Small Grants Program

Announcing the Fall 2021 Small Grant Recipients

Portland Parks Foundation is Excited to Announce our Fall 2021 Grant Recipients

PPF’s small grants program supports local organizations that steward public parks, park programs, community gardens and natural areas. This Fall our community-based review committee selected five organizations to receive a $2000 grant to support general operating or a specific program. PPF is proud to partner with five new organizations committed to increasing opportunities for Black, Indigenous and people of color, immigrant and refugees, individuals with a disability, and low-income and marginalized youth and their families in public parks, nature and community centers.

Boise Eliot Native Grove

The Boise Eliot Native Grove is a volunteer run organization with a mission of restoring the habitat, cultivating education and growing community. The Boise Eliot Native Grove is a pollinator support grove and public nature space built by and for the community on Portland Bureau of Transportation land, formerly an unimproved right-of-way full of invasive species and used as a trash dump.

Community involvement is essential to the ongoing maintenance and support of the native grove. Students and teachers from Boise-Eliot and Humboldt School, who, along with students and faculty from The Ivy School and Self Enhancement, Inc., have contributed extensive design ideas and habitat restoration support to the grove.

This past summer the “heat dome” and the long, dry weather caused detrimental effects on the plant community, killing off a number of shrubs and knocking back some native ground covers.

This grant will go towards the 2022 Earth Day event plus plant specimen replacement, new signs and Library box and books, and general maintenance on the Grove.

Green Lents

Green Lents, cultivates a thriving, resilient and environmentally just community through engagement, education and collective action. In recent years, they have focused on increasing equitable access and leadership over environmental resources and benefits to those most impacted by gentrification, development, climate change and increased urban high-heat zones, wildfire smoke pollution and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Covid-19 has hit many communities and nonprofits hard over the last two years. Due to funding shortages, Green Lents was forced to cut back on staff expenditures. With programs funded by grants and donations, maintaining the same operational budget during Covid in 2021 proved difficult.

Over the next few month, they will work with board members, volunteers and partners to conduct surveys, determine community needs, and project outlines and budgeting. This grant will support the organization in addressing a funding gap to ensure current programming will not be interrupted during the planning process and provide stability and continuity for a robust 2022.

Portland Fruit Tree Project

Portland Fruit Tree Project increases equitable access to healthful foods and strengthens communities by empowering neighbors to share in the harvest and care of city-grown produce. The organization coordinates harvesting and sharing surplus fruit amongst communities and community organizations, sustains several mobile orchard and vegetable garden plots in partnership with community organizations, and educates the community on issues of equitable tree canopy, food justice, and the complexities of the food system.

As the Portland Fruit Tree project expands, they seek to build a workforce development program around fruit tree care, increase equity centered harvesting opportunities, called Healing Harvests, to address harm experienced primarily by the Black and Latino/a/x communities around harvesting food, and further community based research around barriers to accessing fruit as well as a research project focused on increasing people sharing harvests that are less reliant on organizational intervention.

The grant will support the organization as they seek to expand these services and programs.

Sail2Change (S2C) empowers historically underserved and underrepresented youth through access to sailing, environmental education, mentorship and tutoring as a catalyst for equitable academic opportunity and maritime industry employment. Through sailing and outdoor education, S2C promotes equitable access to Portland’s waterways and natural areas.

Their activities encourage youth to spend more time outdoors and take advantage of Portland’s natural beauty. Many of the youth have never been to the local parks and waterways S2C frequents. As part of the sailing lessons they provide, youth explore the Willamette River and are able to experience their hometown in a new way. While sailing, youth will visit Sellwood Riverfront Park, Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge and will head downtown to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

Funding from this grant will provide programming to a larger number of youth and help to spread the word about their free programming.

The Scott School Basketball Program uses basketball as a way to enable children from the community to have a positive after school environment to develop physical, social skills and self-esteem. Scott School is located in the Cully neighborhood and has a large population of low income and students of color. The program is volunteer run, however there are costs associated with league fees, uniforms and equipment. After a season away, due to Covid, 80 students across 3rd, 4th and 5th grade will be able to participate in the Scott School Basketball Program.

The goal of the program, coached by long time physical education teacher and basketball coach, Ken Lee, is not to win games but to ensure all students are included in the game and develop team cooperation and individual growth.

