Meyer Memorial Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $21,940,350
• Total Assets: $844,630,189
• Grant Range: $26,000 - $200,000
• Typical Grant Size: $75,000 - $100,000
• Geographic Focus: Oregon statewide
• Application Method: Periodic funding opportunities (not rolling)
• Accepts Unsolicited Applications: Yes (through periodic funding opportunities)

Contact Details

Address: 2045 N Vancouver Ave, Portland, OR 97227-1964

Website: mmt.org

Phone: (503) 228-5512

Application Support: Jody Marshall, Programme Associate - jody@mmt.org

Overview

Meyer Memorial Trust is one of Oregon's largest private funders, established in 1982 from the estate of Fred G. Meyer, founder of the Pacific Northwest retail chain. With assets of $844,630,189 and annual giving of $21,940,350, the Trust has awarded grants and programme-related investments to more than 3,500 organisations since its inception. In 2022, under new CEO Toya Fick's leadership, Meyer adopted a transformative new mission: to accelerate racial, social and economic justice for the collective wellbeing of Oregon's lands and peoples. This strategic shift represents a fundamental evolution from equity-focused work to justice-centred grantmaking, with commitments to allocate the majority of funding to marginalised communities and at least 25% to social justice strategies including advocacy, community organising, and civic engagement.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

Meyer Memorial Trust organises its grantmaking through three issue-based portfolios and one cross-cutting strategic initiative:

1. Our Resilient Places

• Builds power and capacity for frontline communities
• Supports transition towards more regenerative economic policies and practices
• Affirms BIPOC communities' connection to place
• Focuses on climate and environmental justice

2. Our Empowered Youth

• Reforms education systems to create opportunities for students from marginalised communities
• Supports educators and decision-makers who reflect the diversity of Oregon's students
• Example awards: Jefferson 509J School District and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs partnership for Native dual language immersion programme ($200,000)

3. Our Collective Prosperity

• Closes Oregon's persistent racial wealth gap
• Holistically supports families and caretakers
• Creates just and equitable paths to homeownership
• Supports immigrant and refugee communities

4. Together, We Rise (Cross-Cutting Strategic Initiative)

• Focuses on long-term power building in communities most impacted by injustice
• Supports leadership development, civic engagement, community organising, and movement infrastructure
• Emphasises healthy democracy and intersectional work across issues
• Prioritises efforts led by Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and refugee communities
• Funds partnerships, shared strategies, and networks connecting work across issues and communities

Application Format

Meyer has moved away from traditional responsive grantmaking to periodic funding opportunities designed through community engagement. Funding opportunities are distributed throughout the year across all four focus areas, with emphasis on intentionally moving resources towards organising and movement-building. Most grants support work over 12 months, though collaboratives may request up to 24 months.

Grant Types:

• Operating Support Grants: Investments in an organisation's mission and strategic goals (501(c)(3) public charities only)
• Project Support Grants: Support for specific, discrete projects of high priority to an organisation and its community
• Collaborative Planning Grants: Up to $200,000 for collaborative groups planning transformational projects

Typical Grant Ranges:

• Most grants: $75,000 - $100,000
• Maximum request: $200,000 per year
• Small grants programme: Awards of $26,000 or less
• Collaborative planning: Up to $200,000

Priority Areas

Meyer funds work that:

• Strongly aligns with their justice-centred funding priorities
• Centres BIPOC communities
• Addresses root causes of injustice through systems change
• Engages in advocacy, organising, and movement-building
• Involves authentic community voice and leadership
• Creates cross-issue, intersectional impact

What They Don't Fund

• Proselytising (though faith-based organisations may apply if services are offered without requiring participation in religious activities or adherence to religious beliefs)
• Lobbying for or against specific legislation, ballot measures, or candidates
• Earmarked grants for lobbying purposes
• Work outside Oregon (with limited Clark County, Washington exceptions)
• Proposals outside their funding priorities

Governance and Leadership

Leadership

President and CEO: Toya Fick (joined September 2022)

Toya Fick previously served as a Meyer Memorial Trust trustee for over six years before becoming CEO. She has been instrumental in leading the organisation's strategic transformation towards justice-centred grantmaking. Fick emphasises the importance of unprecedented collaboration: "The challenges ahead, for our state as much as for our country and our planet, cannot be met by any one individual or organisation. It will take collaboration the likes of which we have not seen before — transparent, honest, nimble, responsive, focused and sustained."

