No Cuts to Native Prosperity
Portland’s economic recovery is finally gaining momentum. Yet at this critical juncture, Portland’s small business ecosystem faces a serious threat.
The Urgent Moment
Two City Council members, Councilors Mitch Green and Jamie Dunphy, have proposed budget cuts that would slash millions from Prosper Portland’s core functions. Their proposal would cut all of the $13.1 million in general fund dollars that Mayor Keith Wilson had earmarked for Prosper Portland in the 2026 fiscal year, which begins July 1.
While Councilor Green has described this as a “one-time move” that would free up dollars during Portland’s fiscal challenges, this action is not just a budget cut – it is a dismantling of over a decade of intentional, community-driven work to build equitable economic development systems that prioritize racial equity, support underinvested entrepreneurs, and create pathways for shared prosperity.
What You Can Do
We urgently need your support to protect funding for Prosper Portland!
Eliminating Prosper Portland’s General Fund allocation is not just a budget decision—it is a policy choice that undermines racial equity, erodes public trust, and walks back years of community-led economic development.
Now, with a newly expanded City Council tasked with leading Portland into a new era of governance, we urge each member to prioritize investments that reflect our shared values of equity, resilience, and prosperity. Your voice can help make the difference.
Contact City Council:
We need YOU to contact Portland City Council and tell them: NO Cuts to Native Prosperity. Here’s how:
1. Copy this list of emails into a new email:
councilor.avalos@portlandoregon.gov
councilor.dunphy@portlandoregon.gov
councilor.smith@portlandoregon.gov
councilor.pirtle-guiney@portlandoregon.gov
councilor.kanal@portlandoregon.gov
councilor.ryan@portlandoregon.gov
councilor.novick@portlandoregon.gov
councilor.morillo@portlandoregon.gov
councilor.koyamalane@portlandoregon.gov
councilor.clark@portlandoregon.gov
councilor.green@portlandoregon.gov
councilor.zimmerman@portlandoregon.gov
2. Here’s a template message:
“I’m writing to ask you to vote no on the budget amendment that would remove Prosper Portland’s budget for investing in small businesses. Native small businesses are growing generational wealth for a community that has long been denied equal economic opportunity. Do not break the City’s promise to Native and other BIPOC communities. I stand with NAYA and the many community leaders who are clear that this amendment is dangerous, as it “undermines racial equity, erodes public trust, and walks back years of community-led economic development.”
3. Send it! We need everyone to contact City Council before their vote on Wednesday morning.
Why This Matters to Our Community
For generations, Native American communities have faced systemic barriers to economic opportunity and prosperity. At NAYA, we’ve worked tirelessly to address these inequities by providing culturally specific economic development services to the Indigenous community in Portland.
As a proud Native-led organization in the Cully neighborhood, we are deeply concerned about the proposed budget cuts to Prosper Portland, particularly affecting the work that supports small businesses, especially through the IBRN program.
Our Microenterprise program creates important opportunities for Native entrepreneurs, helping them establish, grow, and sustain businesses that not only provide for their families but also strengthen our cultural identity and contribute to Portland’s diverse economic landscape. These businesses represent more than economic activity—they embody resilience, cultural preservation, and community wealth-building for Indigenous peoples.
The IBRN: A Lifeline for Small Businesses
The IBRN program has been a lifeline for many businesses in our community, providing essential resources such as:
✅ Business mentorship
✅ Access to small business resources
✅ Legal and professional service referrals
✅ Grants
This support is crucial for business owners of color, immigrants, women, and other underrepresented entrepreneurs. Removing this safety net would leave vulnerable communities at a time when small businesses are already navigating immense challenges, especially in the wake of the pandemic.
Prosper Portland’s General Fund allocation has been the city’s primary mechanism for funding transformative programs like the Inclusive Business Resource Network (IBRN), which has helped thousands of Portlanders build generational wealth, stabilize family-owned businesses, and access meaningful employment.
The Broader Impact of Prosper Portland
Portland residents already shoulder one of the highest tax burdens in the country. We do so with the expectation that our tax dollars will be reinvested in stabilizing our economy, ensuring inclusive growth, and correcting long-standing inequities.
The communities these programs serve—communities of color, immigrants, low-income entrepreneurs, and small business owners, most vulnerable to economic volatility—are too often the first to be cut in times of fiscal strain. Removing General Fund support now would effectively abandon the very communities Portland has promised to uplift through its own equity goals.
Furthermore, the suggestion that the Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) could serve as a replacement for General Fund support is a dangerous sleight of hand. The SIF was never designed to fully sustain core program operations. It is, at best, a temporary patch and, at worst, a final payout before programs are eliminated altogether. This fund cannot replace stable, ongoing investment, especially not in a moment of market instability, rising inflation, fluctuating tariffs, and the ripple effects of cancelled government contracts that disproportionately harm our most vulnerable entrepreneurs.
Even the current proposed budget (before the additional cuts proposed by Councilors Green and Dunphy) already includes significant reductions:
A $3.7 million (26%) reduction in ongoing General Fund
$2,000,000 reduction to Workforce and Small Business Supports (currently backfilled by one-time resources for FY 2025-26)
$192,500 reduction to Inclusive Entrepreneurship / Small Business Supports
$380,000 reduction to Community Based District Support
The additional cuts proposed would effectively eliminate all General Fund support, putting these vital programs at severe risk.
Please stand with Native entrepreneurs and other communities of color, and tell City Council: No Cuts to Native Prosperity!