Fall 2025 Micro-Grant Awards
Brilliance Labs is proud to announce the recipients of our eighth round of micro-grant awards. The Fall round was our largest (and most competitive!) round to date, with 25 wonderful ministries and organizations applying for grants. These micro-grants carry the legacy of Central Bible Church by funding churches and organizations that are making a difference in our city, especially among those under-resourced or otherwise neglected by majority culture churches and ministries.
Charis Counseling Associates
Charis Counseling Associates is seeking to address the problem of prohibitively expensive and inaccessible counseling for those who need it. Their mission, in their own words: “Charis Counseling Associates exists to reflect God’s grace through professional, evidence-based therapy and mental health education—partnering with local churches and communities to make healing accessible to all, regardless of financial barriers. Our goal is simple: to make the highest level of care available to anyone brave enough to seek it.”
Brilliance Labs awarded Charis a $5,750 grant to fund an initiative they’re launching in partnership with Transitional Youth to offer professional mental health support to unhoused and housing-insecure young adults.
Divine Threads
Divine Threads serves women who have experienced turbulent upheaval in their lives, forcing them to face poverty, emotional distress, and isolation due to dangerous and traumatic situations such as domestic violence, trafficking, war displacement, incarceration, addiction, and more. They offer a variety of programs in the areas of: Emotional Healing, Life Skills Training, and Makeovers to provide support and skills to rebuild their lives.
Brilliance Labs awarded Divine Threads a $5,247 grant to fund ‘The Rebuilding Package’ for one of their program participants. More information on this program can be found here.
Echo Ranch
The mission of Echo Ranch is to ECHO God's promises of truth and hope to the lost and broken in our community and offer a place to come and just be at the ranch. They use rescue horses as a conduit and provide one on one mentoring as well as camps and events for a multitude of demographics, including foster and at risk kids and teens, senior citizens, people with special needs, people living on the street or in a shelter, anyone who is hurting and broken and desires to spend time with horses. Their heart is to support, encourage, build a relationship and share God's love and purpose with every person who sets foot on the ranch.
Brilliance Labs awarded Echo Ranch a $5,000 grant to be used to update their round pen and arena footing areas, both of which are crucial for their ministry.
Parklane Christian Reformed Church
Parklane Christian Reformed Church’s vision is: "make new friends, share good news" in their neighborhood of Rockwood. Their mission field is East Portland/Gresham. They focus on building relationships and sharing the gospel with their community. This is done through worship, outreach and discipleship.
Brilliance Labs awarded Parklane Church a $5,000 grant to be used toward purchasing a van for their youth ministry, used for transporting students, most of whom come from families who aren’t active in a church, to and from services, events, etc.
Portland Central Young Life
Young Life is a Christian based organization that seeks to introduce adolescents to Jesus and help them grow in their faith. While they have different tools and organizations they partner with to disciple and help with spiritual formation for a deeper level of faith, their primary audience are kids disinterested in the Church and who are the furthest out (socioeconomic barriers, generational unhealth, single parents, and other complex issues). They model Jesus’ incarnational ministry by going to where kids are (they call this Contact Work) in order to encounter and engage kids by meeting them where they’re at. Organizationally this has traditionally looked like being at school, doing lunches, attending school sporting events or theater. They currently serve middle school kids, high school kids, kids with disabilities and college age adults.
Brilliance Labs awarded Portland Central Young Life a $5,000 grant to fund their student leadership program, known as Acts 29.
Relife NW
The mission of Relife NW is to create space for refugee women to flourish through relational mentorship, coaching, and community connection. Their vision is for every refugee woman to know the love of Christ, live empowered and confident lives, and find true belonging as they nurture their families and lead their communities. The problem that many refugee families in Oregon face are significant barriers to stability and integration. Reduced federal support, limited case management beyond the first year, and the loss of consistent community connections have left many women isolated and without the tools they need to thrive. Relife bridges this gap by offering long-term relational support, culturally aware mentorship, and leadership development so refugee women can flourish and contribute meaningfully to the communities they now call home.
Brilliance Labs awarded Relife NW a $4,000 grant to be used to offer refugee women family support services and for Relife to be able to grow to expand the services they offer.
The Family Room
The Family Room’s mission is to support families impacted by foster care by creating compassionate visitation spaces and experiences that help parents and children rebuild trust, nurture relationships, and heal together. In Oregon’s child welfare system, families served by ODHS typically receive only one to two hours of visitation (“Family Time”) each week—often in a small, sterile office room. These settings, while functional, are far from conducive to meaningful connection or healing. Research shows that the single greatest predictor of reunification is the amount of time families spend together. The more opportunities parents and children have to engage in safe, supportive, and natural interactions, the more likely they are to reunify successfully. The Family Room bridges this gap by providing home-like visitation spaces where families can gather in comfort and dignity.
Brilliance Labs awarded The Family Room a $4,500 grant to fund their ‘Backpack Food Program,’ serving parents experiencing food insecurity.
