Authorize competitive solicitation in support of the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund’s Climate Investment Plan Strategic Program 10: Community-Based Organization Capacity Building Program not to exceed $2,500,000 over five years

Portland voters passed the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) in November 2018. The purpose of PCEF is to provide a consistent, long-term funding source and oversight structure to invest in climate action projects, in alignment with the City’s climate action goals, that support environmental justice and environmental, social, and economic benefits for all Portlanders, including the development of a diverse and well-trained workforce and contractor pool to perform work that reduces or sequesters greenhouse gases (GHGs). In October 2022, City Council amended the PCEF code to strengthen and streamline the PCEF program. The amendment required the development of a five-year Climate Investment Plan (CIP) to direct PCEF’s investments. Council adopted the inaugural CIP on September 27, 2023, allocating $750 million through Ordinance #19143 to fund 16 strategic programs and the Community Responsive Grant program. All programs in the CIP are evaluated with PCEF’s equity + climate framework, which considers benefits to frontline communities, community leadership, implementation feasibility, GHG emissions reductions, and accountability. Strategic Program 10: Community-Based Organization capacity building program (SP 10) is one of 16 strategic programs in the CIP. The program will support 16 to 20 organizations over five years. The purpose of this legislation is to authorize a competitive solicitation(s) to support the implementation of SP 10 as it was approved in the CIP. This ordinance will authorize the solicitation of a variety of service providers responsible for providing organizational development support to community-based organizations, as directed by PCEF staff who are managing the program’s operations and administration. Key functional service areas include financial management, board and executive leadership development, strategic planning, technology and data management, reporting, and human resources. These services will provide support to community-based organizations that are participating in the Organizational Capacity Building Cohort as well as PCEF’s other Community Responsive Grant recipients. The primary objective of SP 10: Organizational Capacity Building Grant Program, is to improve the operational effectiveness of CBOs working on PCEF-aligned projects in Portland, leading to improved climate impacts and increased community benefits to PCEF priority communities. SP 10 will offer a multi-year cohort program for CBOs that includes training, technical assistance, consultation, funding, staff support, and other resources. The program seeks to enhance organizations' internal operational effectiveness, leading to improved outcomes in their climate-action projects and programs. The CBO capacity building program will equip organizations with resources and support necessary to support effective climate project delivery. Organizations must demonstrate meaningful connection to addressing climate change equitably and complete a capacity-needs assessment to ensure alignment with the types of support and services offered through the program. A cohort will be selected whose composition reflects a diversity of organizations and capacity needs, has a strong connection between current work and climate-related activities and goals, and where PCEF funding and services will have the greatest impact on an organization’s long-term capacity. By enhancing the operational capabilities of CBOs, they will be able to improve the effectiveness of their processes and accountability measures, allocate resources more efficiently, and collaborate more effectively with their partners and the communities they serve. This will also enable these organizations to be more resilient to future challenges and uncertainty that often destabilize community-based organizations, such as leadership changes, staff turnover, funding gaps, and programming pivots. The increased stability not only accelerates their ability to implement climate solutions but also fosters a stable workplace environment, which attracts talent and better serves the community. Additionally, it supports diverse hiring goals, ensuring that the organization reflects the communities it serves and brings a wider range of perspectives to addressing climate challenges, ultimately resulting in more impactful outcomes. SP 10 will leverage partnerships and collaborations with other funders, capacity building programs, and technical assistance providers to ensure the program is connected and provides the best benefits to participants.

The $2.5 million five-year budget for SP 10 is a portion of the $750 million CIP approved in September 2023, Ordinance #19143. This funding is secured from the collection of the Clean Energy Surcharge by the Portland Revenue Bureau, as authorized in PCC Chapter 7.07.035. The amount is inclusive of revenue already collected as well as projected revenues generated during the FY 2023-2028 period. Request for proposals (RFP) for contracted roles in SP 10 will be coordinated in partnership with Procurement Services staff from Office of Management and Finance. The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) staff will administer the implementation of the program with existing authorized and budgeted positions. Private nonprofit and for-profit organizations and other government entities are eligible applicants. The form of contract resulting from the solicitation may be a contract, an Interagency Agreement (IAA), an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), or a combination of these, depending on successful bidders. This ordinance does not result in any changes in current or future revenues.

SP 10 is responsive to community needs, informed by significant community input, and includes evaluation of disparities in past programs focused on climate action. An equity + climate framework was used in evaluating strategic program opportunities, ensuring that the following values were elevated in design and implementation: Benefits to frontline communities. Will the program create clear, significant, and measurable benefit to frontline communities? Community leadership. Are there meaningful opportunities for community members to participate in decision making and/or provide leadership in program implementation? Does the program invest in building capacity within communities most impacted? Implementation feasibility. Can the program be realistically implemented at scale with existing City staff, partners, or contractors over five years? Climate impact: GHG reductions. Will the program result in meaningful and measurable GHG reductions/sequestration? Accountability. Do accountability mechanisms exist to ensure that communities of color, low-income populations, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable communities benefit from the strategic program? Is this program additional to existing or planned efforts? The development and refinement of SP 10 reflects hundreds of hours of staff and community members’ time spent in visioning sessions, roundtable discussions, public input events, and info sessions. Community members and subject matter experts, including contractors, PCEF grantees, small business owners and City bureau staff, provided input to the development of the program.