Recent CEO History

• Michelle J. DePass: Preceded Toya Fick, joining in April
• Doug Stamm: Guided Meyer for 16 years through enormous growth, innovation, and change

Key Staff

• Helen Shum: Director of Communications
• Sohel Hussain: Vice President, Investments and Finance
• Kimberly Melton: Vice President of Impact
• Jody Marshall: Programme Associate

The organisation employs 43 staff members.

Board of Trustees

Recent board members include:

• Kathleen Kee
• Andrew Colas
• Amy Tykeson
• Charles Wilhoite (completed 12-year term in March)

Board members bring diverse expertise and unwavering commitment to fostering equity, helping Meyer continue its mission of accelerating racial, social and economic justice.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Meyer Memorial Trust has fundamentally redesigned its application process, moving away from year-round responsive grantmaking to periodic, community-centred funding opportunities.

Application Process:

1. Meyer announces specific funding opportunities throughout the year
2. Applications are submitted online through their grants management system (currently transitioning from GrantIS to GivingData)
3. Organisations set up an account at the grants portal
4. Applications are accepted during specific windows announced for each funding opportunity

Eligible Organisations:

• 501(c)(3) public charities
• State, local, and tribal government entities (including public schools)
• Faith-based organisations (with certification that services are offered without requiring religious participation)
• Fiscally sponsored charitable organisations

Two-Step Process (for some opportunities):

1. Inquiry Application
2. Invitation to submit full proposal (for selected organisations)

Grant Start Dates: Meyer typically recommends grant start dates aligned with their funding timeline.

Decision Timeline

• Application Review: Meyer reviews applications after the deadline closes
• Decision Notification: Decisions are made according to the specific funding opportunity timeline (typically several months after the application deadline)
• Grant Agreement: After approval, Meyer sends grant agreements via DocuSign, usually within one month after a grant is awarded
• Grant Start: Organisations can typically begin work 3-5 months after the application deadline

Organisations are encouraged to select grant start dates between November and January to align with Meyer's estimated funding timeline.

Success Rates

While specific success rates are not publicly disclosed, Meyer's recent funding patterns show:

• 449 awards in 2024
• 735 awards in 2023
• 677 awards in 2022

Given the strategic shift towards focused funding opportunities rather than open responsive grantmaking, competition for specific opportunities can be significant. Past grantees have described the Trust as "responsive," "culturally sensitive," and "friendly," though some have found it bureaucratic.

Reapplication Policy

Organisations not invited to submit a full proposal after the Inquiry Application stage are encouraged to contact the Trust to discuss their application and receive guidance on what to consider when submitting future applications. This supportive approach suggests that unsuccessful applicants are welcome to reapply for future funding opportunities after receiving feedback. No specific waiting period was mentioned in publicly available materials.

Application Success Factors

Meyer Memorial Trust looks for specific characteristics in successful applicants, based on their published criteria and values:

Strong Organisational Alignment:

• Organisations must have a track record of effective work directly related to Meyer's funding priorities, or have identified such work as a strategic and mission-aligned priority
• Demonstrate strong commitment to equity through statements, goals, actions, and progress
• The organisation's mission and values must align with Meyer's justice-centred approach

Community-Centred Approach:

• Project benefits one or more marginalised communities
• Community voice is reflected in project design
• Project includes and leverages participation of constituents, relevant partners, collaborators, and/or other funders
• Clear demonstration of who the service community is and what strategies are in place to reach and support those communities (especially BIPOC communities)

Collaborative and Systems-Oriented:

• Organisations that collaborate with other organisations in their community, within the same sector, and/or across sectors
• Recognition of the intersection between the organisation's work and broader policies and systems
• Emphasis on work that addresses root causes rather than just symptoms

Effective Leadership and Capacity:

