2026 Safer Portland Grant recipients

Published

August 25, 2026 10:09 am

In this article

Background

The 2026 Safer Portland Grant is an opportunity to help prevent and reduce violence: principally, gun violence through collaborative community-based prevention efforts. The grant prioritizes the following Portland neighborhoods, including: Cully; Hazelwood; Eliot; Powellhurst-Gilbert; and/or areas known for high rates of violent incidents and gun violence.

Applicants supporting efforts in all neighborhoods, even those outside the priority areas, were encouraged to apply.

The Portland Office of Violence Prevention received 77 applications for the $1,000,000 grant and was unable to award funds to many organizations doing important gun violence prevention work in the community. A selection committee reviewed each application.

The following organizations received funding to help reduce gun violence through community-based prevention efforts:

All Ages Music D.B.A. Friends of Noise- Awarded $49,293

Teen Workforce Pathways and Community Building at The Off Beat

The Sound Squad Supreme program, a workforce development program for youth that teaches live sound engineering and event production skills. This program and includes paid training and work experience via 3 phases, providing technical skills in the music industry as well as soft skills that ensure our participants are workforce ready for any career path.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area- Awarded $100,000

Safe Spaces, Strong Futures: Gun Violence Prevention at Portland Boys & Girls Clubs

Boys & Girls Clubs will provide free, year-round afterschool and summer programming for up to 500 youth (ages 6-18+) at four Portland clubhouses in neighborhoods impacted by gun violence. Youth receive free meals, structured activities, and career-readiness support in safe, trauma-informed environments. Wraparound family services and consistent mentorship strengthen protective factors and reduce involvement in community violence-creating safer Portland neighborhoods and communities.

DC Ringz, LLC.- Awarded $50,000

DC Mindset Summer Program: Workforce & Entrepreneurship Training Through Glass Art

The DC Mindset Summer Program will run for 5-6 weeks at DC Studio in Portland, serving 10-15 youth ages 13-19. Programming will take place 4-5 days per week, 4-6 hours per day in a structured, mentor-led environment. Programming will consist of; Introduction & Glass Science, Glass Ring Production and Cost analysis, Stained Glass, Glassblowing Industry Experience, Glass Manufacturing and Material Production and Independent Creation and Product Development.

Friends of Baseball- Awarded $50,000

Friends of Baseball's Full Count RBI Academy - Providing Year-round Positive Youth Engagement through Mentorship, Recreation, and Workforce Development for Multnomah County At-Risk Youth

FOB implements a comprehensive youth development and violence prevention initiative delivered through a network of schools, parks, and community locations. Through our flagship program, Full Count RBI Academy (after-school), Major League Citizens (year-round leadership initiative), and summer programs (Play Ball Everywhere and summer camps), FOB plans to broaden access to safe, structured, and culturally responsive programming by adding sites in East Multnomah County, building upon our existing efforts. Summer engagement will include Play Ball Everywhere clinics throughout East Portland and access to free baseball camps with our partners. Middle-high school-aged youth in our programs can also enroll in our Major League Citizens (MLC), which builds upon the Full Count curriculum with year-round mentorship, workforce development, and postsecondary preparation.

It's a Vibe, LLC.- Awarded $100,000

Community Workforce & Life Skills Violence Prevention Program

This program will engage youth and young adults ages 14-24 who are at high risk of exposure to violence through a structured, hands-on model that combines paid workforce training, life skills development, and mentorship. Participants will be recruited through existing relationships and referrals from community partners, focusing on youth who are disconnected from school or employment, justice-impacted, or living in areas with high exposure to violence. This program will coordinate with community-based partners and referral networks to support participant recruitment and connect participants to additional services when needed. Participants will be enrolled in cohorts of 10 to 12 individuals for 10-week cycles. Programming will take place 3 days per week during peak hours for violence exposure, including after school, evenings, and weekends. The program is delivered through a trauma-informed approach that prioritizes consistency, trust-building, and accountability.

Latino Network- Awarded $99,999

MILPA Portland

Latino Network's MILPA program engages youth at risk of gun violence through Credible Messengers, who provide relationship-based mentoring and connect families to stabilizing support. Families are also invited to engage in peer-based parenting support to strengthen skills, build community, and reduce isolation. As part of the Youth Empowerment and Violence Prevention continuum, MILPA uses culturally responsive, community-based approaches to help youth and families move from crisis to stability.

Medicine Bear- Awarded $79,700

Return to Purpose: Creative Healing for the Next Generation

The program is a culturally rooted violence prevention program providing art, music, movement, mentorship, and traditional healing for system-involved and at-risk youth through detention center programming, community sessions, public art events, and cultural experiences. The program will be implemented over a 12-month period and activities are designed to provide consistent engagement, build creative skills and support healing.