The small grant will help defer some of the registration fees for children on free lunch programs at Scott School. Offsetting the costs of the program, uniforms and equipment will provide opportunities for more students to get involved in after school basketball.

Spring 2021 Small Grant Recipient

Portland Parks Foundation is Excited to Announce our Spring 2021 Grant Recipients

PPF’s small grants program aims to support local organizations that steward public parks, park programs, community gardens and natural areas. This spring our community-based review committee selected five organizations centering equity in their programming. Each organization is receiving $2000 to support general operating or a specific program. PPF is proud to partner with five new organizations committed to increasing opportunities for Black, Indigenous and people of color, immigrant and refugees, disabled, low-income and marginalized youth and their families in public parks and nature.

People of Color Outdoors

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People of Color Outdoors (POCO) connects “Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) folks of all ages to the outdoors via BIPOC-led outings; deepening the BIPOC communities’ relationships to the outdoors by learning about basic environmental education, environmental justice, and BIPOC environmental contributions; and connect BIPOC youth to fulfilling careers in parks and nature.” Parks and outdoor areas have not always been a safe place for the BIPOC community. Pamela Slaughter, founder of POCO, started the organization to create a safe space for the BIPOC community to access and connect with nature.

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Throughout COVID-19, POCO has successfully brought their members to in-person nature outings and virtual events at no cost to them. The organization operates as a MeetUp group and is quickly expanding. This grant will support POCO's general operating and capacity building by growing their social media presence to reach and engage more community members.

 

Vernon Neighborhood Association

The Vernon Neighborhood Association (VNA) brings neighbors together to build a safe and resilient neighborhood, rooted in an understanding of its rich cultural history. VNA actively works to “initiate, promote and implement programs that connect the diverse neighbors in this community.” COVID-19 posed great challenges for the community and now VNA is looking at how to safely connect the community to their neighbors and the outdoors. The group is excited to have local historians Anjala Ehelebe and Doug Decker lead walking tours of the Vernon neighborhood, focusing on Alberta Park and what growing up in the northeast neighborhoods as a person of color is like.

Vernon Neighborhood Association will use the grant to support Anjala and Doug in creating and executing walking tours throughout the summer. Walking tours offer an educational and fun experience for the community after a long and hard year.

Doug Decker

Anjala Ehelebe

Anjala Ehelebe

 

Friends of Zenger Farm

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Friends of Zenger Farm is deeply rooted in the outer southeast community. The 24 acre farm “promotes and educates about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, and community building to improve our collective wellbeing.” The organization works to dismantle food inequities created by racism, capitalism, colonialism and other systems of oppression. Friends of Zenger Farm eliminates barriers to food and land access by providing fresh food for low-income Black and Brown families in the community. 

The PPF grant will support their Open Farm Days social media and market delivery. Open Farm Days are regular events that safely bring BIPOC and David Douglas School District families to their farm wetlands. When attending this event, families learn about ecosystems, plant identification and uses, gardening and can enjoy free prepared food made by community chefs.

 
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Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden will be piloting a program, “Rooting Among Rhodies'' with Latino Network and SUN Community Schools to bring youth to the gardens for fun outdoor learning opportunities. The programing aims to center the experiences of communities of color in our public spaces. Students from Kelly and Bridger elementary schools will visit Crystal Springs for outdoor socio-emotional learning. The program hopes to build cohesion in the children's learning community and help create a stronger sense of ownership and connection to the garden. 

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Funds from PPF’s small grant will ensure that the students from the two elementary schools can get to the garden, free of cost to them. Buses will bring the students to Crystal Springs to enjoy, learn and connect with nature.

 
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Friends of Pier Park

Friends of Pier Park is an all-volunteer neighborhood group with the mission of enhancing and advocating for the 85-acre North Portland park, ensuring all visitors feel safe and invited. By including and activating the community, Friends of Pier Park is creating and empowering the diverse community to care for the park. The neighborhood around the park is rich, vibrant and diverse. The park is a place where low-income, immigrant, and culturally diverse families can come together to share ideas and enjoy the outdoors.

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Translators and interpreters are an essential part of Friends of Pier Park’s future of ensuring all community members have the opportunity to be involved in the decisions of the park. The small grant will be used for general operating support. This grant will help create the foundation for growth as the organization works on developing new sustainable and inclusive programming.

 

For more information and to read about past grantees, check out our Small Grants Program page.

