During the 2021-2022 school year, Lincoln High School grantmakers learned about a relatively new nonprofit organization, Adopt One Block, which they ultimately decided to fund. As LHS moved into their beautiful new building and staff carefully considered ways in which students could become good stewards of their new space and the surrounding area, Adopt One Block was top of mind. We are so excited to see how community service is becoming a huge part of what it means to be a Cardinal, as exemplified by their Day of Service on October 12th. Not all CommuniCare grants become longer [...]

To better serve the Arts & Culture nonprofit community of Oregon, CommuniCare launched an exciting pilot program with Portland State University! Informed by the core values of CommuniCare and elevated to meet the rigor of PSU, this Senior Capstone course offers participants the opportunity to work as an independent grantmaking committee, responsible for distributing $25,000 this fall. Click here to learn more about this funding opportunity. Application will be accepted through 10/17/2022. Mission Statement: We are a multi-faceted group of PSU students from diverse artistic and experiential backgrounds. As students from Portland State University, we [...]

At The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, we dream BIG. How big, you ask? We want Oregon teens to decide what happens with $1 million each school year! As we add more amazing partners to the CommuniCare family, that means our team needs more people power, too. So, please join us in welcoming Erik! Erik joins us from the world of nonprofit refugee support, and his experience as a youth advocate means he is ready to support our students through their grantmaking journeys. Welcome aboard, Erik!

Now that it is September, it’s time for a new school year and another cycle of CommuniCare! CommuniCare groups are busy getting up and running, and grantmakers have been doing a fantastic job of spreading the word about the program to get their peers involved. Meanwhile, CommuniCare staff is delighted to return to schools to visit groups and get students excited about their role as grantmakers. During these introductory visits, students have been showing a great amount of engagement and concern for their communities. We can’t wait to hear which service area each group will choose and to [...]

The 25th year of CommuniCare was a big one! We are thrilled to announce that 1,200 CommuniCare grantmakers granted more than $683,000 to 81 nonprofits this year. We're celebrating this record-breaking year with seven Grant Award Ceremonies across Oregon. These events are a chance to celebrate our grantmakers, their nonprofit recipients, and the work all of them are doing to build a better community. We are incredibly proud of the hard work and determination students brought to the program this year, especially through the challenges of returning to in-person school. The passion and commitment of these young people should give [...]

Do you have an upcoming interview with CommuniCare grantmakers? Mary Grace and Emily, former CommuniCare participants from La Salle Prep and St. Mary’s Academy, have some great tips to share about how to shine during your meeting. Good luck!

This year, one group completed the CommuniCare program during first semester! Twenty students from the IB Diploma program at Tualatin High School participated in CommuniCare and focused their grantmaking on nonprofits that support families experiencing food insecurity in the Portland Metro Area. Through can collections with BottleDrop Give and a profit-share event at Chipotle, the group met their fundraising goal and granted a total of $15,820 to four nonprofit organizations and one in-school program. Nonprofit recipients included Adelante Mujeres, Farmers Market Fund, Tualatin School House Pantry, and Lift Urban Portland. Packed with Pride was selected as an in-school grant recipient. [...]

Is your organization planning to apply for a CommuniCare grant this year? Be sure to check out these videos of Emily and Mary Grace, former CommuniCare participants from St. Mary's Academy and La Salle Prep, sharing their top three tips to make your application stand out!

We are now accepting applications for the 2021-2022 CommuniCare grant cycle! Please follow this link to download the application form and to submit your materials. Applications will be accepted from 11/15/21 - 12/31/21. 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.

The 2021-2022 Public Submission Window is almost here! Check out this message from CommuniCare's Program Manager, Kristen, who shares the bird's eye view of this year, a refresher on how the PSW works, and some application tips.