Meyer Memorial Trust

Meyer Memorial Trust employs a justice-centered grantmaking strategy that explicitly prioritizes racial, social, and economic justice for Oregon's lands and peoples. With $885 million in assets and $44.6 million distributed across 449 grants in 2024, Meyer operates through four issue-based portfolios: Our Collective Prosperity, Our Empowered Youth, Our Resilient Places, and Together We Rise. The Trust underwent a significant strategic transformation in 2022-2023, evolving from a general equity framework to an explicit commitment to racial, social, and economic justice, with intentional resource movement toward organizing and movement-building. Meyer primarily funds through annual summer open calls for proposals, distributing over $12 million per cycle, while also operating rolling funding through the Oregon Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative (OIRFC) in partnership with Oregon Community Foundation and The Collins Foundation. The Trust supports leadership development, civic engagement, community organizing, and movement infrastructure, with particular emphasis on efforts led by Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and refugee communities.

Meyer Memorial Trust's giving has shown significant variation over recent years: 449 awards totaling $44.6 million in 2024, compared to 735 awards in 2023, 677 in 2022, and 796 in 2019, reflecting both strategic shifts and variable distribution levels. The typical award range spans from $75 to $1,050,000, though Meyer estimates most grants fall between $75,000-$100,000 with a maximum request of $200,000 per year for up to 2 years. The 2025 Summer Funding Opportunity distributed approximately $7.2 million across all four focus areas. Meyer offers both Project Support grants (available to all eligible applicants for specific initiatives) and Operating Support grants (for organizations with clear alignment to portfolio goals). Multi-year and general operating support options are increasingly available, reflecting a broader philanthropic trend toward trust-based grantmaking. The Trust also participates in collaborative funding through the OIRFC and Foundations for a Better Oregon, amplifying impact through coordinated philanthropy.

Meyer Memorial Trust is one of the largest private funders focused on Oregon, operating alongside several other significant regional foundations:

Meyer's distinctive positioning lies in its explicit racial justice framework and emphasis on movement-building and community organizing, setting it apart from more traditional Oregon funders. While Oregon Community Foundation is significantly larger and broader in scope, Meyer's focused justice lens and willingness to fund systemic change work makes it a critical resource for organizations led by and serving communities of color. The OIRFC partnership with OCF and Collins demonstrates Meyer's collaborative approach to amplifying impact beyond its own endowment.

In 2025-2026, Meyer Memorial Trust has been actively advancing its justice-centered agenda. The 2025 Summer Funding Opportunity distributed $7.2 million with emphasis on organizing and movement-building across all four portfolios. Recent Justice Oregon for Black Lives grants highlighted innovation and exploration through partnership, including the Black Parent Initiative collaborating with Black Men's Wellness and Be the Healing on a 2025 healing symposium addressing Black trauma and wellness, and the African American Alliance for Homeownership expanding access for a Black workforce in green technology. The Oregon Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative continued accepting rolling applications addressing evolving needs of immigrant and refugee communities amid changing political conditions. Meyer's next Project Support deadline is set for July 23, 2026. Under CEO Latoya Fick's leadership, the Trust continues its strategic evolution toward centering racial justice, with Foundations for a Better Oregon partnership advancing child wellbeing statewide alongside Oregon Community Foundation, Collins Foundation, Ford Family Foundation, and Miller Foundation.

Successfully securing Meyer Memorial Trust funding requires careful alignment with their justice-centered mission and practical application strategies. First, demonstrate deep equity analysis: Meyer looks for proposals that not only tie to desired outcomes but show strong analysis of how the work is rooted in equity and inclusion, with particular weight given to efforts led by Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and refugee communities. Second, write in plain language: Meyer explicitly advises that if your neighbors cannot understand your proposal, Meyer probably will not either. Avoid jargon and acronyms, answer each question fully, and provide concrete examples. Third, right-size your request: while the maximum is $200,000/year, most grants are $75,000-$100,000. Meyer evaluates request amounts against project size, complexity, budget, organization size, and other secured funding. Fourth, emphasize organizing and movement-building: this is at the heart of Meyer's current strategy, so proposals focused on community organizing, power-building, and systems change are particularly competitive. Fifth, be transparent about organizational challenges: if your organization is undergoing transitions, acknowledge this and explain how it may affect the project. Sixth, consider the OIRFC pathway for immigrant and refugee-focused work, which accepts applications year-round on a rolling basis. Seventh, prepare early: grant start dates should align with November-January to match Meyer's funding timeline, and plan for a multi-month review process. Applications are submitted through Meyer's online Grantee Portal at mmt.org/apply.