Contact Jessica Green at jgreen@portlandpf.org with any questions.

Small Grants Recipients Read, Paddle and Repair

The Portland Parks Foundation is happy to announce our Fall 2020 grantees

PPF’s small grants program aims to support local organizations that steward public parks, park programs, community gardens and natural areas.  This fall our community-based review committee selected three organizations centering equity in their programming with proven adaptability during times of COVID-19 restrictions to continue bringing parks-related programming to marginalized communities in Portland.    

City Repair and Ecological Landscaping

The City Repair Project, $2,500

The City Repair Project facilitates “artistic, social justice and ecological placemaking through projects that honor the interconnection of human communities and the natural world.” City Repair manages village building programs for individuals experiencing houselessness, sponsors popular placemaking events such as Pickathon, and organizes Earth Day celebrations. Through their programming, they “aim to nuture public participation in parks, community gardens and natural areas.”

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This small grant will build organizational capacity and directly support City Repair’s ecological landscaping and permaculture community trainings and online workshops, and their 21st annual Village Building Convergence. A portion of the funds will be used to offer paid opportunities for community members to guest teach workshops in their effort to prioritize Black, Indigenous People of Color and LGBTQ+ community members. 

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Summer Free For All Bookmobile Camp

The Bookmobile Babe, $2,500

The Bookmobile Babe’s mobile libraries address the critical importance of childhood literacy and the reading gap that often occurs every summer. This grant will directly fund free books and free literacy programs for children ages 0-18, in addition to supporting the program’s dedicated volunteers. For the last three years, Bookmobile Babe has partnered with Summer Free for All’s Free Lunch + Play programming in Lents and Creston Parks. Free Lunch + Play sites provide free lunches and play opportunities at sites throughout the city where the need for nutritious meals is most critical. The Bookmobile Babe’s partnership provides additional opportunities for these families to engage in summer reading.

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The Bookmobile Babe operates on a small but impactful scale, and has done so successfully for three years, including this past summer with COVID-19 precautions in place. This grant will enhance their successful program so that even more children may have access to literacy support in the summer when they need it most. 

Columbia Slough Bilingual Paddle Leaders

Columbia Slough Watershed Council, $2,473

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The Columbia Slough Watershed Council (CSWC) maintains and advocates for a healthy watershed for all Portlanders. They recognize the many physical and emotional benefits that outdoor recreation offers. Furthermore, “engaging with local natural areas and parks motivates Portland community members to protect these areas.” Historically, immigrant communities have lacked access and awareness to the outdoor recreation opportunities Portland offers. To address this inequity, CSWC has partnered with Slavic and Latinx communities to develop a bilingual paddle program which provides an opportunity to learn kayak and canoe skills while also teaching about the history and ecology of the watershed. An integral component of this program is recruiting and training bilingual paddle leaders from the Latinx and Slavic communities. Funds from PPF’s small grant will be used to grow the program through training sessions where existing paddle leaders will come together to train new ones as well as provide information sessions on additional environmental topics of interest to these two communities. 

For more information and to read about past grantees, check out our Small Grants Program page.

Contact Jessica Green at jgreen@portlandpf.org with any questions.

Small grants promote access and outdoor education to underserved youth and their families

Portland Parks Foundation is pleased to announce the latest round of winners in our Small Grants Program, PDX Alliance for Self Care, Portland Free Play and Urban Nature Partners PDX. Established with funds from parks patron Nancy Hebb Freeman, the program provides -capacity-building support for organizations whose work aligns with PPF’s mission to ensure a thriving and accessible parks system.

At a time where COVID-19 has shifted learning to online, reduced social interaction and increased concerns about child obesity and depression, PPF is proud to partner with three organizations committed to increasing opportunities for Black, Indigenous and people of color, immigrant/refugee, disabled, low-income and all marginalized youth and their families in public parks and nature.

PDX Alliance for Self Care

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PDX Alliance for Self Care is a volunteer-organization addressing underrepresentation of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPoC), LGBTQ2SIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Two Spirit, Intersex, Asexual, plus other non-hetero orientations or genders), immigrant/refugee, disabled, low-income and all marginalized youth and their families in public parks and nature. Founded on a belief that this work should be led by those most impacted, local BIPoC educators and community leaders provide summer nature and mindfulness camps in our public parks. The grant will enable the Alliance to expand their outreach, improve their organizational communications and marketing. PPF funds will be used to support hiring of a graphic designer to create a logo to brand their program as well as translating the information into more languages that can be distributed by educators, newspapers and culturally-specific websites allowing the Alliance to reach more marginalized youth and their families.

