Going through high school is a tough business - growing as a person, developing your interests and skills, and preparing for the future. It's a full dance card. So, what does it feel like to be part of the rising generation, especially in this political moment? Willamette Week asked a teen panel about their perspectives in their recent article, Growing up Trumped. [...]

In the nonprofit and philanthropic fields, there is a lot of talk about how funders can help build capacity for their recipients. This can mean unrestricted funding for flexibility and multi-year grants. It can also mean having a more involved relationship that leverages the funder's operational strengths on behalf of the recipient's mission. [...]

Schnitzer Cares has one group on their own special timeline - the PSU Philanthropy for Arts and Culture class. This group is accepting applications through October 21, 2024. Please download the application materials off our website and email them directly to kristen@schnitzercare.org. [...]

Summer flew by! We hope you had fun in the sun with your favorite people and furry friends. The Schnitzer Cares team is kicking off the 2024-2025 school year with our teacher advisors, in preparation for an amazing year of student-led grantmaking. We hope to serve another 1800 grantmakers this year - a mix of fresh faces and returning students who can share their valuable experience. [...]

After 27 years, we are excited to announce the name change of CommuniCare to Schnitzer Cares! This change better reflects our family's continued philanthropic efforts to help make communities in the metropolitan area, across Oregon, and the country, a better place. The program continues to empower high school students to learn about philanthropy and make impactful decisions in their communities. Students choose a pressing need, raise funds, and receive a matching contribution to support their chosen causes. [...]

CommuniCare is Oregon's best kept secret. We want to change that! We were so delighted that KOIN and KGW stopped by our Grant Awards Ceremonies to give students an extra shout out. When so many current events are troubling, positive stories like ours are good for the soul. If you'd like an even deeper dive into the 2023-2024 school year, stay tuned for our Annual Report, to be released [...]

We had five massive celebrations this month in NW Portland, with student leaders from groups across the metro area taking the stage to present their grants. What an opportunity to practice public speaking! We are so proud of students for pushing through nerves to share highlights from their year, words of gratitude for their nonprofit recipients, and hopeful visions for our collective future. Being able to break [...]

The 2023-2024 CommuniCare Grant Awards Ceremony season has officially begun! North Coast schools kicked of this month's marathon of festivities. Astoria High School, Astoria Middle School, Seaside High School, and Warrenton High School presented their grants on Tuesday, May 7th to a full room of friends and community members at the Astoria Golf & Country Club. Nearly 100 student leaders from four grantmaking groups raised more than $64,400 this [...]

May is the month for celebrating! Students are working hard to prepare speeches and novelty checks for our upcoming Grant Awards Ceremonies, CommuniCare's signature series of closing celebrations.  These events are unique and joyful opportunities for students to share their vision for change in our state. They are also a great way to practice public speaking! So three cheers for a record-breaking year of CommuniCare - 1800 participants across [...]

It has been four years since the passing of Arlene Schnitzer. We’re extremely proud of how CommuniCare embodies her belief in young people and her dedication to building strong and vibrant communities. She shines brightly in our hearts! 💖 If you're one of the many many people with a funny or touching Arlene memory, you're among good company. She had a sharp wit and energy to match. She passes [...]

We are so lucky to work with amazing educators across Oregon. So, it was no surprise to see a familiar face in Pamplin's Amazing Educators edition - Kelsey Stiff! Kelsey is the Activities and Student Leadership Director for David Douglas High School. She advises the Student Council CommuniCare grantmakers, in addition to many other programs she oversees within the school community. An absolute champion for young people. A great [...]

There are so many groups working hard to create change through CommuniCare. We are always excited to share that work with the broader community as the grantmaking journey is unfolding. With final decisions due April 12th, all 83 student groups are focused on scheduling and facilitating interviews with their finalists using questions they developed. KGW joined the Clackamas High School CommuniCare Club for their first interview last week. This [...]

