Cultivate Initiatives

Mission

Cultivate Initiatives collectively works alongside those who have been marginalized to empower individuals and communities through an inclusive range of services & support in East Portland.  Our initiatives are: Workforce Development, Housing and Homemaking, and Supportive Sheltering.  

Bottom Line for Portland

Cultivate Initiatives was born out of a grassroots group of housed and unhoused neighbors coming together, welcoming a new shelter into their neighborhood. Drive around the city for long, and you’ll see the Cultivate Initiatives crew at work:

- Building transformative community and empowering our neighbors in myriad ways

- Removing over 1 million lbs of garbage while providing jobs for our unhoused neighbors

- Helping people find housing and make it a home

- Providing over 650 free showers per month

- Sheltering hundreds of neighbors through the Menlo Park Safe Rest Village and emergency weather shelters

We invite you to join us in this effort of building communities that are safe, supportive, and full of opportunity by donating to our 2024 Give!Guide Campaign. 

Quote

“Before I was hopeless, but now I feel like I’m finding my way in the world again. I hadn’t had a job for twelve years… Getting confidence that I can work was super important, and it’s become the cornerstone of helping me navigate in recovery.” Nadine, Beautification Lead. 

Hear more about work and community directly from Nadine in this Fox 12 Oregon story. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Cultivate Initiatives has always been firmly rooted in and committed to East Multnomah County, one of Oregon’s most diverse communities. We are inclusive and responsive to our BIPOC and LGBTQIAS+ communities in all of our work, as we know they disproportionately experience houselessness due to systemic factors. Our staff represents the communities we serve, with over half our staff having lived experience of houselessness, mostly in East Multnomah County. Additionally, we are proud that the majority of our director team are women. 

Incentives

Double your impact! The first $15,000 donated will be generously matched by our incredible neighbor, Melanie Ann Nelson! 

As a way of saying thank you, all donors over $50 (cumulatively) will receive a free drip coffee or tea from popular East Portland non-profit coffee shop, Jubilee Hall! 

Cultivate Initiatives Presents The Cultivate Comedy Hour! All who donate over $50 (cumulatively) will get a free ticket to the show. We're Assembling A must-see line-up of national touring and award-winning Comedians Hosted By Portland Comic Julian Gray. Join us in early 2025 for an evening of laughter that truly makes a difference! Check out our recap of last year’s show. 

For and with the people! Last year, we gave out a limited edition sticker during Give!Guide and this year, that same design has been turned into a magnet! Every donor gets their own limited time keepsake as a token of our appreciation! 

Partner(s)

Jubilee Hall: We are incredibly grateful to our neighbors at Jubilee Hall for their lovely cafe, impactful immigrant and refugee job-training services, and their partnership in this year’s Give!Guide. Check them out at the corner of 122nd and Burnside!

HereTogether unites service providers, government officials, and community leaders in a region-wide response to homelessness in Portland. We are thankful for their support, collaboration, and mentorship throughout the GiveGuide! 

Minuteman Press Gresham has supported our work for years and has helped us bring our stories to the masses through print! Most recently, they provided in-kind printing services for our 2023-2024 Annual Report. The digital version will soon be available on our website. 

Green Bridge Coffee has partnered with us for years - providing beverages for all of our events, and bringing coffee to our Workforce Hub every morning, supporting our employment programs. This local coffee producer also donates 10% of every whole bean bag of coffee, online subscription, and drip coffee at their café to a local nonprofits, schools, and community organizations.

Beneficial State Bank: We are so honored that Beneficial State Bank is sponsoring our Give!Guide campaign this year! Beneficial State Bank is invested in transforming the banking industry from within. They lead by example, collaborate with and invest in, change-makers and build sustainable prosperity in our communities. 

Thank you to Melanie Ann Nelson, Beneficial Bank, and all of our great partners!