ISS - Miller Foundation Gift

The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation approached Portland State University in 2008 because of the University’s deep commitment and connection to the community. The Miller Foundation wanted to make a large investment in an organization that could have a transformative impact in the region. Portland State University chose to use sustainability as the theme for implementing this grant.

The gift, which was to be spent down in 10 years' time, was focused on three major pillars:

1. Student experience
2. Faculty excellence
3. Community engagement

Over the life of this generous grant, PSU was able to:

• Recruit and retain sustainability faculty
• Develop new community partnerships
• Build new centers and institutes - along with ISS, these included the Transportation Research and Education Center and Center for Public Interest Design
• Create new curricular offerings, such as courses and certificates
• Provide support of student engagement through the Student Sustainability Center and Sustainability Internship program 
• Match external funding to make external applications more competitive

The Miller Foundation grant institutionalized many new sustainability programs and partnerships and helped to raise more than $65 million for sustainability research, education, and partnerships at PSU.

Contact isspsu@pdx.edu to learn more about the Miller Foundation gift.

Some resources on the Miller Foundation gift:

• Original announcement of the gift