverty and food insecurity, children living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and community members who face disparities because of other aspects of their identity.
A number of initiatives selected are culturally-specific organizations, or are receiving United Way funding for the first time. One of these is Greatness Rediscovered in our Time (G.R.I.O.T.), a youth mentoring collaboration between LCC Foundation, Lane African America/Black Student Success, Lane ESD, NAACP, and LCC, which will receive $65,000 this year.
“Young Black men in America are the most despised, most stereotyped, most disregarded... more likely to be poor...undereducated...unemployed. Usual and easy responses to the plight of Black males in America always include historic indignation, protest and demands that raise public awareness—the stuff “moments” and not “movements” are made of. However, what is lacking is a comprehensive, well-conceived, sustained response, which requires massive community building efforts, direct-actions with and on behalf of young Black men and boys, and redirecting dollars from incarcerating Black men to educating and developing Black youth. G.R.I.O.T. (Greatness Rediscovered In Our Time) mentoring will provide that “missing link” that Black males need and deserve.”
Focus was also placed on balancing immediate needs with preventative, “upstream” measures.
The Violence Prevention Coalition is addressing root causes of violence and promoting healthy norms to create a healthier and safer community for all people in Lane County. It’s a collaboration between Hope and Safety Alliance, 90by30 Initiative, Kids FIRST, Sexual Assault Support Services, and Siuslaw Outreach Services, receiving $65,000 this year.
Two kids build spaghetti and marshmallow structures at the Creswell Family Resource Center. United Way funding will help the Creswell Family Resource Center establish a permanent building next to Creslane Elementary School.
“By integrating community efforts around domestic violence, child abuse prevention, sexual assault response, and identity-based violence, the Violence Prevention Coalition is developing an aligned and well-coordinated county-wide system to a) prevent abuse and violence, b) respond effectively when trauma and injustice have occurred, and c) work at the intersection of multiple forms of trauma.”
Community-funded and Community-led
These funds are possible thanks to the donations of individuals, employees, and organizations throughout Lane County.
Grants were reviewed and selected by United Way’s volunteer-led Community Investment Steering Committee, with help from panels of local volunteers with professional and personal lived-experience and who are well-attuned to community needs and solutions.
These investments are truly a community-funded and community-led process. To support these programs and United Way’s broader efforts to help children succeed, community members and organizations can donate, volunteer, and sponsor United Way’s work at unitedwaylane.org or by calling 541-741-6000.