• Effective leadership that engages a base of community support
• Administrative capacity, financial plan, and organisational commitment to implement proposed project
• Commitment to understanding and evaluating the impact and effectiveness of work

Well-Designed Projects:

• For project support grants: project is well-planned with realistic goals, objectives, activities, and outcomes scaled to the problem it seeks to solve
• Clear articulation of how the work advances racial, social, and economic justice

Strategic Focus on Justice:

• Work that "strongly aligns with their funding priorities and strategies" — proposals outside these priorities will not be successful
• Priority given to organising, movement-building, advocacy, and civic engagement strategies
• Preference for work that creates systems change over service delivery alone

Quote from Meyer's Criteria: "Meyer centres BIPOC communities in all their grantmaking, and they want to know who your service community is and what strategies you have in place to reach and support those communities."

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Justice-centred alignment is essential: Meyer has fundamentally shifted from equity to justice. Applications must demonstrate how work accelerates racial, social, and economic justice, not just reduces disparities. Use justice-centred language and frame your work in terms of root causes and systems change.

• Community leadership matters more than service delivery: Meyer prioritises work led by and centred on BIPOC communities. Emphasise authentic community voice in project design, community organising, and movement-building strategies over traditional service delivery models.

• Watch for periodic funding opportunities, not rolling applications: Meyer has moved away from responsive grantmaking. Monitor their website for announced funding opportunities with specific themes, deadlines, and application windows. Each opportunity may have distinct priorities within their four programme areas.

• Collaboration and intersectionality strengthen applications: Meyer values organisations that work across sectors, collaborate with partners, and recognise how issues intersect. Highlight partnerships, shared strategies, and networks that connect work across issues and communities.

• Be prepared for feedback and reapplication: If not selected after an Inquiry Application, Meyer encourages dialogue about your proposal. Use this as an opportunity to strengthen future applications with their specific guidance on alignment and approach.

• Size and scope flexibility: While Meyer makes large grants (up to $200,000), they also value small grants ($26,000 or less) and see them as important for partnerships and sector connections. Don't self-select out based on project size—focus on alignment and impact.

• Demonstrate capacity for evaluation and learning: Meyer wants partners committed to understanding and evaluating the impact and effectiveness of their work. Show how you'll measure progress towards justice outcomes, not just activities or outputs.

References

• Meyer Memorial Trust Official Website. Homepage. Accessed December 2025.
• Meyer Memorial Trust. Apply. Accessed December 2025.
• Meyer Memorial Trust. Programs. Accessed December 2025.
• Meyer Memorial Trust. What We Fund. Accessed December 2025.
• Meyer Memorial Trust. Grant Types. Accessed December 2025.
• Meyer Memorial Trust. "From Equity to Justice: Meyer's New Funding Priorities." News Article. Accessed December 2025.
• Meyer Memorial Trust. "Announcing Our Funding Goals, Strategies and Grantmaking Plans for 2024." News Article. Accessed December 2025.
• Meyer Memorial Trust. "Toya Fick Tapped as Next Leader of Meyer Memorial Trust." News Article. Accessed December 2025.
• Meyer Memorial Trust. Together, We Rise. Accessed December 2025.
• Meyer Memorial Trust. Frequently Asked Questions | 2025 Funding Opportunity. Accessed December 2025.
• Inside Philanthropy. "Seven Questions for Toya Fick, the New CEO of Meyer Memorial Trust." Article. Accessed December 2025.
• Inside Philanthropy. Meyer Memorial Trust Funder Profile. Accessed December 2025.
• Candid Foundation Directory. Meyer Memorial Trust Profile. Accessed December 2025.
• GuideStar. Meyer Memorial Trust Profile (EIN: 93-0806316). Accessed December 2025.
• Cause IQ. Meyer Memorial Trust Organization Profile. Accessed December 2025.
• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Meyer Memorial Trust. Accessed December 2025.
• Instrumentl. Meyer Memorial Trust 990 Report. Accessed December 2025.
• Philanthropy News Digest. "Meyer Memorial Trust announces new funding goals, strategy." Article. Accessed December 2025.