It has been four years since the passing of Arlene Schnitzer. We’re extremely proud of how CommuniCare embodies her belief in young people and her dedication to building strong and vibrant communities. She shines brightly in our hearts! 💖 If you're one of the many many people with a funny or touching Arlene memory, you're among good company. She had a sharp wit and energy to match. She passes down a legacy of compassion through her family and the many projects and organizations she supported. Today, our team is celebrating with her favorite candy - good old Hershey's chocolates. [...]

We are so lucky to work with amazing educators across Oregon. So, it was no surprise to see a familiar face in Pamplin's Amazing Educators edition - Kelsey Stiff! Kelsey is the Activities and Student Leadership Director for David Douglas High School. She advises the Student Council CommuniCare grantmakers, in addition to many other programs she oversees within the school community. An absolute champion for young people. A great partner. A loving and present person. You can read about her remarkable perseverance through an intense year of personal struggle in the most recent Portland Tribune. Three cheers for Kelsey!!! [...]

There are so many groups working hard to create change through CommuniCare. We are always excited to share that work with the broader community as the grantmaking journey is unfolding. With final decisions due April 12th, all 83 student groups are focused on scheduling and facilitating interviews with their finalists using questions they developed. KGW joined the Clackamas High School CommuniCare Club for their first interview last week. This group is focusing their funds on services for newcomers and refugees, which they identified as a critical need by observing the struggles their peers face everyday. They were joined by Wendy [...]

Student groups have until the end of February to raise funds toward their CommuniCare challenge. As a refresher, most groups are guaranteed $7,500 by The Schnitzer CARE Foundation and can double that amount by raising an additional $750. CARE matches every $1 students raise x 10, up to a maximum gift of $15,000! Most groups work hard right up to the deadline, selling all kinds of delicious goodies or hosting events within their school community. This is a time for teamwork, communication, creativity, and problem solving to shine!

If your nonprofit submitted application materials through the 2023-2024 CommuniCare Public Submission Window, congratulations! Your materials were made available to students in mid-January. So what's next? Our program requires extra patience and flexibility, since each student group is working through the grantmaking steps at their own pace. The January ice storm hit right at the end of the first semester, snarling schedules and grading across all schools. Most groups are still working to catch up. Generally speaking, here is the communication timeline we anticipate this spring: Mid-February to early March: groups share their interview short lists with CommuniCare staff Mid-February [...]

The 2023-2024 Public Submission Window closed last month, and it was a doozy! The CommuniCare team members tried to predict how many nonprofits would apply this cycle. Drum roll please . . . Andrea is the winner! 249 organizations applied this year, with a whopping 938 applications. Student grantmakers sure have their work cut out for them this winter. Materials will be made available to students in mid-January. Please check out our timeline for more details.

We are now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 CommuniCare grant cycle! The application form is available for download on our website. Applications will be accepted from 11/15/23 - 12/31/23. Student mission statements are grouped into general categories to make them easier to review, and many mission statements appear in more than one category. Please read them carefully and pay special attention to the geographic areas they prioritize.Answers to common questions can be found on our FAQ page. Best of luck!

Congratulations to Schnitzer Properties for taking the top honor at this year's Corporate Philanthropy Awards, hosted by the Portland Business Journal! Schnitzer Properties + The Schnitzer Care Foundation ranked number one in total giving among "Enterprise" Level companies (those with +100 Million in annual revenue). People often ask, where does CommuniCare money come from? We are so fortunate to be fully funded as an operating program of The Schnitzer CARE Foundation, and we also receive direct support from Schnitzer Properties. Overhead expenses like office space, technology/IT support, marketing, and payroll/HR are provided by the real estate company, [...]

We've reached our BIG goal - Oregon teens now decide what happens with $1 million each school year! To make all that magic happen, grantmakers and advisors need extra support, so we've expanded the team to ensure our partners can have the very best. Sami and Cecily both come to CommuniCare from middle school teaching, which means they're flexible, creative, and TOUGH. To learn more about our team, visit our staff page. Please join us in wishing them a great first year with the program. Welcome aboard! We're happy you're here.

Missing CommuniCare over the summer? You can read our 2022-2023 Annual Report! It's hot off the presses and made with love. See you in the new school year.