From Bureaucratic Grants to Bottom-up Investment in Local Priorities
Community Prosperity Initiative
The Real Challenge
Marion County, Oregon, had a $300,000 annual grant fund meant to support economic development. But in practice, the funds were mostly used for small, commissioner-driven pet projects. The application process was bureaucratic, cumbersome, and yielded limited insight into what local communities actually needed. The county’s 20 cities often worked in silos, applying for projects reactively instead of proactively shaping economic development goals.
What We Did
We partnered with county leadership to redesign the entire program. After deep listening sessions with all 20 cities, we co-created a simple yet powerful new model: a guaranteed $15,000 annual allocation for each city, with one catch—each city had to sit down once a year with county staff to talk openly about their priorities, opportunities, and ideas. No rigid RFPs. No long proposals. Just honest conversations and light-touch reporting on what worked and why.
What Changed
Over three years, the new format surfaced over 300 unique economic development project ideas—many of which had never made it into formal funding discussions before. This living portfolio became a roadmap not just for the county, but for state and regional partners who now had visibility into local priorities. Bureaucracy gave way to trust. Funding became a conversation-starter rather than a hurdle.
Why It Matters
This wasn’t about spending more money. It was about spending it in ways that actually matter to communities—and designing a process that made those priorities visible. It showed what’s possible when we trade gatekeeping for dialogue and center the people doing the work on the ground.