Portland Free Play

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A self-proclaimed, “lean and scrappy volunteer-run organization,” Portland Free Play partners with Portland Parks & Recreation Free Lunch + Play program to deliver pop-up playground events to park and community sites where youth have less access to these experiences. Portland Free Play is currently working on a plan to expand to 12 different Lunch + Play sites in 2020, specifically focusing on East Portland where many youths live in parks deficient neighborhoods. PPF grants funds will be used to develop a fundraising strategy with a goal of raising enough funds to hire a part time position to administer and expand the program.

Urban Nature Partners PDX

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Urban Nature Partners PDX fills a gap in outdoor programming for youth from diverse, low-income families residing in Cully, Lents, Portsmouth and outer NE Portland. Their mission is to increase historically marginalized Portland communities’ access to and opportunities for meaningful experiences in urban parks and outdoor programs. Through their partnerships with local BIPoC and immigrant/refugee organizations, they provide mentor-youth programs in public parks and natural areas led by and for BIPoC communities.  These pairings also engage each youth’s family with monthly family events in natural areas and offer free summer camp opportunities in public parks after the first year of mentorship. PPF funds will support direct costs to deliver Spanish speaking programming support and their expansion to partner with youth in outer NE Portland.

New grants projects connect underserved communities with local parks and programs

Portland Parks Foundation is pleased to announce the new grantees from our Small Grants Program, which provides capacity building support for organizations whose work aligns with PPF’s mission to ensure a thriving and accessible parks system for a healthy Portland. “We are excited to work with our new grantees, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)  and Ecology in Classrooms and Outdoors (ECO). These projects directly address PPF’s priority for supporting underserved communities that have barriers to accessing the benefits of local parks and programs,” said Jessica Green, PPF’s Operations Officer.

IRCO’s Slavic Youth and Families Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Community School Program at Gilbert Park Elementary.

IRCO’s Slavic Youth and Families Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Community School Program at Gilbert Park Elementary.

IRCO is nationally and locally recognized as a culturally and linguistically specific community-based organization with a deep understanding of the diverse communities residing in Oregon. Their proposed project supports Portland’s Slavic Community, Oregon’s largest refugee-based community, which includes diverse ethnicities such as Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, and Czech. “After experiencing religious and political persecution, conflict, and corruption, Slavs are often isolated and reticent to mainstream systems. Almost one in three Slavic children live in poverty, twice the rate of White children. One in five Slavs speak English less than well. These disparities represent significant obstacles for Slavic families seeking resources through PP&R,” IRCO wrote. Through this project, IRCO will provide opportunities to engage Slavic community members with Portland parks spaces and programs through information sharing and events. IRCO hopes to not only increase Slavs’ access to parks, but also help “provide the sense of belonging that Portland’s public spaces, and by extension the city itself, is ‘for them.’”

Students participating in an ECO program at Kingsley D. Bundy Park in SE Portland.

Students participating in an ECO program at Kingsley D. Bundy Park in SE Portland.

With a mission to reconnect kids with nature, ECO shared that their work “is rooted in the understanding that when kids enjoy and understand the natural world, they grow into adults who take value and take care of it.” Eighty percent of the students ECO serves qualify for free or reduced lunch and 63% identify as minority. City parks that ECO students engage with include Powell Butte Natural Area, Springwater Corridor, and Kingsley D. Bundy Park. The proposed project is to provide diversity, equity, and inclusion training for ECO’s staff and board, with the goal of increasing capacity for the organization to deliver equitable and culturally responsive ecology programs. With increased capacity, ECO sees the impact of this program as helping to build “a more inclusive and diverse next generation of Portland residents who value and support access to thriving parks and natural areas.”

Congratulations to IRCO and ECO!

If you’re with a public park friends group or another community partner, be sure to keep in touch with the PPF throughout the year. You can learn more about our Small Grants Program here. Our next round of applications will be open beginning March 1, with a deadline of March 30, 2019. In addition to small grants, we also offer seasonal technical assistance workshops. Past programs have focused on fundraising strategies, equity and inclusion, grant writing, and building your board.