Next G SAV PDX- Awarded $50,000

Access to Opportunity: NextG Stopping All Violence PDX

NextG SAV PDX will implement a structured violence prevention program serving 30 participants ages 14-23 in East Portland. The program centers on consistent street presence, 1:1 mentorship, and structured late evening group engagement during peak hours of violence risk. Core activities include proactive street outreach and engagement in identified high-risk areas, where trained staff and mentors build relationships with participants and maintain visibility to interrupt potential conflicts. Outreach workers and mentors will conduct regular check-ins, respond to emerging needs, and maintain ongoing communication with participants to reinforce accountability and connection.

Nextgen Connect Center- Awarded $50,000

NextGen Connect Center will implement the NextGen Safe Pathways Initiative over a 12-month period through a structured, multi-phase approach designed to prevent youth violence and strengthen community safety. The program integrates mental and behavioral health support, peer mediation, youth leadership development, sports-based engagement, and youth-led podcast sessions to address root causes of violence while building protective factors for youth and families.

Oregon Rohingya Myanmar Muslim Society- Awarded $50,000

Safe Spaces: Culturally Specific Youth Mentorship & Violence Prevention Program

Safe Spaces program will be implemented over a 12-month period to reduce youth violence in East Portland by engaging immigrant and refugee youth in culturally specific mentorship, soccer, and life-skills workshops. Through safe, supervised programming and resource navigation, the program builds protective factors, reduces social isolation, and prevents youth exposure to violence. The program supports family stability and contributes to long term violence and gun violence prevention by strengthening community connections and youth resilience.

Portland Street Art Alliance- Awarded $50,000

GraffLab 2027: Immersive Street Art Camp

This program is an immersive, week-long summer street art camp for at-risk youth (ages 13-17) in Portland's Central Eastside that provides youth with positive social activities and mentorship through street art education.

Project 48- Awarded $50,000

Project 48 Life Skills Program & Extended Coaching: Building Stability and Safety for Foster-Impacted Youth

Project 48 will implement a combined cohort-and-coaching model designed to reduce instability and strengthen protective factors for foster-impacted youth ages 17-24 in Portland. The project includes four quarterly, 6-week Life Skills cohorts serving approximately 70-80 youth (15-20 youth per cohort), alongside Life Skills Extended, a structured one-to-one coaching model that will support approximately 150 youth, including current participants and recent alumni. These programs pair practical skill-building, food access and consistent safe adult support to strengthen housing stability, income and safety.

REAP, Inc.- Awarded $50,000

Reflections Youth Violence Prevention Program: A culturally responsive mentoring, leadership development, and wraparound support initiative designed to prevent youth violence, reduce gang involvement, promote positive behavior, healthy relationships, and academic success among at-risk youth in Multnomah County.

The Reflections Program provides proactive, targeted support for youth identified as experiencing disciplinary challenges through a strengths-based and restorative approach. The program is designed to reduce behavioral incidents, improve school engagement, and strengthen social-emotional skills that support long-term violence prevention. Services will be delivered before, during, and after school at pre-selected school sites in the Centennial and Portland Public School Districts. The program's curriculum will be implemented through structured interventions, mentoring, and restorative practices.

Royal Rose Foundation- Awarded $100,000

Rose Response: Scaling Youth-Led Harm Prevention & Community Safety

Rose Response is a prevention-focused program that aims to address the fentanyl crisis and systemic inequities through youth leadership, harm prevention, and community outreach. By connecting overdose prevention to violence prevention, the program provides consistent, relationship-based engagement, flexible support, and advocacy to reduce harm, strengthen communities, and improve safety.

The Stream-N Network- Awarded $50k

STREAM~N Team Youth Service-Learning Program with Career Pathways

The STREAM-N Network engages youth and the broader community in activities such as stewardship of our lands and waters for the benefit of people and wildlife, learning from Nature to enhance our impact. STREAM~N Teams program is for youth ages 14-19 to address critical issues impacting our communities, while developing career readiness, critical thinking, creativity and teamwork skills. Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts, Math and Nature (STREAM~N) provide an outlet, exposure and inspiration.

Triple Threat Mentoring - Awarded $100k

Triple Threat Mentoring's 2026 Summer Sports and Lit Camp

Triple Threat's Summer Youth Re-Engagement Program provides eight weeks of structured, full-day mentoring, literacy, and recreational programming for 150 K-5 youth while employing 30 high-school participants as Junior Coaches, reducing summer risk exposure and strengthening engagement, leadership, and violence prevention through positive, relationship-based support.