Earlier in the year Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced the creation of the Racial Justice Council which would act as an advisory group to the Governor with subgroups focused on criminal justice reform and police accountability, health equity, economic opportunity, housing and homelessness, and environmental justice/natural resources.
The Council was formed to examine and begin to dismantle the racist policies that have created grave disparities in virtually every part of our society, including: mass incarceration, prison and criminal justice, access to housing, health outcomes, economic opportunity and wealth creation, and education. The council members come from a diverse set of backgrounds with a majority from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) communities.
The Oregon Legislative Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Caucus announced Monday, August 24th that applications are now being accepted for 62 million dollars of aid in the form of grants through the Oregon Cares Fund.
The Oregon Cares Fund, designed and led by Black leaders for the Black community, will provide cash grants to Black individuals, Black-owned businesses, and Black-led nonprofit organizations who have experienced financial adversity due to COVID-19.
The Oregon Cares Fund is a sub-grant from the U.S. Treasury’s disbursement of Coronavirus Relief Funds received by the State of Oregon under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Grants will vary in size for individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits, depending on the information submitted in the application. Individuals and families may be eligible to receive grants of $1,000, $2,000, or $3,000, depending on financial impacts of COVID-19 and family size. Businesses or nonprofits with employees will receive grants based off of the amount of lost revenue due to COVID-19 and additional COVID-19-related expenses.
All grants must be awarded before December 30, 2020.
