The Preschool for All victory is a story about partnership. SVP Portland helped build relationships between parents, preschool providers, and community leaders, and collaborated with cross-sector allies to design the policy and drive the campaign. The Preschool for All victory highlights thinking beyond the dogma of top-down philanthropy to build trust and credibility with the community. As SVP Portland Executive Director Lauren Johnson put it, “Our experiences can serve as a roadmap to other communities seeking to engage in community-based, participatory policy development.” Read More »

Elizabeth joined SVP Portland in August of 2021 after working at the University of Portland for the past three years where she developed and executed marketing strategies. As Communications & Project Coordinator, Elizabeth helps share the inspiring stories of impact and growth through various media channels, including the website, newsletter, and social media. She also engages with Partners and supports staff success. Elizabeth has a background in education, administration, and equity work. Read More »

A new report synthesizes extensive input from nearly 50 key participants in the effort, captured by the research firm Dialogues in Action. As you can see in the documents and videos below, the findings provide an example of public policy centered on racial equity, community voice, and grassroots coalition building -- an example poised for replication far beyond Multnomah County, and relevant to other issue areas. We invite you to read on to gain insights about this innovative - and effective - approach to policy making! Read More »

New research by The Oregon Early Learning Division (ELD) shows how severely COVID-19 impacted Oregon’s child care and education programs’ ability to remain open and serve families. “These are criti­cal losses, particularly from the standpoint of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The loss of these providers may mean that multilingual children and families will have even fewer opportunities to use child care in which staff reflect their cultural background and who speak the child’s language, deepening inequities.” Read More »

"I’ve been attending SVP Portland events with my dad since I was in high school and, since then, have looked up to the people in this organization and respect their dedication to impact in the community. By the time I moved back to Portland after college, my dad had moved out of the city, but he was still connected to SVP. I was unsure of the career path I wanted to pursue, and my dad encouraged me to join his partnership with SVP and dive into the community to make connections with smart people who shared my interest in working hard to make a difference." Read More »

For the first time in 17 months we held an in-person Partnership event, our 20th Anniversary Summer Social! A thirst for human contact -- and fabulous wines from Stoller Wine Group! -- was apparent with more than 40 attendees representing all facets of the SVP Portland community. The event was also an opportunity to present our first Sarah Cohen-Doherty Community Impact Award. The annual award recognizes a person within the SVP Portland community who epitomizes the characteristics that enabled Sarah to have such a positive impact at SVP, including warmth, compassion, & genuine care for others, a focus on developing strong, meaningful relationships, a personal commitment to equity & supporting SVP’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion commitments, and being a changemaker to ensure that all children thrive. Read More »