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Voter-Approved Children’s Fund Profile: Portland, OR

The Portland Children’s Levy was created to invest in proven, cost-effective strategies that strengthen children’s well-being and long-term success.
Older adult reading picture book to group of young children
Photo credit: Portland Children's Levy

Voter-Approved Children’s Fund Profile: Portland, OR

Name of Fund: Portland Children’s Levy

Percent of Locality’s Children in Poverty: 11.6% (2024 U.S. Census data)

Annual Revenue: $23.7 million (2024, most recent year available)

Funding Mechanism: Property tax, $0.4026 per $1,000 of assessed value

Year Established: 2002 (Reauthorized 2008, 2013, 2018, 2023)

Percent of Voters Who Approved the Fund, 2002: 53.71%
Percent of Voters Who Approved the Fund, 2008: 72.48%
Percent of Voters Who Approved the Fund, 2013: 74.83%
Percent of Voters Who Approved the Fund, 2018: 82.88%
Percent of Voters Who Approved the Fund, 2023: 70.98%

Expiration Date: 2029

Fund Purpose: Comprehensive support for children, youth, and families

Children’s Funding Project thanks our partners at Portland Children’s Levy for their help with this profile.

Worked with Children’s Funding Project

  • Children’s Funding Project community of practice member

Filed under:

Infants and Toddlers, Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, Youth, Advocates/Intermediaries, Policymakers/Agency Leaders, Publication, Voter-Approved Children’s Funds

QUICK LINKS

Fund History and Description

Fund Purpose and Impact

Governance and Administration

Relevant Links

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Updates and Events

Fund History and Description
Kid in library playing with lego plane.
Photo credit: Portland Children’s Levy

The Portland Children’s Levy was established in 2002 after Portland voters approved a city council referred ballot measure. By state law the Oregon local option levy must be reauthorized every five years, and voters have consistently renewed the Children’s Levy in 2002, 2008, 2013, 2018, and again with Ballot Measure 26-240 in 2023, maintaining the same property tax rate of $0.4026 per $1,000 of assessed value. This recurring cycle of council referral and voter approval has created a sustainable funding structure that has now been in place for more than two decades. 

The priorities of the levy, as established in the founding ordinance, include the following:

  • Preparing children for school
  • Supporting children’s success inside and outside the classroom
  • Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes

These goals, and an extensive community engagement process, guide how resources are allocated and how funded programs are designed and evaluated. Annual reporting and periodic renewal cycles ensure transparency, accountability, and ongoing alignment with community expectations.

Fund Purpose and Impact
Adult looking at clipboard standing in food cupboard.
Photo credit: Portland Children’s Levy

The Portland Children’s Levy was created to invest in proven, cost-effective strategies that strengthen children’s well-being and long-term success. Funding is directed across six program areas with specific funding priorities in each area, informed by community feedback:

  1. Early childhood programs: Prepare children for school and improve access to quality care.
  2. After-school and summer programs: Provide constructive activities and academic support.
  3. Child abuse prevention and intervention initiatives: Work with families to reduce risk factors associated with maltreatment.
  4. Support for children and youth in foster care: Provide stability, mentoring, and educational assistance for those who have experienced abuse or neglect. 
  5. Hunger relief efforts: Ensure children have consistent access to nutritious food.
  6. Mentoring programs: Promote social-emotional development, educational success, and long-term goal setting.

In fiscal year 2024–2025, the Portland Children’s Levy made a measurable difference across the city in the lives of participating children and families, 77% of whom were children that identified as Black, Indigenous, or people of color and 37% of whom were children living in households where the primary language spoken was not English:

  • It awarded 72 grants that collectively served 9,984 children through after-school, child abuse prevention/intervention, early childhood, foster care, and mentoring programs. 
  • The levy’s 12 hunger relief grants served 13,686 children and their families, researching similar demographics of children and families.
  • The Community Childcare Initiative helped more than 200 children access high-quality early care by covering the gap between state child care subsidies and the actual cost of care.

Across all six program areas, levy-funded partners demonstrated strong results in 2024–2025:

  1. Early childhood programs: 94% of children met expected developmental milestones, helping ensure school readiness.
  2. After-school programs: 87% of children showed progress in core youth development outcomes, including social-emotional and academic skills.
  3. Child abuse prevention: 91% of participating caregivers improved their parenting practices, reducing risk factors for maltreatment. 
  4. Youth in foster care: 90% met academic goals, supporting stability and educational success.
  5. Hunger relief efforts: Partners distributed 2.5 million pounds of food at more than 60 sites across the city; delivered 229 classes; and distributed more than 1,000 kits focused on cooking, gardening, and wellness, to promote healthy habits. 
  6. Mentoring programs: 97% of youth improved school engagement, fostering long-term growth and goal-setting.
Governance and Administration

The Portland Children’s Levy is administered by staff employed by the City of Portland and overseen by a five-member Allocation Committee that operates under formal bylaws. The Allocation Committee is responsible for oversight of the Children’s Levy, including making grant funding recommendations to the city council for final approval. Committee membership includes the following:

  • A Portland City Commissioner
  • A Multnomah County Commissioner
  • A private citizen appointed by the county commissioner chairperson
  • A private citizen appointed by the mayor
  • A business community representative appointed by the mayor

The Committee meets publicly to guide funding decisions, and local needs assessments and community input inform its operations. 

Portland Children’s Levy staff manage day-to-day operations, including the design and execution of the funding process, accounts management, data collection and analysis, performance reporting, and community outreach. 

In 2022, the Allocation Committee established the Community Council to advise the levy staff and the committee on grantmaking policies, procedures, and community engagement. Composed of 11 to 13 members with experience in levy program areas, the Community Council provides input on funding priorities, engagement strategies, and grantmaking process design including application questions, scoring criteria, and grant review processes. The council meets four to five times per year to ensure community perspectives are integrated into the levy’s grantmaking.