Metro recently awarded the first round of multiyear Reuse Impact Fund grants. The grants will help strengthen and expand greater Portland’s reuse, repair and share system. Sixteen local nonprofits will receive between $10,000 and $150,000 annually for three years. Funding is contingent on Metro’s annual budget adoptions.
The pilot grant program is part of Metro’s work to manage the regional garbage and recycling system. Metro aims to reduce waste and protect the environment and human health through policy, services and investments. The Reuse Impact Fund is an implementation action of the Regional System Facilities Plan, an investment plan adopted by Metro Council in 2025.
The grant program responds to a critical need to support reuse, repair and share efforts. Organizations asked for reliable, flexible funding for ongoing operations. This is to increase the amount of items kept in use in ways that are financially sustainable. Reuse organizations collect, transport, repair and clean a wide variety of things that would otherwise be thrown away. Nonprofits often redistribute still useful goods for free or at low cost to community members. Keeping items in use avoids the harmful environmental impacts associated with producing new products.