In progress2026 cycleCloses September 30

Testing

Community Resilience Fund Testing

General operating grants for food security organizations

Two-year, unrestricted grants of $25,000 to $75,000 for organizations reducing food insecurity in the tri-county region. We fund the mission, not a line item, and we do not ask you to invent a new program to fit our guidelines.Start an application
Total available$1,200,000
Award range$25,000 - $75,000
Grant term2 years, unrestricted
Expected awards18 - 24
Application timeAbout 3 hours
Save and return any time · Two-stage review · Decisions within 60 days of close

August 1, 2026

Opens

September 16

Info session

November 15, 2026

Applications close

Program visits in October

Finalist interviews

By December 10

Decisions

✓
Letter of interest
Five questions, about 3 hours. Saves as you go.
●
Full proposal, by invitation
Budget detail, references, and a conversation.
3
Decision and award
Within 60 days of close; first payment in 30.
Farmland from the air at the start of the growing season
Fresh from partner farms
Half of every box comes from growers within sixty miles. The same crew runs October's street tree planting and the spring and fall shoreline cleanups.
Farmland from the air at the start of the growing season
Fresh from partner farms
Half of every box comes from growers within sixty miles. The same crew runs October's street tree planting and the spring and fall shoreline cleanups.
Why This Fund Exists

Unrestricted money, because you know your mission best.

Food security organizations spend too much time translating real work into fundable projects. This fund pays for the whole organization: the staff, the rent, the van that breaks down, and the program everyone already trusts you to run.

We prioritize organizations led by and accountable to the communities they serve, and we weight need and track record over grant-writing polish.

What we fund

General operations, staff, direct food programs, distribution infrastructure, and capacity building.

What we do not fund

Individuals, capital campaigns over $50k, re-granting, political activity, or organizations outside the tri-county region.

Reporting that respects your time

One conversation and one two-page report per year. No custom metrics invented for us.
0
applications received so far
0%
already given a first read
0
median days to decision
0%
of applicants get written feedback
How It Works

A two-stage process that saves you the long form.

Most applicants only complete the short first stage. We invite full proposals from a small group, so nobody writes twenty pages on a long shot. Your application saves as you go, and you can return any time before the deadline.
01

Letter of interest

Five questions, about 3 hours. Who you are, who you serve, what the money does.
02

Full proposal

By invitation. Budget detail, references, and a conversation with program staff.
03

Decision and award

Decisions within 60 days of close. First payment within 30 days of signing.
✓
Opens
July 15
●
Info session
Aug 12, 12 pm
!
Closes
Sept 30, 5 pm
4
Interviews
Late Oct
5
Decisions
By Nov 30

Valley Harvest Pantry - $75,000

Doubled cold storage and added a second weekly distribution, reaching 300 more households.

Comida y Comunidad - $50,000

Hired its first full-time coordinator, moving the promotora food program off volunteer-only staffing.

Gleaners of Linn County - $25,000

Replaced the refrigerated van that moves recovered produce from twelve farms to four rural sites.

“Renewing was a two-page form. That meant our program director spent September running the program instead of rewriting last year's proposal, and attendance held at ninety-one percent.”
- Executive Director, Southside Youth Collaborative
2024 grantee, in year three

Applications close November 15, 2026.

Start now, save as you go, and bring questions to the September 16 info session. We read every submission.Start an applicationRegister for the info session

Can we apply if we were declined before?

Yes. Past decisions do not carry forward, and 67% of last cycle's grantees were first-time applicants.

Do current grantees reapply?

Not during an active term. Year-two payments continue automatically after the annual conversation.

Who can we talk to before applying?

Program staff hold open office hours weekly through September. Bring a draft or just a question.
First Thursday Legal Clinic

Thirty minutes with a volunteer attorney, freeThe mission stays.

Housing, family, immigration, and benefits questions. Spanish and Vietnamese interpretation on site.See upcoming datesWhat to bringNext clinic: August 6First come, first served