Grants Resources

While Venture Portland's grants program provides funding for many member business district projects, there are also a variety of other opportunities available throughout the year. We have compiled the following list of potential grant opportunities for small businesses and business districts from local organizations.

Business Oregon

Business Oregon has limited grant funding for businesses in several targeted programs. For businesses, we have matching grants to help small businesses export goods to markets outside Oregon. For communities, we have more grant funding available through the programs below, but they can fund many projects such as wastewater systems, brownfield redevelopment, or rural entrepreneurial centers.

Civic Life

The City of Portland’s Office of Community & Civic Life invites you to apply for the Social Equity & Educational Development (SEED) Grant Fund. This is an equity-driven, restorative justice and community reinvestment grant program funded by the City of 3% local tax on adult-use cannabis retail sales.

Cultural Trust

Program awards are made in four categories and are intended to fund arts, heritage, history, preservation and humanities programs. The FY2023 Cultural Development Program will support projects taking place between September 1, 2022 – August 31, 2023.

East Portland Action Plan

The East Portland Action Plan (EPAP) has set aside funds to support the efforts of our partners to address the needs of East Portland community members. This Community Support Fund’s purpose is to help provide basic community needs, support essential services, and foster healthy community connections.

Environmental Services Bureau

Environmental Services offers several grants and incentives to support actions large and small that benefit watershed health, the community, and our environment. Learn more about grants to support community-based projects or incentives that can save you money on your sewer/stormwater/water bill.

Metro

Community Placemaking grants support community-led, equity-centered, arts and culture efforts that strengthen people’s connections to each other and places they care about. 

The Regional Refresh Fund supports community-led efforts to promote livability and improve service equity in the Metro region by providing flexible, low-barrier funding for immediate cleanup needs in underserved communities.
Nature in Neighborhoods grants support community projects and programs across the region, from local park improvements to stream restoration to hands-on nature education for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Large-scale community visions bring nature into the daily lives of the people of greater Portland
Local share-Local share distributes funds from Metro’s 2019 parks and nature bond to park providers for projects that matter to their communities.
Parks and Nature community partnerships support community-based organizations and groups as they connect people of color to nature.
Community enhancement grants-Across the Portland metropolitan area, Metro community enhancement grants give a boost to neighborhoods affected by garbage transfer facilities.
Community Placemaking grants-Community Placemaking grants support community-led, equity-focused, arts and culture based efforts.

Multnomah County

Multnomah County and Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO) are partnering to distribute “Re-beautification Grants” to small businesses in Eastern Multnomah County that have been recently vandalized, in the form of grants up to $5,000.

Portland Events & Film Office

The Prosper Portland Office of Events & Film is offering grant funding to support the production of events based in the city of Portland. Grants are intended to advance the city’s economic and cultural revitalization through direct financial support. Grants will be up to $5,000 per qualifying applicant.

Portland Parks and Recreation

PPF’s Small Grants support organizations or projects that better connect low-income populations, communities of color, and other historically excluded groups to parks, natural spaces, recreation centers and community gardens.

Prosper Portland

Restore Grants – Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, the Small Business Stabilization Restore Grant Program provides one-time direct grants to support Portland small businesses experiencing hardships resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Prosperity Investment Program (PIP) offers a matching grant that assists businesses and property owners to make tenant improvements and small and large scale improvements to new and existing buildings.

Community Livability Grants – Prosper Portland is seeking proposals from community-based organizations for projects that foster vibrant and healthy neighborhoods and improve the prosperity of area residents and businesses. 

The Local Small Business Repair Grants are one-time emergency funds that use existing tax increment funding (TIF) resources and funding allocated by City Council to provide support of up to $10,000 to local small businesses needing immediate repairs. Grants are available throughout the city where businesses have sustained physical damage – such as broken windows or doors, graffiti, or sign damage – since March 8, 2020. Demand for this assistance is high; thank you for your patience as we respond to inquiries and applications. Questions? Email RepairGrants@prosperportland.us

The Inspiring Diversity Grant offers funding for local traded-sector employers (those selling goods and services outside Portland) to inspire creative, equity-related best practices around workforce and to build new community partnerships with underrepresented populations. 

Regional Arts and Cultural Council

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) supports the region’s vital arts and culture community through a variety of grant programs. RACC accepts grant applications from individual artists, arts organizations, arts businesses, and other non-profit organizations headquartered in our service area – Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington Counties, Oregon.

Small Business Development Center

Small business and microenterprise assistance is available through this new grant program, intended to help businesses remain solvent and able to retain/create low- and moderate-income jobs.

The Oregon Business Development Department has partnered with CCD Business Development Corporation, a private nonprofit economic development organization, to offer $3 million in CDBG-CV Statewide Emergency Small Business & Microenterprise Grant assistance (SBMA). This program is funded by federal grant funds from CARES Act funding for communities affected by COVID-19.

SBMA grants will range between $2,500 – $30,000 per business. Microenterprises whose owners meet low- and moderate-income (LMI) criteria can qualify for up to $10,000 in grant funding. Small businesses can qualify for $2,500 per LMI employee retained, up to $30,000 in funding.

Travel Oregon

The 2023-2025 Competitive Grants Program is designed to address the following strategic priorities that are part of Travel Oregon’s 2023-2025 Biennial Plan:

  1. Reduce high visitation pressures and increase community livability by investing in the development of niche tourism product that is based on growing visitor demand and Oregon’s competitive advantage (e.g., outdoor recreation, culinary, agritourism, arts and culture).
  2. Expand opportunities for residents and tourism stakeholders to actively engage and collaborate in destination management processes.
  3. Align and support communications across the tourism industry to improve visitor behaviors and experiences with timely information, responsible recreation practices and respect for all communities.
  4. Support the development of new and existing tourism-related facilities and products (e.g., visitor experiences, attractions, and public spaces) to better serve historically and currently underserved and under-resourced communities.

Travel Portland

Travel Portland has created a Visitor Experience Enhancement Grant program, made possible through lodging taxes and fees collected from hotels and short-term rentals within Portland. Awards of $20,000–$50,000 are available for tourism-related projects aligned with the priorities outlined in Travel Portland’s Strategic Plan.

Travel Portland also provides sponsorship support for events that align with our strategic objectives to drive leisure demand, enhance our destination reputation and advance equity, diversity and inclusion in our destination.