Decision Criteria

We have a responsibility to our applicants and communities to ensure — to the best of our ability and within the parameters of our mission — that those most in need of support receive it.

Today, we receive far more funding requests than we can possibly address, and so it becomes increasingly important that those organizations who are most effective and most aligned with our Mission are identified, funded, and supported.

Our Guiding Questions

To ensure that our decision making is consistent and clear, we use a series of measures to identify our strongest funding applicants. We do not expect that applicants will meet every criteria, but instead use these measures to identify those most aligned with our priorities and best positioned to leverage dollars for maximum impact.

We also aim to further eliminate the mystery behind our grant making decisions. By sharing these criteria, we hope to further reference these measures to explain why your organization may have been awarded less than requested, or why a proposal may have been declined funding.

As it pertains to equity and inclusion, to what extent:  

  • Does the organization demonstrate competency around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) through their written materials and/or publicly available resources (e.g. website)? 

  • Do diversity, equity, and inclusion appear integrated throughout programs, strategies, and organizational operations? 

  • Is diversity, equity, and inclusion prioritized in staff/volunteer training, onboarding, recruitment, and internal policy development? *

  • Does the organization articulate and/or operationalize an explicit commitment to racial equity? 

  • Are under-represented or marginalized communities centralized in the Mission and work of the organization?


As it pertains to our mission and philanthropic priorities, to what extent:

  • Is the applicant organization reputable in the community, with a positive brand and public image? 

  • Does the organization align with the known values of Marie Lamfrom or her family? 

  • Does the applicant organization clearly center or prioritize direct human impact? 

  • Does the applicant organization prioritize impact in Oregon communities?

  • Is the organization a returning partner in great standing?


As it pertains to the organization’s financial health, to what extent:

  • Does the organization keep accurate, organized, and clear financial records?

  • Does the organization report three (3) or more months of liquid unrestricted net assets (LUNA)?

  • Does the organization demonstrate consistent profitability over time?

  • Does the organization demonstrate income diversification? *

  • Is the organization well positioned for its financial future? *


As it pertains to operational impact, to what extent:

  • Is the organization's program delivery model effective and purposeful? 

  • Is the applicant organization's website (or online presence) and brand accessible, clear, and informative? 

  • Are the organization's programs and services readily accessible and available to the constituents they aim to serve?

  • Is the organization’s impact well tracked, reported, and evaluated? *

  • Are program staff sufficiently and appropriately licensed, credentialed, or trained (as applicable)? *


As it pertains to the people of the organization, to what extent:

  • Are staff and personnel competitively compensated, trained, and retained? *

  • Does the organization's executive leadership appear equipped, reputable, and capable?

  • Is the organization’s executive leadership stable and consistent over time?

  • Are volunteer’s engaged, retained, trained, and supported for their contributions? *

  • Is the organization’s Board actively engaged, and diversified in skill, specialization, or life experience? *


As it pertains to the need, to what extent:

  • Is the need for funding unquestionably clear?

  • Will funding be effectively leveraged to yield considerable impact in the community?

  • Is the organization ready and prepared to utilize funding promptly and efficiently?

  • Is the organization positioned to sustain the impact of funding after the grant term concludes? *


*Reflects a measure only evaluated after submission of a final proposal.

Please, keep in mind:

We answer these guiding questions through multiple sources — your application responses, your website, meetings, financial statements — and evaluate with all of our learning in mind. As such, application questions themselves may not address these criteria directly.

Additional Considerations:

  • No, we don’t anticipate any applicant meeting every criteria. Instead, those applicants who meet the greatest number of criteria are considered to be best positioned for funding.

  • You aren’t expected to address each of these questions in your application. We answer many of them through our review of your website, or through explicit questions asked of you during meetings or through email. Some application prompts, however, will be clearly connected to a criteria or guiding question.

  • These questions inform funding decisions, but ultimately our Board of Trustees make all final funding decisions. We can, however, typically cite specific criteria for those proposals that are declined funding or awarded at a lesser rate.

  • We evaluate criteria using a three-scale rubric, such that a measure is either met absolutely, partially, or not at all. These values determine the point value of a measure, which we then use to ‘score’ your funding proposal.

  • In additional to approving or declining proposals, we use an evaluation score to determine the scope of funding awarded (e.g. maximum eligible amount, 75% of max amount) and the number of eligible installments (e.g. three, two, or one). This all, of course, depends on what organizations request and need.

  • As a small team, we don’t have the capacity to review full evaluations with organizations at this time. For those who are declined funding, we will work to share as much as we can in our communications and/or in follow-up discussion. For those awarded funding, we may be able to give feedback, but will prioritize those who are declined first.

  • No, in some cases, an organization may receive an exceptional evaluation, but still be awarded less than requested/eligible, simply due to budget limitations. Budget considerations, paired with evaluative scores, guide our Board in approving or adjusting funding recommendations.

  • We use online media, relevant news or publications, website review, and other mediums to learn about your organization and its brand in the community. If we find something concerning or information that would otherwise be detrimental to your evaluation, we will share that learning with you prior to submission of any final evaluations. We hope that all of our partners can affirm or contest anything we learn beyond that of your written application or website.