The City of Portland, Office of Neighborhood Involvement and seven neighborhood District Coalitions announce the 4th year of the Neighborhood Small Grants Program with $178,830 available to neighborhood and community-based organizations. The grants program’s goal is to provide neighborhood and community-based organizations an opportunity to build community, attract new and diverse membership, and sustain those already involved. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis. Proposals are due no later than 2:00 PM, Monday, November 2, 2009. More information can be found at www.portlandonline.com/oni.

In the first three years of the grant program $553,847 was awarded to 271 neighborhood and community organization projects. The average grant award was $1.972; 127 neighborhood projects were funded along with 102 projects (38%) initiated by underrepresented organizations working with people of color, immigrants and refugees, lowincome families, youth and people with disabilities. The remaining organizations represented environmental, crime prevention, business, arts and culture organizations and associations.