Portland Children’s Levy panel outlines funding recommendations after 21% revenue drop; council to vote next week

Portland City Council on Tuesday held a work session to hear the Portland Children’s Levy’s (PCL) large‑grant process and the Allocation Committee’s funding recommendations, which staff said total about $65 million over three years and would fund 94 applications. Council members and levy staff repeatedly emphasized that the work session was for questions only; the council will vote on the Allocation Committee package at a forthcoming council meeting.

The discussion matters because the voter‑approved levy provides locally raised property‑tax funding for programs serving children and youth across six program areas. Levy staff said the program supports 85 current grants, funds approximately $23 million a year, and serves children from birth through age 24. Lisa Pellegrino, director of the Portland Children’s Levy, told councilors the funding round “has been a two‑year process” involving community engagement, a new community council and 91 community volunteers who read applications anonymously.

Levy staff and grant managers described the review and recommendation process in detail. Staff said they collected community input through surveys, interviews and focus groups in more than 25 languages, formed a 13‑member Community Council to set funding priorities, trained 96 reviewers and ultimately used the median of four volunteer review scores as the application score. Staff then combined application scores with the community council’s priorities and published funding criteria to craft two portfolio options; the Allocation Committee reviewed those portfolios, heard applicant testimony submitted in March, and approved the final slate.

Presenters said the financial context greatly tightened this year’s decisions. “The big factor impacting this year’s awards is really, catch this, [a] 21% drop in revenue,” Councilor Ryan told colleagues while introducing the briefing. Levy staff explained…