Student groups have until the end of February to raise funds toward their CommuniCare challenge. As a refresher, most groups are guaranteed $7,500 by The Schnitzer CARE Foundation and can double that amount by raising an additional $750. CARE matches every $1 students raise x 10, up to a maximum gift of $15,000! Most groups work hard right up to the deadline, selling all kinds of delicious goodies or [...]

If your nonprofit submitted application materials through the 2023-2024 CommuniCare Public Submission Window, congratulations! Your materials were made available to students in mid-January. So what's next? Our program requires extra patience and flexibility, since each student group is working through the grantmaking steps at their own pace. The January ice storm hit right at the end of the first semester, snarling schedules and grading across all schools. Most groups [...]

The 2023-2024 Public Submission Window closed last month, and it was a doozy! The CommuniCare team members tried to predict how many nonprofits would apply this cycle. Drum roll please . . . Andrea is the winner! 249 organizations applied this year, with a whopping 938 applications. Student grantmakers sure have their work cut out for them this winter. Materials will be made available to students in mid-January. Please [...]

We are now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 CommuniCare grant cycle! The application form is available for download on our website. Applications will be accepted from 11/15/23 - 12/31/23. Student mission statements are grouped into general categories to make them easier to review, and many mission statements appear in more than one category. Please read them carefully and pay special attention to the geographic areas they prioritize.Answers to common questions can be [...]

Congratulations to Schnitzer Properties for taking the top honor at this year's Corporate Philanthropy Awards, hosted by the Portland Business Journal! Schnitzer Properties + The Schnitzer Care Foundation ranked number one in total giving among "Enterprise" Level companies (those with +100 Million in annual revenue). People often ask, where does CommuniCare money come from? We are so fortunate to be fully funded as an operating program [...]

We've reached our BIG goal - Oregon teens now decide what happens with $1 million each school year! To make all that magic happen, grantmakers and advisors need extra support, so we've expanded the team to ensure our partners can have the very best. Sami and Cecily both come to CommuniCare from middle school teaching, which means they're flexible, creative, and TOUGH. To learn more about [...]

Missing CommuniCare over the summer? You can read our 2022-2023 Annual Report! It's hot off the presses and made with love. See you in the new school year.

Our PDX family is way too big to squeeze into a single evening. You need FIVE nights to capture all that awesomeness! Each night was a whirlwind of smiles, tasty food, and huge novelty checks. For many grantmakers, this is the first time they really get a sense of the scale of their impact. As a generation of young people committed to change, Portland Metro students awarded $770,000 this [...]

There's nothing quite like sharing a meal in person! So, we took our show on the road to celebrate with our North Coast grantmakers on May 16th at the Astoria Golf & Country Club. Astoria High School, Astoria Middle School, Seaside High School, and Warrenton High School came to chow down and share the fruits of their hard work. We are so impressed with their energy, clarity, and poise. [...]

We are closing out the 26th year of CommuniCare in style! Our signature closing event series, the Grant Awards Ceremonies, are an opportunity for student leaders to share their vision for Oregon with their peers and to present their grants directly to nonprofit recipients. And there is so much to celebrate! Seventy groups of grantmakers distributed $922,000 to local nonprofits and in-school programs this year. Umatilla County schools kicked [...]

CommuniCare is looking for an additional teammate! Our desired Program Coordinator is passionate about youth education and wants to actively work with teens and teachers. They are also a polished professional who can switch hats depending on the needs of the audience. We succeed when our participants succeed, so a student-first mindset is deeply important for this role, along with flexibility, creativity, and a “fail forward,” solution-oriented attitude. For [...]

CommuniCare participants have so many talents and passions, and we are delighted to be part of their journey through high school. Hats off to the exceptional grantmakers in the 2023 Rose Festival Court. Cheers to Nikkie Hernandez, David Douglas High School! Cheers to Lulu Kennybrew, Benson Polytechnic High School! Cheers to Audie Ethridge, Ida B. Wells High School! Congratulations on representing your schools and your communities. We're [...]

