About the Grant Program

The Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission welcomes you to the Community Access Capital Grant competitive grant program.

The Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission (MHCRC) is the grant-making body for the Community Access Capital Grant program (“Grant Program”) which provides funds for technology projects to community organizations, libraries, educational institutions and local government agencies throughout Multnomah County. This program assists local entities in using cable system technology for enhance communications, including video, data and voice applications.

Purpose

Grants provide a financial means to address concrete local needs, such as improving learning resources in public schools and community colleges; removing barriers to receiving an education, information or social services by disadvantaged or challenged people; and increasing access to media tools for local discourse and communications.

Funding

The funding for the Grant Program is made possible by local government’s ability to negotiate franchise agreements with cable companies for their private use of the public right-of-way. The cities of Fairview, Gresham, Portland, Troutdale and Wood Village and Multnomah County created the Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission, through an intergovernmental agreement, to regulate and oversee the franchise agreements. The MHCRC receives dedicated grant funds from Comcast, Frontier and Cascade Access, the current cable operators serving areas of Multnomah County, and allocates the funds to serve the public interest.

As a result of the source of funding for the Community Access Capital Grant, proposed projects must use either community access channels or the Institutional Network (I-Net) within Multnomah County to meet a local communication or information need. Learn more about the competitive grant program

Grantmaking Guilding Principles

We, as members of GRANTMAKERS of Oregon and Southwest Washington, are committed to excellence and effectiveness in our giving. We commit to open dialogue, self-reflection and to the exploration of new knowledge and information so as to ensure that our work is aligned with our values and has the greatest benefit to society.
We, as members of GRANTMAKERS of Oregon and Southwest Washington, recognize that we play an important role in our communities, a role sustained by the public trust that carries with it certain obligations. We are committed to fulfilling our work based on principles that reflect those obligations and strive to conduct our affairs in the following manner:

1. We are aware of and fulfill our fiduciary and legal responsibilities.
2. We serve the public good by adhering to the highest standards of ethical behavior.
3. We honor the intent of our donors, founders, and/or founding mandates.
4. We are thoughtful and purposeful in our grantmaking and periodically review and evaluate our mission, priorities, policies and practices.
5. We recognize the increasing cultural diversity of the communities and constituents that we serve and within the limits of our individual charters seek to reflect this diversity in our giving.
6. We deal respectfully with applicants, grantees and donors, as well as those simply seeking information about our programs.
7. We publish or otherwise make readily available basic information about our programs, funding priorities, and application requirements.
8. We define the expected steps in our grantmaking process and communicate these to applicants and grantees.
9. We are accessible and respond clearly, promptly, and as fairly as possible to all requests for information and meetings.
10. We respect the confidentiality of applicants, grantees and donors and use discretion in communicating with others about specific organizations or individuals.

Want to Apply?

To learn more about the application process click here.

Contact Grant Program Staff:

Julie S. Omelchuck, Grant Program Director, 503.823.4188
Rebecca Gibbons, Grant Program Coordinator, 503.823.5515

Read the Summary of Projects Funded

SPECIAL EVENTS

PPS District completes move to online library system 6/30/2009

Joining Portland Public School Library staff and Ruth Adkins, a member of the PPS School Board, MHCRC members John Kilian and Andrea Cano placed the final barcodes on books at the last school library to move to the new library automation system. Through funding from the MHCRC, Portland Public Schools overhauled its antiquated system in the school-based libraries for circulation, research and accessibility of library materials. The project replaced PPS’s inefficient library services delivery in all 83 school libraries. http://www.pps.k12.or.us/news/760.htm

NW Film Center honors the Mount Hood Cable Regulatory Commission with its 2007 Service To Young Filmmakers Award!

NW Film Center bestows this award annually to a local individual or organization in recognition of their outstanding contribution to youth media. Through the Community Access Capital Grant Program (and in the years before), the MHCRC has helped make possible a wide range of outreach activities which cut to the core values of NW Film's efforts: enabling young people to express themselves through media production, and for their work to inform our larger community through cable broadcast and other means. Past winners have included the Regional Arts & Culture Council, the Diack Family Fund and a number of teachers and teaching artists who have made a tremendous difference in the lives of hundreds and thousands of young people.