Light a Fire

4 Organizations Fighting for Equity throughout Oregon

Unite Oregon, Equitable Giving Circle, Brown Hope, and Don't Shoot Portland are training leaders and providing direct aid with racial justice at the fore.

11/30/2021 By Karly Quadros and Conner Reed

Light a Fire

4 Local Nonprofits Working on Environmental Issues

From salmon to stewardship to wildfire repair and more, these organizations are putting our planetary health front and center.

11/30/2021 By Cami Hughes and Gabriel Granillo

Light a Fire

Next Up's New Executive Director Breaks the Cycle

Elona J. Wilson talks about her path to leading the youth voting organization.

11/30/2021 By Hanna Merzbach

Light a Fire

How 4 Nonprofits Stepped Up in the Pandemic

Vaccine clinics, mental health hotlines, hot meals, business support—these groups got help to those who most needed it.

11/30/2021 By Julia Silverman and Margaret Seiler

Coronavirus

From Resource Base to Full-Fledged Nonprofit, the Portland Student Community Response Is Making Moves

A year in, the student-led nonprofit continues to evolve. Its latest tool: a vaccine text line.

04/21/2021 By Gabriel Granillo

Light a Fire

This Nonprofit Helps Those Experiencing Houselessness Build Skills with Art

“I feel that the more that we can express and share our creativity, the healthier we’re going to be as a planet.”

12/02/2020 By Gabriel Granillo

Light a Fire

The Miller Foundation’s Martha Richards Doesn’t Have All the Answers

And that’s a good thing.

12/02/2020 By Margaret Seiler

Light a Fire

At Portland Audubon, There’s Wildlife Rescue, Nature Education, and Environmental Advocacy for All

At our “Caring for the Planet” award winner, it’s always baby bird season.

12/02/2020 By Julia Silverman

Light a Fire

This 50-Year-Old Housing Org Offers Hope to Portland’s Most Vulnerable Residents

Transition Projects combats homelessness with deeply affordable housing units built for long-term societal change.

12/02/2020 By Morgan Westling

Light a Fire

Basic Rights Oregon Has Advocated for LGBTQ Oregonians for a Quarter Century

Queer and trans Oregonians owe the nonprofit some significant policy victories.

12/02/2020 By Conner Reed

Light a Fire

Growing Gardens Grows More Than Just Plants

How one nonprofit has become a beacon of hope, health, and self-sufficiency.

12/02/2020 By Riley Blake

Light a Fire

Four Decades of Protest: Self Enhancement Inc Keeps Showing Up

The North Portland nonprofit works with schools, families, and partner organizations to provide support for students and their families, in academia and beyond.

12/02/2020 By Fiona McCann

Light a Fire

When COVID-19 Put Oregon’s Families in Deep Need, This Venture Nonprofit Changed Overnight to Help

Within days of COVID-19’s official arrival in Oregon in late winter, the Contingent sensed an urgent need for help among its foster families.

12/02/2020 By Marty Patail

Light a Fire

Margaret-Ann Jones at 71 Is Still Giving her Time and Opening Doors for Portlanders

“This is what feeds me. It lifts my spirits healing others,” she says. “One of my philosophies is the more you give away or the more you do, the more comes b...

12/02/2020 By Ainslee Dicken

Light a Fire

The Black Resilience Fund Brings Immediate Financial Relief to Black Portlanders—and Strives for a More Equitable Future

The fund has grown from a GoFundMe with a goal of $5,000 to a nonprofit that’s raised nearly $1.7 million for Black Portlanders.

12/02/2020 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

Light a Fire

Brennan Wood Approaches Grief with Lived Experience, Compassion, and a Dedicated Staff

“This process of grieving the death of somebody is natural and normal and healthy, and it doesn’t have to be something you try to keep separate from who you ...

12/02/2020 By Gabriel Granillo

Light a Fire

At Camp Ukandu, Jordan Herrle Restores Hope—and Childhood—for Kids Battling Cancer

The youngest member of the camp’s leadership team advocates year-round for kids with cancer.

12/02/2020 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

Light a Fire

This Portland-Based Organization Is Helping Kids Get the Healthy Meals They Need

Since 2017, Our Giving Table has been cooking and delivering nutritious, mom-made meals for food-insecure kids.

12/02/2020 By Karen Brooks

Light a Fire 2020

Light a Fire, a Celebration of Portland Nonprofits and Volunteers, Is Almost Here

It's time to laugh, cry, and feel good. Join us for a FREE, one-hour virtual event honoring the incredible work happening around Oregon.

10/08/2020 By Portland Monthly Staff

Doing Good

These 13 Nonprofits and Individuals Are Changing Our World for the Better

These are the 2020 winners of Portland Monthly’s 15th Annual Light a Fire awards.

09/28/2020 By Portland Monthly Staff