The Position The Portland Children’s Levy seeks a community member to serve on the Allocation Committee The Portland Children’s Levy (PCL) is a City of Portland local option property tax that generates about $23 million annually to support children and their families. PCL grew out of a need to increase children’s access to proven programs that support positive early development, school engagement and academic achievement, high school graduation and family safety and stability.
PCL is overseen by a 5-member Allocation Committee that meets publicly in Portland City Council Chambers. The Allocation Committee makes funding recommendations in a competitive application process subject to Portland City Council approval. The Committee also reviews performance of funded programs, and advises PCL staff on policy decisions related to funding and monitoring grants. Committee members include elected representatives from City Council and Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, citizen members with knowledge and experience on children’s issues, and a representative of the business community.
PCL’s goals are to prepare children for school, support children’s success inside and outside of school and to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in children’s well-being and school success. In working toward these goals, PCL invests in the following types of programs for children and their families:
- Early childhood
- Child abuse prevention and intervention
- Foster youth
- After-school
- Mentoring
- Hunger relief
Vacancies: One Total Members: Five To QualifyTo be eligible to serve on the Allocation Committee you must currently live, work, play, worship or go to school in the City of Portland.
What We Look For A community member who has a demonstrated interest in issues related to children and families in the City of Portland including professional or volunteer involvement with organizations providing services to or advocating for children and families.
Time Commitment & Workload - Minimum: one two-year term
- Maximum: no more than 8 consecutive years.
- Average of 1-2 hours per month; meetings are typically 2 hours long and occur a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 per year.
Workload varies depending on the PCL funding cycle. For most meetings, 1-2 hours of preparation time is sufficient. When PCL is designing and implementing a competitive funding round, the workload and meeting frequency is higher (estimate 20-25 hours in fiscal year 2024-25). PCL’s next funding round begins in fall 2024 and will conclude in spring 2025. Prior to making funding recommendations, Committee members review application data including scores, staff and community council recommendations, applicant testimony (written, audio, video), and contribute to decision-making on policy and funding in public meetings.
Allocation Committee meetings are currently hosted in City Council chambers and Committee members encouraged to attend meetings in-person. Committee members also have the option to join meetings virtually. All Allocation Committee meetings are hybrid.
We Remove Barriers Let us know if there are barriers to your participation. We offer accommodations for disabilities, interpretation and translation as needed.
Volunteer Ethics People who join this committee will become “Public Officials,” which means that while you serve you must behave fairly and ethically. Part of following Public Officials Ethics laws means you must tell the group when you or a relative may financially benefit (or avoid fees) by your recommendations. This is called a “Conflict of Interest.” An applicant must not:
- Be currently employed by a grantee agency or employed by a grantee agency in the past 2 years
- Currently serve on the board of a grantee agency
- Have immediate family members (spouse, child, parent, sibling) currently employed by a grantee agency.
See this list of PCL grantees to determine if you meet these requirements.
The Recruitment Process Applications are due by 11:59pm by Sunday, November 17, 2024 To talk with someone about this opportunity or to receive assistance completing the application, please contact the advisory body staff liaison at lisa.pellegrino@portlandoregon.gov or call 503-865-6061.
Voluntary & Confidential Demographic Information The City is committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity. Completing the demographic information on the application is voluntary, but we encourage you to provide that information. The City uses this information to help ensure that advisory body appointments represent a broad cross-section of the community. Your information will not be used during the recruitment nor the selection process. State and federal law prohibit use of this information to discriminate against you. Questions about this may be sent to AdvisoryBodies@Portlandoregon.gov
General QuestionsFor general questions about the Advisory Bodies Program, the volunteer recruitment process or other upcoming advisory body opportunities, please email AdvisoryBodies@portlandoregon.gov .
We Encourage You to Apply We welcome you to browse our website, by clicking here, to learn more about the bureau. On this page you'll learn more about grantmaking done by the Portland Children's Levy, its past community engagement process, and its current grantee community partners.
Do you have questions or need more information? Email lisa.pellegrino@portlandoregon.gov or call 503-865-6061.
Additional Information Terms As the City of Portland shifts to a new government structure, advisory bodies may undergo updates and changes. If applying for a vacant position on this advisory group, please note that the term may be shorter than what is listed elsewhere in this recruitment post.
City of Portland volunteers are unpaid; therefore, employment benefits are not available.
Closing Date/Time: 11/17/2024 11:59 PM Pacific
