Congratulations 2026 SE Uplift Grant Recipients!

Congratulations to Our 2026 Grantees!

Community Small Grants program provides small funds for big ideas that meet community needs. This year, SE Uplift received over 56 applications, requesting more than $149,000. We selected 16 grantees, and thanks to the funding provided by the Office of Community and Civic Life, they were awarded $44,587.

We would also like to thank the Grant Review Committee for their many hours of careful consideration and thoughtful discussion while selecting grantees.

Scroll to view the Community Small Grants Recipients.

Organization	Description
Active Children Portland	Active Children Portland (ACP) will host a free Spring Family Fun & Resource Fair in Mt. Tabor Park in District 3, with the goal of bringing together BIPOC and low-income families for a day of movement, play, and community connection. Families will enjoy movement-based activities, such as relay races, yoga, soccer mini-pitches, and basketball, while exploring local resource booths focused on health, housing, and sustainability. This fair will promote belonging, wellness, and access to essential neighborhood services while strengthening connections among neighbors through joyful community engagement.
Art Heaux	The Second Annual P-Town Short Film Festival, presented by Art Heaux in partnership with Depave PDX’s Big Break summer block party, will offer a free outdoor screening of short films by local filmmakers. Grant funding will support payments to four filmmakers and community organizers, ensuring the event remains accessible. Held at Depave’s SE 7th & Sandy site, the festival will feature local vendors and films exploring themes such as dance, art, and poetry. Filmmakers will introduce their work to deepen audience engagement.
The Black Affinity Group	The Black Affinity Group (BAG) will host a Black History Month Mother–Son Dance celebrating Black mothers and sons through joy, connection, and cultural pride. This event centers a relationship often overlooked in community programming, particularly for families led by single mothers. The celebration will include music, dance, and shared storytelling, alongside a pre-event workshop where boys learn social and life skills such as dining etiquette and tying a tie.
Care for Caregivers Campaign	Care for Caregivers is a grassroots coalition advancing meaningful change for caregivers in their health, workplaces, and communities. Through migrant-led mga Talakayan (community discussions), shared meals, and collaborative art builds, the campaign uplifts caregiver stories, strengthens community, and supports collective action. Key goals include deepening public understanding of caregiver conditions, advocating for socioeconomic and political reforms, promoting the rights of Filipino health workers, and building an advocacy taskforce. Grant funding will support three mga Talakayan in District 3, including screen-printing activities that provide participants with skills and “Care for Caregivers” apparel to share within their communities.
Diverge	Diverge will offer two free trainings for District 3 residents to build skills for engaging unhoused neighbors who are neurodivergent. The sessions will support housed participants with privileged identities in learning practical communication strategies directly from unhoused community members. Diverge, a nonprofit increasing access to health and wellness supports for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, will draw on longstanding community relationships and clinical expertise. Each training will serve up to 50 participants, creating a supportive space to learn about neurodivergence, understand common communication differences, and strengthen community connections across lived experiences.
Dream Big City	Dream Big City will host Portland’s first free Filipino Cultural Festival at Portland Dream Plaza, featuring live music, dance, and community performances on a newly constructed outdoor stage. Grant funding will support stage construction, artist stipends, and essential event supplies. The festival will celebrate Filipino heritage, provide space for vendors and entrepreneurs, and create opportunities for artists of color to share their work in an accessible public setting. With food, storytelling in Tagalog and English, and two streets activated for AAPI vendors and performers, the event will strengthen Filipino community connections and foster cross-cultural understanding citywide.
Futel	This project will support the Sunnyside neighborhood by providing a free public telephone and service for patrons of the Sunnyside Shower Project at 3520 SE Yamhill. Futel will supply the hardware, internet connectivity, and telephony services, ensuring the phone remains maintained and operational for one year. The installation will expand access to essential communication services, following the model of Futel’s 25 existing public phones, including several within District 3. This project strengthens community resilience by offering reliable, low-barrier communication for neighbors experiencing housing or economic instability.
Know Where to Go: District 3 Resources	This project will design, print, and install easy-to-read posters showing where and when free groceries, meals, and low- or no-cost bicycle repairs are available in Portland’s District 3. Posters will feature simple maps, schedules, and QR codes for updates and will be placed at food sites, mutual aid hubs, and community locations. By consolidating scattered and inconsistent information, the project will make essential resources more visible and accessible, particularly for community members without reliable internet access. The effort aims to reduce barriers, improve navigation of services, and strengthen connections among providers and residents.
