Participatory grantmaking: A guide to authentic community engagement

In 2020, Oregon voters passed Ballot Measure 110, decriminalizing substance use and establishing one of the largest participatory grantmaking programs in the state’s history. Measure 110 is historic for taking a hard stance against the War on Drugs and for employing a participatory grantmaking strategy which will distribute over $200 million in state marijuana tax revenue collections every two years. The new law requires the state health agency to manage the fund with a community board of around 25 leaders recovering from addiction and working in the behavioral health space. Eligible grantees include community-based organizations, local governments, and the nine federally recognized Indigenous tribes who are now providing a more connected substance use and prevention treatment system of care, free-of-charge to clients. No easy task.
As a former program officer in philanthropy and policy analyst for Multnomah County, one of the state’s largest behavioral health funders and providers, I was charged with tracking the fund’s development for the county’s Board of Commissioners and advocating for legislation that guided how Measure 110 was implemented.
The state hit some major bumps along the way—namely, in figuring out how to authentically engage communities in a participatory grantmaking program, effectively share power, and build trust. In my role, I collaborated with key community partners and state legislators in Oregon’s 2023 legislative session to make improvements in how the fund will be managed going forward through the passage of HB 2513. The new policy changes we formulated will make important steps toward providing the community board with better leadership and support.
So what lessons can grants professionals take from Measure 110 to create practices that ensure communities are more authentically and strategically engaged in participatory grantmaking programs? (author introduction) #P4HEwebinarSeptember2024