August 31, 2016
The Voqal Fund is pleased to announce two new grants to organizations working in the Portland area to enhance the community and strengthen social equity. The grants to Our Oregon and Common Cause reflect Voqal Fund’s commitment to support progressive movements for social change.
Common Cause Oregon
Common Cause Oregon champions democracy reform by empowering people to have an organized voice in the political process. With support from Voqal, Common Cause will build out the coalition and campaigns needed to pass two parallel reforms for small donor public financing programs — one in the city of Portland and one at the Oregon state legislature. In the process, it plans to build a stronger democracy movement by building on anticipated campaign finance reform victories across the country to inspire, motivate and empower.
Our Oregon
Our Oregon is dedicated to fighting for economic and social fairness for all Oregonians. Its coalition represents organizations and individuals who care about a range of issues, including increasing funding for schools and critical services, fighting for equality and access to justice, and protecting the environment. Thanks to support from Voqal, Our Oregon will hire an organizer to better engage communities of color in its efforts to pass a ballot measure to increase the Oregon state corporate minimum tax for corporations that have over $25 million in sales in Oregon. The revenue generated from this measure will be directed to spending on K-12 public schools, health care and senior services.