Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership
2026 Joey Pope Award nominations are open!
Deadline extended to March 31.
The Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership was established in 2022 to recognize an emerging leader, organization, or initiative promoting greater innovation and accessibility in Portland’s system of parks and open spaces. The honoree receives a $10,000 grant to advance their work plus customized technical assistance in partnership with PPF.
The annual award is named for Josephine Pope, founding chair of Portland Parks Foundation and our partner in the award’s creation. Guided by the belief that parks and the outdoors are for everyone and an essential part of life in the Northwest, Josephine (Joey) Pope has devoted over four decades of her life to activism, philanthropy, and leadership in making Portland’s parks system more accessible to all. Her work has ranged from developing the Hoyt Arboretum Visitors’ Center in the 1980s to establishing Holly Farm Park in the ‘90s to launching the effort to establish Leach Botanical Garden as the “Arboretum for the outer east side.” Joey also chaired the Vision 2020 Task Force to create the 20-year blueprint for Portland’s parks system.
To fund the award, we have also worked with the Pope family to establish the Joey Pope Fund for Parks Leadership. You can click here to read more about the fund and everyone who has contributed so far. The award will invest in emerging individuals, organizations, and initiatives playing a leadership role in advancing accessibility and innovation in Portland’s parks system.
I'm honored by the establishment of a parks leadership fund in my name. It's been a privilege to work on behalf of our parks system and our city for so many years. Parks are essential to our health and well-being. I hope this fund can make a difference in people's lives by leveraging new acts of leadership to keep improving Portland's parks system. - Joey Pope
“Joey was ahead of what we now call ‘equity,’” according to Zari Santner, Portland Parks & Recreation Director and Emeritus Board Member of Portland Parks Foundation. “For her, it was a matter of economically disadvantaged people of all races or color having access to parks, nature, and all recreation.”
The Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership is an investment in emerging parks leaders or specific projects. The criteria for selecting honorees will include, but not be limited, to:
Innovating in programming in parks, recreation, and arts or in connecting such parks-oriented programs to those without access
Developing new approaches to horticulture and habitat creation to advance beauty and nature in a changing climate
Advancing equity, accessibility and cultural understanding of parks and parks programs for historically marginalized groups*
Building coalitions and partnerships to expand Portland’s system of parks, trails, open spaces, and playgrounds
* We define historically marginalized groups as anyone who has experienced inequities as a result of their class, race, ethnicity, citizenship status, nationality, disability, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation or age. We recognize that this list is not comprehensive and strive to prioritize all groups that experience inequities as a result of how they identify or are identified by others.
Who can be nominated?
In the spirit of its namesake, the Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership will not be an award for past accomplishments, but rather a boost for emerging leaders, organizations or initiatives evolving Portland’s parks, open-spaces and trail systems for future generations and a new era of challenges and opportunities.
You can nominate an individual, a group of individuals, a 501(c)(3) organization, or an organization with a fiscal sponsor.
You are welcome to nominate yourself or your organization or initiative.
There is no limit to how many people you can nominate and no age restrictions.
If the nominee does not have a fiscal sponsor, please contact PPF at info@portlandpf.org
Nominations for 2026 are open February 1 to March 15.
To prepare your nomination, you may review the questions below:
Award Timeline:
Nominations accepted February 1 - March 15, 11:59pm
Review period March - April
Award Announced Mid-May at the Friends & Allies Spring Summit.
How to Submit:
Nominations can be submitted through the online portal. If you have trouble accessing the portal or want to confirm if you have an account please contact Jason Brown at jason.brown@portlandpf.org.
Learn More about the Past Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership
The Portland Parks Foundation also offers a Small Grants Program to support community organizations working to create or care for public parks and park programs, community gardens, and natural areas. Check out our Small Grants Program Guidelines to see if your organization would be a good fit!
And check out our annual Parks Champion Award, which recognizes volunteers who provide outstanding volunteer service to a park, community center, natural area, or community garden. Each year, PPF makes a grant of $1,500 on the recommendation of the award recipient to a community organization that aligns with PPF’s vision to help Portland communities create more equitable access to nature, play, health, and places of connection.