Most grantmaking groups receive a guaranteed $7,500 from The CARE Foundation for their grantmaking. Additional fundraising is optional but highly encouraged because it is a great way to practice important skills, have fun with peers, and educate the community about different service areas. We challenge students to fundraise an additional $750 dollars, and we match each $1 raised x10. So, a group that meets their fundraising goal [...]

The 2022-2023 Public Submission Window (PSW) is officially closed! A record number of nonprofits applied to be considered by student grantmakers. 183 organizations submitted 974 applications, a 35% increase from the previous school year. So, what happens after an application is submitted? Great question! Each student group has different needs, depending on the number of participants and the setting. When CommuniCare staff visits in the fall to help with [...]

CommuniCare grantmakers have so many amazing talents. On top of the thoughtfulness, dedication, and passion they bring to their decision-making, they also help spread the word about the program. Kelli recently guest starred on Benson High School's radio show, hosted by CommuniCare student leader and all-around A/V whiz, Joe. Kelli was so impressed with Joe's calm and kind guidance! We love learning from students. [...]

We are delighted to announce that the Portland State University Arts & Culture grantmakers have reached their final decisions! Grantmakers received $312,000 in requests across twenty-four organizations. Please join me in congratulating their recipients: Outside the Frame - $5,000 for their music and film collaboration with the Oregon Symphony Synth Library - $10,000 for general operating support Arts Council of Pendleton - $5,000 for general operating support [...]

We are now accepting applications for the 2022-2023 CommuniCare grant cycle! Please follow this link to download the application form and to submit your materials. Applications will be accepted from 11/15/22 - 12/31/22. Student mission statements are grouped into general categories to make them easier to review, and many mission statements appear in more than one category. Please read them carefully and pay special attention to the geographic areas they prioritize.Answers to [...]

During the 2021-2022 school year, Lincoln High School grantmakers learned about a relatively new nonprofit organization, Adopt One Block, which they ultimately decided to fund. As LHS moved into their beautiful new building and staff carefully considered ways in which students could become good stewards of their new space and the surrounding area, Adopt One Block was top of mind. We are so excited to see how [...]

To better serve the Arts & Culture nonprofit community of Oregon, CommuniCare launched an exciting pilot program with Portland State University! Informed by the core values of CommuniCare and elevated to meet the rigor of PSU, this Senior Capstone course offers participants the opportunity to work as an independent grantmaking committee, responsible for distributing $25,000 this fall. Click here to learn more about this funding opportunity. [...]

At The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, we dream BIG. How big, you ask? We want Oregon teens to decide what happens with $1 million each school year! As we add more amazing partners to the CommuniCare family, that means our team needs more people power, too. So, please join us in welcoming Erik! Erik joins us from the world of nonprofit refugee support, and [...]

Now that it is September, it’s time for a new school year and another cycle of CommuniCare! CommuniCare groups are busy getting up and running, and grantmakers have been doing a fantastic job of spreading the word about the program to get their peers involved. Meanwhile, CommuniCare staff is delighted to return to schools to visit groups and get students excited about their role as grantmakers. During [...]

The 25th year of CommuniCare was a big one! We are thrilled to announce that 1,200 CommuniCare grantmakers granted more than $683,000 to 81 nonprofits this year. We're celebrating this record-breaking year with seven Grant Award Ceremonies across Oregon. These events are a chance to celebrate our grantmakers, their nonprofit recipients, and the work all of them are doing to build a better community. We are incredibly proud [...]

Do you have an upcoming interview with CommuniCare grantmakers? Mary Grace and Emily, former CommuniCare participants from La Salle Prep and St. Mary’s Academy, have some great tips to share about how to shine during your meeting. Good luck!

This year, one group completed the CommuniCare program during first semester! Twenty students from the IB Diploma program at Tualatin High School participated in CommuniCare and focused their grantmaking on nonprofits that support families experiencing food insecurity in the Portland Metro Area. Through can collections with BottleDrop Give and a profit-share event at Chipotle, the group met their fundraising goal and granted a total of $15,820 to four nonprofit [...]

