Strengthening Nonprofit Leaders Building a Thriving Black Portland
Real, lasting change happens when communities not only receive resources, but also the technical and strategic support to turn those resources into power, sustainability, and generational impact.
That’s why we’re thrilled to announce a new partnership between DC Design and the 1803 Fund—an investment fund dedicated to strengthening Black life in Portland, Oregon through community partnership and real asset investment.
Over the next 18 months, DC Design will work side by side with a cohort of the fund’s grantee partners to build long-term capacity and sustainability. The goal: to develop custom business plans that help these Black-led and Black-serving organizations deepen their impact and stand on stronger foundations for years to come.
This work will unfold in two parts:
1. Business Planning Diagnostic
A deep dive into each partner’s current capacity, business model, growth tracking, and planning strategies.
2. Custom Business Planning Support
A hands-on, two-month collaboration with each organization to co-develop community-centered, actionable business plans. These will include operational toolkits, financial roadmaps, and implementation guidance tailored to each group’s mission and reality.
But this partnership is about more than planning—it’s about power-building.
Too often, Black-led and Black-serving organizations are under-resourced, despite being closest to the solutions their communities need. Our collaboration with the 1803 Fund is helping to shift that dynamic by reinforcing the infrastructure these leaders stand on—so their work can scale, sustain, and multiply across generations.
The 1803 Fund’s catalytic investment philosophy reflects exactly what transformative philanthropy should look like. Their approach centers long-term, relationship-driven support of people, organizations, and the built environment to realize population-wide impact. Their commitment goes beyond writing a check. They invest in the strategy, systems, and capacity that community-rooted organizations need to thrive.
At DC Design, we believe that every community deserves the opportunity not just to survive—but to thrive. When funders invest deeply in organizations that walk alongside the community, no matter what, the ripple effects can reshape systems and futures.
We’re proud to walk this path with the 1803 Fund and the powerful nonprofit leaders building a thriving Black Portland.
