Explore Our Projects

We collaborate with community leaders to support their projects, making powerful lasting impacts that improve lives.

We believe that everyone has the potential to make life better for themselves and for others. We offer the support for leaders and communities to actualize the changes they wish for.

Reparations & Earth Restoration

This project has designed a Regenerative Urban Mini Farm & Emergency Preparedness Hub with the intention to reclaim land access, stewardship and  ownership among Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and other marginalized communities throughout the Portland Metro area. The Hub will boost biodiversity, regenerate the soil and enhance human health and safety for the most marginalized residents of Portland. Learn more about this project.

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Building Shelters for the Houseless

Care Shelters are a safe, personal space for residents of a village that provides stability, opportunity, and basic needs such as food, hygiene and support and foster community and a sense of belonging. These support communities are essential to the success of the people getting into permanent housing. Learn more about this project.

two men placing a wall on a care shelter build

Women in Action

Mujeres en Acción (Women in Action) aims to provide a group of women in Masaya, Nicaragua with a foundation that allows them to develop self-confidence and teaches them skills to be leaders in their own lives and communities. Programming is led by women who have been leaders in their organizations and who have extensive experience in conflict resolution, psychological issues, feminism and business management, among other topics.

Growing Children to Thrive

We have recently partnered with One Heart Global to help an orphanage with a clear vision and huge heart in Azogues, Ecuador. Learn more about this new collaboration and the opportunity to support the children at Casa Hogar Para Todos.

group photo of children and care-givers at Casa Hogar in Ecuador

Eco-brick Construction in Costa Rica

Pollution from plastics is damaging the earth and the oceans. Ricardo "Ricar" Quesada is a Costa Rican local who has seen the impacts of the plastics problem in the streets and beaches of his home country get worse throughout his lifetime. Now he is on a mission to reduce the damage of wasted plastics by using eco-bricks to capture plastic particles and use them to help create access to safer infrastructure in sidewalks, patios, and roadways.

Local youth and artists are involved and helping move this project forward. If you would like to support this project and receive updates about its progress, please like the Facebook page or follow @ecommonbric on Instagram.

Resilient Puerto Rico

CommonGoods Network has funded several community rebuilding projects in the community of Caguas, Puerto Rico since the 2017 hurricanes took their toll on the island.

We continue to work directly with Urbe Apie, a small community-led organization, and have provided funding and fundraising support to improve their community spaces and support their efforts to grow sustainability and connection in Caguas and beyond.

BIPOC Dance Scholarships

We are providing a matching grant to support Valerie Chafograck on her mission to offer conscious dance education to BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) in the Bay Area, California at zero cost, providing safe spaces in which BIPOC can regenerate their roots, cultivate wellbeing and resiliency within supportive community.

Community Support in Nicaragua

By partnering with a kind-hearted community leader in La Concepcion, Masaya, Nicaragua, we are supporting families in need of food and hygiene supplies during Covid-19. Generous donations have made it possible to support 13 families (60 people) this way so far!

kindista.org

Kindista is an online social platform fueled by generosity & gratitude, designed to cultivate sharing in local communities. Local events like free markets support the cause. Learn more about Kindista.org and join the movement.

Kindista is CommonGoods Network's longest running program, initially the only one. In 2018 and 2019, CommonGoods expanded to offering support to several new projects and organizations, as you can see here.

homeless man with a peace sign in thanks for the new bike he is receiving from kindista holiday free market 2015 with volunteer

Women's Empowerment

In Loja, Ecuador, our grants support programs to aid domestic violence prevention and other resources for women and families.

This project is also establishing food forests and raising awareness about permaculture and public health in their community.

San Clemente Village

This community in the highlands of northern Ecuador is actively building trust while sharing with others about how they work together to meet their collective and individual needs.

Their grant from CommonGoods Network allowed them to purchase sheep who now provide wool for much-needed warm clothing, as well as manure which helps them continue to grow luscious food.

Biochar Awareness

In Oregon and most of the world, small-scale, sustainable biochar production is an underutilized resource.

These grants empower individuals to become educated about and create biochar, bringing benefits of carbon sequestration and healthy soil.

Read more about Ryder Coen's biochar education project, which was supported by a CommonGoods matching grant in 2019.

Emergency Preparation

We all hope for the best, but in the worst case, we hope to be prepared. There are Neighborhood Emergency Teams emerging in many cities in the U.S., including Portland, OR.

The Taborvilla Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) received a grant from us in 2019, which they used to sustain their community meetings and create a cache with important materials to be accessed in case of emergency.

Wiñaypaq School

This elementary school offers free education to indigenous children in the Sacred Valley of Peru. The children learn about their Quechua culture and heritage in a Waldorf-inspired environment.

Their grant paid for their operating costs, namely a teacher's salary, so they can go on providing free, quality education to their children.

Planting Seeds in Peru

Beyond helping rural Peruvian families and communities grow their own food, Por Eso! is an organization which also provides education and resources for them to feel empowered to live healthy lives.

Their 2019 grant from CommonGoods Network helped Por Eso! spread their positive impact into new areas, while continuing to work directly with communities to establish water irrigation, plant and grow fruits and vegetables, and store, preserve and cook food safely and efficiently.

Contribute to a Community Project

These projects are all led by inspired individuals who believe in the power of their community to make meaningful positive change. If you feel inspired and are able to contribute financially, please donate!

Whether you can donate financially or not right now, we would love to continue to create connections with you!

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Seeking Volunteers & Board Members

Please reach out if you are interested in supporting us as a board member or volunteer! If you feel resonant with our work, and want to contribute with your special skills, knowledge, networks, or other resources, we look forward to hearing from you.