| Dear NECC Community,
We write to you today with transparency and vulnerability, along with hope and determination. The recent gutting of federal funding for nonprofits across the country has created a tidal wave of scarcity that is now threatening Northeast Community Center. A lack of access to federal funding has led to organizations previously reliant on federal funds to explore other options to keep themselves afloat. Consequently, organizations like ours, have had to face an exponential increase in competition for non-federal grant funding. The Northeast Community Center relies on grants and sponsorships to help cover our operating costs. The fallout from federal cuts has created a daunting fundraising environment and led to a significant shortfall in our projected grants and sponsorships, threatening the very programs and services that our community relies on. To continue normal operations through the end of this year and through the next, we need your help to raise $250,000 by January 31st, 2026. We’re profoundly grateful and inspired to announce that an anonymous member has given $10,000 as a challenge match. All dollars up to $10,000 will be matched with their gift! Click Here to Double Your Impact TodayThis critical funding will help us avoid cuts to our beloved staff and programming, allowing us to stabilize operations, rebuild reserves, and plan sustainably for the long-term needs of our community. We understand this ask is significant, and that hearing this news may feel overwhelming. Yet, in this moment of adversity, we are reminded of our shared history of resilience. It was 20 years ago, when we faced the daunting reality that the then Northeast YMCA was closing. Instead of conceding to this devastating news, our community unified to create NECC from scratch. In just a matter of months, our community raised funds, renovated the entire building, and opened its doors. What saved the center’s future was you, our resilient and tenacious community. Today, we are faced with a serious, but not impossible or unfamiliar hurdle. With your help, we can secure our future. As one of the few remaining independent community centers, we fill the gap left by the city’s limited parks and recreation facilities, and provide a vital resource for families, youth, and older adults who depend on us every day. Every year, over 3,000 people come to the center, totaling more than 55,000 visits annually. Over our 100 years of history, thousands of Portlanders have learned how to play basketball, attended their first summer camp, and taken swim lessons, gaining lifesaving skills. We have one of the few public, indoor warm water pools in Portland, an increasingly critical resource amid a national swim lesson shortage. Adults, youth, and generations of families have found community, friends, and a deep sense of belonging at NECC. As we take action towards securing our future, we need everyone whose lives have ever been positively impacted by NECC to donate, spread the word, and volunteer. We need your support now more than ever and ask you to make a significant and meaningful-to-you donation today that will be matched up to $10,000! Click Here to Double Your Impact TodayHere are other ways you can help secure NECC’s future:
We recognize this is somber news, and we do not take asking for help lightly. However, we also know that, in times of national uncertainty, it is the strength of hyper-local communities and the support of neighbors that carries us through. By pooling our time, skills, and resources, we know we can save our beloved, centuries-old community pillar: the Northeast Community Center. You can read more about what we’re doing through our FAQ, and you are always welcome to reach out to the board or Executive Director. In fact, we need you to! Finally, and most importantly, thank you to each and every one of you who participate in programming, donate, come together in times of joy and hardship, look out for staff, and offer collaboration in so many different ways. We are eternally grateful to you all who make up the heart and soul of NECC. In solidarity and determination, Northeast Community Center Board of Directors, Tay Stone, Board President Ian Barreto, Board Vice President Tina Waller, Secretary Dan Cooper, Treasurer Allison Carvalho, Board member Gary Gibbs, Board member Brian Lee, Board member Anne Lindsay, Board member Andre Miller, Board member Kelsey Miller, Board member Anne Norloff, Board member Linda Rasmussen, Board member
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