COmmunity Infrastructure support (CIS)

The National Coalition for Social Advancement’s Community Infrastructure Support (CIS) Programs focus on helping community members build, grow, and sustain their businesses, projects, and teams to return fiscal agency and ownership to their hands.

In our first public year (2024 -2025), our team of interdisciplinary professionals successfully secured over $220,000 in grant funding to support our organization, other community organizations, and initiatives, as well as stewarding projects that span the arts, culture, and historical preservation.

Our portfolio reflects disciplined development practices, cross‑sector expertise, and a deep alignment with community‑identified priorities. To the benefit of community members and organizations, the funding was leveraged to strengthen organizational sustainability, expand community resources, fund community stories, and support programs led by and for underserved populations.

Our goal is continued expansion of this initiative to the benefit of community-led objectives.

Recent Projects

National Coalition for Social Advancement (2025)

$40,000 with gratitude to the Oregon Community Foundation

NCSA aims to facilitate community gathering and healing by facilitating Community Wellness programs under the Community Resource Support (CRS) initiative. Community Wellness Program is another interdisciplinary program that connects personal wellness and growth with community service, leadership, and community education.

Fernland Studios (2025)

$ 65,000 with gratitude to the Oregon Community Foundation

$80,000 with gratitude to the Kalliopeia Foundation

Fernland Studios carries the mission of offering “Black, Indigenous, and all People of color opportunities to sustain their relationship with Earth through art, education, and spiritual wellness” through programming and connection.

The York Collective (2023 -2025)

$ 25,000 with gratitude to the Collins Foundation

$5,000 with gratitude to the Social Justice Fund Northwest

The York Collective’s goal is to create affordable, sustainable living and connection environments for the members of historic Black communities of the Portland Metropolitan Area. Their mission, “is embodied in the York Urban Village (YUV), an innovative project in Portland’s York District. YUV honors Black history and its connections to regional tribal histories while addressing systemic displacement, erasure, and inequity.”

“ Heart of the High Dessert” Documentary (2025)

(Formerly known as “Here’s to the Girls”)

$ 7,500 with gratitude to the Oregon Film

A feature-length independent documentary centering the women of rural agricultural Eastern Oregon, the heart of their communities, lead by Haitian-American film maker, Claire McKay.

Oregon Department of Justice & LABS PDX

Oregon Department of Justice Anti-Bias Hotline “You Belong” Public Service Video Campaign

In collaboration with the Oregon Department of Justice and LABS PDX, NCSA served as recruitment, screening, and production for the “You Belong” Campaign to inform Oregonians of their right to inclusion and the ear of the State of Oregon regarding bias incidents and experiences.

Overgreenland Productions & the Confederate Tribes of Gran Ronde

"Culture and Education: An Intersection of Indigenous Excellence" Campaign 

In collaboration with Overgreenland Productions and the Confederate Tribes of Gran Ronde, the Artistry & Journalism programs of NCSA provided project cinematography for a mini-documentary highlighting cultural celebration and perpetuity for Turtle Island Native populations of the Pacific Northwest to benefit the efforts of the Native Wellness Institute, North Clackamas and Clakamas education service district

1 World Chorus & The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts

York the Explorer: A Folk Opera

In collaboration with 1 World Chorus, NCSA’s Artistry & Journalism programs provided project management and production support for the 2025 public debut of “York the Explorer: A Folk Opera” host by the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts.

The SOUL Restoration Center (2024)

I.AM.MORE Program

As a collaborative effort with Portland Oregon’s SOUL Restoration Center and 1 World Chorus, NCSA filmed, produced, and edited a youth-led, place-making music video for the I.AM.MORE program.

Studio ATAO

Food System Inequality Training Modules

NCSA edited and curated storylines and video material for educational training modules discussing the critical importance of agriculture, the global food system, and late-stage capitalism. This project aimed to educate individuals and businesses interested in repairing and reforming the nation’s food system through land liberation and food sovereignty work.

Our Services

Explore our range of services designed to help you move forward with confidence, wherever you're headed next.

Use the linked picture or QR Code below to reach out about CIS programs.

  • This program collaborates with individuals and community groups to transform their visions into viable businesses and organizations.

  • This program partners with local groups and organizers to turn community visions into reality, offering hands‑on support in project planning, branding, and marketing for events and initiatives.

  • This program delivers accessible business intelligence‑based assessment and development assistance to support the continuity of community businesses, organizations, and programming.

  • This program delivers accessible grant writing, fund management, and compliance reporting support to help ensure the continuity and long‑term viability of small community businesses, organizations, and programs in underserved communities.

  • This program provides grant writing, fund management, and reporting assistance to ensure the continuity, compliance, and long‑term sustainability of small community businesses, organizations, and programming.

It all begins with an idea.

launching a business.

turning a hobby into something more.

Sharing a creative project with the world.

Whatever it may be, the way a story is structured and voiced can make all the difference.