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northwest
Two Foundations, One Goal
Are there enough philanthropists to go around?
by Jaymee R. Cuti
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ride Foundation is coming.
You might have heard this warning if
you volunteer for a competing granting
agency.
Yet the fact is, Pride Foundation is
here, and has been since 1993.
The 20-year-old Seattle-hased group has
a regional focus that has included Portland since
that time and has granted approximately $350,(XX)
to the Columbia-Willamette and Clark County
area in the form of 120 grants. A year ago, the
foundation took on a community organizing staffer
for the Columbia-Willamette area.
cacy that specifically affects sexual and gender
communities of Oregon,” said West Duncan,
Equity Foundation’s communications and develop
ment coordinator.
She added that the board expressed an interest
in taking a stand on progressive causes that
advance the rights of queer people and earmarked
money specifically for political advocacy.
The new categories are civil rights and human
rights, which encapsulate funding projects with
a focus on cultural diversity, independent living
with respect and dignity and the right to he educat
ed and earn a living.
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Cody Bambino of Pride Foundation (left) and West Duncan of Equity Foundation say their groups
will collaborate on projects.
“Our goal is to set up an office here in the next
few years,” said Cody Bambino, who operates out
of hir home office in Vancouver, Wash. (Bambino
prefers the gender-neutral pronouns “ze” and “hir.”)
Pride Foundation and other similar groups, such
as Portland’s Equity Foundation, might he culling
money from the same pool of donors. Does Pride
Foundation’s presence pose a threat to 18-year-old
Equity Foundation, whose mission is to fund organ
izations and individuals that strengthen gender and
sexual minorities communities?
According to Bambino, Portland has enough
philanthropy to go around.
“The rising tide raises all ships,” ze said. “It is
a testament to Portland’s LGBT community that
they are so strong, rich and vibrant that they
warrant two LGBT foundations.”
Insiders say charitable giving is on an upward
trend in Oregon.
According to Deh Furry, a nonprofit consultant
and part of rhe campaign management team for the
state’s charitable fund drive, Oregon’s workplace
giving drive experienced a 3 percent increase from
2003 to 2006. By comparison, Equity Foundation
experienced a 40 percent increase in the state’s
workplace campaign over that time.
Equity Foundation has donated more than
$3 million to Oregon-based nonprofit organizations
in the past 12 years. The organization fine-tuned its
granting categories and expanded its focus to polit
ical causes.
“We’re going to be able to fund political advo
Pride announced its 2007 grants this month,
granting $20,000 to six organizations that support
the queer community in the Portland-area. The
recipients were Brother to Brother, receiving
$3,000; Q Center, $3,000; Outside In, $4,000;
Friendly House/Elder Resource Alliance, $4,000;
Our House of Portland, $3,000; and Planned
Parenthood of the Columbia-Willamette, $3,000.
A new season of granting is upon Equity, which
began a new fiscal year in July. It has added several
new grants to its repertoire, including the Gregori
Jakovina Scholarship Fund and the Armistead
Maupin Creative Writing Scholarship Fund, both
with August deadlines. The Nike Youth Career
Forum Scholarship Fund was also added with
a deadline in February 2008.
While there’s much overlap in rhe work of the
two groups, there is a distinct difference. “We’re
homegrown, for our community, by our communi
ty,” said Duncan.
Duncan added that both organizations work for
the betterment of the community and that, with
that intent, "The sum is greater than its parts.”
The organizations are working to create collab
oration. Last fall, they jointly held a student schol
arship application workshop at Q Center. In the
future, the groups would like to hold a similar
workshop on grant writing. ®
For more information about PRIDE FOUNDATION and
E quity F oundation visit www.inidefoundation.org
and www.equityfoundation.org.