Deadline: 10-Dec-21
The City of Portland’s Office of Community & Civic Life is inviting applications to apply for the 2022 Social Equity & Educational Development (SEED) Grant Fund.
This is an equity-driving, restorative justice and community reinvestment grant program funded by the City of Portland’s 3 % local tax on adult-use cannabis retail sales. Racially-biased cannabis policies and disparate cannabis-related arrests, convictions, and sentencing have had long lasting legal, social, economic, and inter-generational consequences on Black, Indigenous and communities of color. This fund aims to rectify some of these past harms and to reinvest in these communities directly.
The Social Equity & Educational Development (SEED) Initiatives is the first program in the United States to integrate equity programming within a cannabis regulatory office.
The SEED Grant Fund prioritizes historically excluded for-profit and non-profit business owners AND/OR projects, programs or services that support economic and educational development of Black, Indigenous and Latin communities, which were the most impacted by cannabis prohibition. Historically excluded is defined as Minority, Women, LGBT+, Veterans and/or Disabled individuals.
Purpose
- The SEED Grant Fund aims to aid, strengthen, and serve restorative justice, community reinvestment, and wealth creation in Black, Indigenous and communities of color, which have been disproportionately impacted by over 80 years of cannabis prohibition laws. Cannabis policies and disparate cannabis-related arrests, convictions, and sentencing have had lifealtering and inter-generational consequences for these specific communities. The grant fund is one small step for the City in acknowledging and addressing the decades of harm caused to Black, Indigenous, and communities of color by cannabis criminalization and stigmatization.
- All programs and projects funded by the SEED Grant Fund will:
- Prioritize communities, businesses, and individuals who’ve been adversely impacted by cannabis prohibition in program/project services;
- Build sustainable capacity in Black, Indigenous and other communities of color and historically excluded business owners or individuals;
- Reflect institutional commitment to outcomes in equity, collective impact, and economic development;
- Increase community building and civic engagement opportunities for communities working towards equitable outcomes.
Priority Areas
Applicants may request funding for projects and programs in the following priority areas including but not limited to:
- Education
- Entrepreneurship and Economic Development
- Business incubation & acceleration
- Business Support for Entrepreneurs
- Co-Working Spaces
- Networking & Mentorship
- Expungement & Criminal Justice
- Criminal justice reform projects and services
- Legal services and case management support
- Re-entry housing support and services
Funding Information
- 2022 SEED Grant Fund will provide a total of $1,000,000 in grant funding.
- 3 Funding Options Available:
- Four (4) One-Time Grants at $50,000 total per grant
- Four (4) One-Time Grants at $75,000 total per grant
- Two (2) Two-Year Grants at $250,000 total per grant ($125,000 per year)
Eligibility Criteria
- The SEED Grant Fund seeks applications from non-profit and for-profit entities, of any size. This includes community-based organizations, individuals, firms, teams, or consultants. Please note, newly formed groups or initiatives with fiscal sponsorship from a non-profit entity are also eligible to apply. Multi-entity collaborations, coalitions and/or consortium efforts are also encouraged to apply.
- NOTE: They recognize that individuals and communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition may not want to participate in the cannabis industry. For this reason, SEED Grant Fund supports projects within and outside of the cannabis industry. All are eligible to apply for this funding.
For more information, visit https://www.portland.gov/civic/cannabis/seed