NAO is excited to spotlight nonprofit members, share their success stories and exciting news, and raise awareness of their mission and the impact these amazing nonprofits make in our communities.
Black United Fund of Oregon (BUF-OR), located in Portland, has been an NAO member since 2011 and is the longest-standing Black-led, BIPOC-focused Foundation in Oregon.
Founded in 1983, BUF-OR’s mission is to assist in the social and economic development of Oregon’s underserved communities and contribute to a broader understanding of ethnic and culturally diverse groups. Through its financial foundation and three pillars of service—community impact, post-secondary options, and economic justice and development—BUF-OR builds communal power by equipping, empowering, encouraging, and engaging BIPOC communities.
President and CEO Dr. LM Alaiyo Foster was kind enough to share more about the amazing work the Black United Fund of Oregon is doing in the community and how widespread their impact is!
BUF-OR has many programs and opportunities available, but wanted to highlight their Nonprofit Leadership Program, Post-Secondary Options program, and Economic Justice & Development program.
In 2023, they launched their inaugural Nonprofit Leadership Program cohort with three local, grassroots, BIPOC-led nonprofits. Participating organizations meet monthly with independent learning conducted between meetings. The program is designed to accelerate the growth, stability, and success of Oregon’s BIPOC- and women-led grassroots nonprofits.
The Post-Secondary Options program provides culturally specific mentorship, scholarship writing assistance, and other post-secondary support. This program alone reached over 20,000 youth and young adults in the Portland area in 2023.
The Economic Justice & Development program equips and empowers local entrepreneurs, providing culturally-specific support and access to the tools needed to build and sustain a small business. While the program is open to all, its efforts especially focus on Black-owned businesses that have been disproportionately impacted by historical inequity and COVID-19.
BUF-OR also serves as a fiscal sponsor for grassroots and emerging organizations and aims to build the capacity of their respective projects. Their sponsorees include: Alliance of Black Nurses Association of Oregon, Black Excellence PDX, NAACP, Triple Echo Studios, My Hair My Health PDX, Sistas Initiating Strategies to Achieve Success (SISTAS), Nine Media, SimpleX.
Another way that the Black United Fund of Oregon serves nonprofits is as a representative in seven umbrella workplace giving campaigns, facilitating voluntary charitable contributions by employees through payroll deductions. This service allows donations to reach smaller or lesser-known organizations, helping them grow and thrive. They raised $110,336 in 2023, which went to support their 17 members:
Building Blocks 2 Success; BEAM; Blueprint; Centro Latino Americano; Chess for Success; Coalition of Black Men; Constructing Hope; Downtown Languages; Elevate Oregon; Huerto de la Familia; KBOO Community Radio; Momentum Alliance; Q Center; Race Talks; World Beat; World Stage Theater; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
When asked about the best way to support the Black United Fund of Oregon, Dr. Foster said, “We are always in need of unrestricted funding and welcome donations of any size. We also welcome your ideas! Contact us to join the movement!” The organization also always needs volunteers. Questions about volunteer opportunities can be directed to Melissa Slanetz, [email protected].
Thank you to Dr. LM Alaiyo Foster and the Black United Fund of Oregon for allowing us a glimpse into the impactful work you do! To see the full scope of what the organization does, donate or volunteer yourself, please visit https://bufor.org/.