KGW and TEGNA Foundation Award $40k in Community Grants to Aid Four Oregon Nonprofit Organizations

PORTLAND, ORE.— KGW and the TEGNA Foundation, have awarded four area nonprofit organizations community grants totaling $40,000.

Community grants in the Portland area are aimed at alleviating community concerns such as homelessness, food insecurity, education, and programs for at-risk youth.

Among the grant recipients are Urban Nature Partners PDX, Self Enhancement, Inc (SEI), Portland YouthBuilders (PYB), and p:ear.

• Urban Nature Partners PDX: Provide mentored outdoor experiences to 3rd-9th grade youth from racially and economically marginalized Portland neighborhoods whose access to the outdoors has been negatively affected by COVID and social inequities. Through pair outings, group events, and camps, program participants will have in-depth informal learning experiences in urban greenspaces and participate in a variety of outdoor activities. 
• SEI: This project will expand their capacity to use 21st-century communications tools to deliver high-quality virtual/remote educational enrichment, provide "on-demand," and anytime/anywhere content, and refine/evaluate a new SEI Connect mobile "app" designed to strengthen the relationships that are the foundation of all SEl's work with underserved youth.
• Portland YouthBuilders: Provide needed support to serve 170 low-income young people in Multnomah and Washington counties with life skills and job readiness training, career coaching, placement, and long-term support; and direct expenses that support their construction training and high school completion efforts. PYB offers a pathway out of poverty and into living wage employment and wide opportunities for professional advancement.
• p:ear: Meals, cooking classes, and community: At p:ear, young people learn how to prepare meals and develop a deeper understanding of the economic and social importance of food in our shared culture. Being greeted with a fresh, nutritious meal and the chance to eat in a community with people and peers creates a special form of love that builds trust and seeds hope. Every year, p:ear provides 15,000 meals.

“At KGW, community support and engagement are at the foundation of everything we do. Our team focuses on how we can make a difference each and every day,” said Steve Carter, President and General Manager of KGW. “I would especially like to thank our local foundation employee group for their efforts in finding, researcher, and selection these deserving organizations.”

“We are proud to support KGW as they serve those in need in Oregon and Southwest Washington,” said Dave Lougee, president and CEO, TEGNA. “Our stations’ commitment to investing in their local communities is core to our purpose of serving the greater good.”

About the TENGA Foundation Community Grants program

The TEGNA Foundation Community Grants program addresses the diverse local community needs in communities served by TEGNA. Most grants awarded fall into one of the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Categories: Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, and Zero Hunger. Other goals supported include Decent Work and Economic Growth, Reduced Inequality, No Poverty, Life Below Water and Life on Land.

Community Grants are vetted by a committee of employees at each station, including the station general manager, and approved by the TEGNA Foundation Board of Directors. Stations also amplify the impact of the TEGNA Foundation’s charitable contributions through reporting and employee volunteerism. For information or to apply for a TEGNA Foundation Community Grant, click here.