Is your organization planning to apply for a CommuniCare grant this year? Be sure to check out these videos of Emily and Mary Grace, former CommuniCare participants from St. Mary's Academy and La Salle Prep, sharing their top three tips to make your application stand out!

We are now accepting applications for the 2021-2022 CommuniCare grant cycle! Please follow this link to download the application form and to submit your materials. Applications will be accepted from 11/15/21 - 12/31/21. Student mission statements are grouped into general categories to make them easier to review, and many mission statements appear in more than one category. Please read them carefully and pay special attention to the geographic areas they prioritize.Answers to common [...]

The 2021-2022 Public Submission Window is almost here! Check out this message from CommuniCare's Program Manager, Kristen, who shares the bird's eye view of this year, a refresher on how the PSW works, and some application tips.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of CommuniCare and we are celebrating in a BIG way. A record 60 grantmaking groups, composed of nearly 1,400 students, are participating in the program!  Everybody is working hard to get back in the swing of things and we are extremely proud of the progress grantmakers have already made this year. In just two months, groups have gotten up and running, selected their service areas, and drafted their mission [...]

This reflection was submitted by Emily and Ella, former CommuniCare participants from St. Mary's Academy. Emily and Ella participated in CommuniCare for two years and served as leaders of their school’s groups. Everyone wants to make a difference. Service has always been a principal part of our lives, but it is often difficult to figure out how to take action. As juniors at St. [...]

This reflection was submitted by Mary Grace, a former CommuniCare participant from La Salle Catholic College Preparatory. Mary Grace participated in CommuniCare for three years and served in a leadership role during her senior year. Never would I have thought that in just three years, my understanding of not only the nonprofit world but of the entire world would expand so greatly. CommuniCare is [...]

We are thrilled to welcome Andrea Van Hagen to the CommuniCare team! Andrea grew up in Carbondale, Colorado, but has lived in the Pacific Northwest ever since coming here to attend college at Willamette University. Prior to CommuniCare, she spent fourteen years as a middle and high school English teacher and thinks reading, writing, and teenagers are an excellent combination. She also has experience in nonprofit work, raising [...]

Due to time constraints, we couldn't fit this compilation into the KGW Grant Awards Ceremony broadcast - but it's too good not to share! Hear from some of our grantmakers about their major takeaways from CommuniCare.

Oregon high school students to award $550,000 to 81 nonprofits through the CommuniCare grantmaking program Virtual grant award ceremony on KGW Channel 8 on June 17 June 14, 2021 – Portland, OR – The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation today announced $550,000 in grants to 81 nonprofits and school programs throughout Oregon. These grants were made possible through CommuniCare, a year-long leadership program that gives [...]

To our grantmakers, advisors, nonprofit community, and supporters - THANK YOU! We are so grateful for your hard work, dedication, and encouragement throughout this unprecedented year. If you weren't able to view our Virtual Grant Awards Ceremony on KGW last week, you can now stream it on our website. We will also be sharing additional content we couldn't fit into the broadcast throughout the week on Instagram. Have a wonderful summer! [...]

Meet some of the amazing grantmakers from Tigard High School's second semester group and learn about their grant recipients!

Meet some of the amazing grantmakers from Lincoln High School and McDaniel High School and learn about their grant recipients!

While filming in Pendleton for the CommuniCare Virtual Grant Awards Ceremony, the East Oregonian stopped by to learn more about the impact grantmakers from Pendleton High School made this year. PHS senior Riley B. said CommuniCare has given her the opportunity to learn more about the surrounding community and the work nonprofits do. “It can be pretty easy to get stuck and not know how to help and feel [...]

Meet some of the amazing grantmakers from Glencoe High School and Tualatin High School and learn about their grant recipients!

Meet some of the amazing grantmakers from Tigard High School and Wells High School and learn about their grant recipients!