Luminous Together	The Luminous Together Art Grove 2026: Whispers & Leaves will present five interactive art installations at the APANO Jade International Night Market at the PCC SE Learning Garden. This free, multigenerational art space strengthens cross-cultural understanding and belonging through shared creative expression while uplifting Asian diaspora and BIPOC artists. Installations—including Hungry Ghost Ritual Feast, Love Letter to the Land, OUR Little Free Diverse Library, a Meditative Arts Workshop, and the Nurtured Roots Live Mural—honor erased histories, celebrate community resilience, and create space for rest, healing, and collective reflection rooted in Southeast Portland’s past and present.
Madison South Neighborhood Association	The Madison South Neighborhood Association will lead a community-driven name change and rebranding process to reflect the neighborhood’s current identity and diversity. Through multilingual surveys, outreach events, and mailed invitations, residents will help select a new name and visual identity that honor shared values. This six-month effort will expand participation, strengthen cultural understanding, and build local pride. A bilingual community event in spring 2026 will present preferred concepts for final feedback. Funding will support printing, translation, design materials, and event costs, with a goal of engaging at least 100 residents and reaching 300 households.
Milagro Theatre	Milagro’s Community Artes program offers free and low-cost bilingual workshops, performances, and festivals celebrating Latinx arts and culture in Portland’s Central Eastside. Through hands-on activities such as storytelling, visual art, object theatre, printmaking, and music, the program fosters creative expression, cultural identity, and cross-cultural understanding. Signature events include Día de los Muertos, Posada Milagro, Mundo de Mujeres, a Latino short film festival, and “tertulia: art + conversation.” By engaging more than 1,000 participants, Community Artes strengthens intergenerational connections, increases civic participation through artmaking, and uplifts the vibrant Latinx presence in the neighborhood.
Nextgen Connect Center	The Somali Heritage Time Capsule Festival is a youth-led cultural storytelling event that brings together Somali youth, families, and the broader Portland community through art, performance, and dialogue. Leading up to the festival, youth will gather intergenerational stories through workshops that document oral histories, photos, and creative reflections. These narratives will inspire live music, traditional dance, visual exhibits, and cultural displays showcased at the event. By uplifting local Somali artists, vendors, and performers, the festival creates economic opportunity, strengthens cultural pride, and fosters cross-generational and cross-cultural connection.
Rahab’s Sisters	Rahab’s Sisters will host two community-based overdose prevention and harm-reduction trainings and conduct reflections on the impact and outcomes of these events. These activities will expand access to lifesaving tools and inform future co-located programming at the 82nd Avenue site. The project strengthens community health, connection, and empowerment through trauma-informed education and engagement with women, trans, and gender-diverse people experiencing houselessness and poverty in District 3. By offering multilingual materials, distributing naloxone, and gathering community feedback, the project builds harm-reduction knowledge, deepens relationships, and shapes future community health initiatives.
Rocky Butte Farmers Market	Rocky Butte Farmers Market (RBFM) will offer weekly food-education classes during its 2026 season, focusing on lower-income shoppers using subsidies to buy local produce. A nonprofit partner and chef will lead demonstrations on seasonal cooking, food conservation, and waste reduction. Serving neighborhoods along NE 82nd Avenue with limited grocery access, RBFM strengthens food security while supporting small farms and underrepresented vendors. Building on strong 2025 participation, the Veg-ucation Project aims to increase shopper engagement, expand access to SNAP-eligible foods, support local producers, and foster a welcoming community space where all neighbors feel supported in their food needs.
The Movement Training Network	The Movement Training Network (MTN) offers two monthly trainings that build skills for effective environmental and social justice organizing. The project provides accessible, community-centered learning spaces for emerging organizers and those seeking to deepen movement knowledge. Core sessions focus on Know Your Rights and Organizing 101, supplemented by rotating topics such as digital security, power mapping, de-escalation, and working with local government. Experienced trainers lead each session, guided by participant feedback to ensure relevance. MTN also fosters connection through in-person networking and a post-training resource thread, strengthening community capacity for collective, intersectional civic action.
The Shadow Project	This project helps K–8 public schools in District 3 create neuroinclusive learning environments that support all students, particularly those who learn and process information differently. Expanding the evidence-based Goal Setting program, students develop confidence, motivation, social skills, and self-management strategies. Educators receive training and materials to implement research-based social-emotional learning, helping students recognize strengths, set meaningful goals, and track progress. The program reaches students beyond Special Education, including those undiagnosed or affected by trauma or mental health challenges. By fostering neuroinclusive schools, the project empowers students to thrive academically and become engaged, confident community members and future leaders.