PORTLAND, Ore. (August 2, 2022) – The Trail Blazers Foundation has awarded 35 grants to local nonprofit organizations throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. These Live Greener, Learn and Play grants will distribute $450,000 throughout the region.
The grants fund nonprofits who are connecting youth to the environment through education, preservation, and employment; supporting youth to graduate from high school; and encouraging physical activity for youth. These grants are focused on funding organizations serving youth from historically underrepresented and marginalized communities throughout the region and distributed in partnership with Oregon Community Foundation.
“Our Foundation is proud to fund so many incredible nonprofits serving communities throughout the Pacific Northwest,” said Annie Klug, Trail Blazers Foundation Executive Director. “We hope these grants will help them continue to provide critical opportunities to connect youth with the environment, education and sport.”
See the complete list of Live Greener, Learn, and Play grant recipients below.
2022 Live Greener, Learn, and Play Grant Recipients
Greener
- Camp Fire Columbia (County served by grant: Clackamas)
- Salmon Camp accommodations, food, and counselors to support Indigenous students
- ELSO (Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah, and Washington)
- Culturally relevant STEAM education and workforce development empowering youth of color
- Friends of Tyron Creek (Clackamas and Multnomah)
- Supplies, backpacks, food, outreach, and transportation for youth in need
- Friends of Pier Park (Multnomah)
- Native classroom educators and artists, plants, art supplies, eco-friendly rain ponchos, honorary certificates
- High Desert Partnerships (Harney)
- Training youth in ecological job skills
- Marys River Watershed Council (Benton)
- Environmental workshops, field trips, & field lessons for bilingual, dual immersion, science class high school students
- Mount Pisgah Arboretum (Lane)
- Training and compensation for bilingual Latinx youth to be nature educators
- Soul River, Inc. (Statewide)
- Environmental education deployments for youth supported by adults who are veterans
- Upper Deschutes Watershed Council (Deschutes and Jefferson)
- Connecting students to hands-on outdoor watershed education and stewardship activities
- Verde (Multnomah)
- Translators and additional staff, transportation, and food
Learn
- Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis (Benton)
- Support on-time graduation, personal and professional development for teens in Be Great by 8th and Training Teens for Tomorrow programs
- Boys & Girls Club of Salem, Marion and Polk Counties (Marion and Polk)
- Supplies and staffing for summer programs and curriculum design
- College Possible (Columbia, Morrow, Umatilla, and Washington)
- Programming support including materials, technology, and travel for rural Oregon counties
- Elevate Oregon (Multnomah)
- Curriculum, academic and socioemotional support, career development, culturally responsive advocacy, and 1:1 mentoring for at-risk youth
- Friends of the Mentor Program (Lake)
- One-on-one, team, and peer mentoring in Lake County
- Latino Network (Multnomah and Washington)
- Providing culturally-specific practices and services for education success in the Latinx community youth
- Mt. Scott Park Center for Learning (Multnomah)
- Equitable high school education for students who struggle to fulfill their potential in a traditional school environment
- Portland Youth Builders (Clackamas and Multnomah)
- Trainer, tools and supplies, and test fees for Construction Training program
- Project Youth+ (Douglas, Jackson and Josephine)
- Mentoring and support to regain track toward post-secondary education
- Shadow Project (Marion and Multnomah)
- Reading materials and support for volunteer recruitment along with educator to expand Reading Mentors
- SMART Reading (Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath)
- Literacy support and book access for Southern Oregon counties
- Willamette Academy at Willamette University (Marion)
- Promoting post-secondary education to potential first-generation-to-college and underrepresented students in the Salem-Keizer School District
- Youth Progress Association (Multnomah)
- Year-round, culturally responsive Learning Center program to meet the needs of students in foster care
- Young Roots Oregon (Benton and Linn)
- Academic support services for teen parents and primary Spanish speakers, increasing high school/GED graduation rates and drop out reengagement opportunities
Play
- AC Portland (Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington)
- Recruitment, training, and stipends for mentors in support of roller derby and volleyball programming for girls and gender-expansive youth
- Adaptive Sports Northwest (Clackamas, Clark, Clatsop, Columbia, Deschutes, Hood River, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, and Yamhill)
- Recreational, fitness and competitive opportunities for youth with physical or visual disabilities
- Adelante Mujeres (Washington)
- Staff and supplies for 10-week Soccer Academy for Latinx girls with parenting workshops and family engagement support
- Boys and Girls Club of Warm Springs/Snohomish County (Jefferson & Wasco)
- Expansion of Triple Play program to 50 other youth members on the Warm Springs Reservation
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Lane County (Lane)
- Multi-sport accessories for sports court use
- Building Healthy Families (Wallowa)
- Pump track designed by American Ramp Co., skateboards, scooters and rollerblades, etc.
- Central Oregon Disability Support Network (Statewide)
- No cost Bike for Life program for families
- Kids Club of Harney County (Harney)
- Road Running Club and Out of School Enrichment programs for youth in rural areas
- Made to Thrive (Morrow and Umatilla)
- Advance the mission of removing barriers for low-income rural youth and assist the families with utility bills and holiday gifts
- Northwest Association for Blind Athletes (Clackamas, Clark, Hood River, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Washington, and Yamhill)
- Camp Spark, an adaptive sports and skill development camp for blind or visually impaired youth
- Portland Community Football Club (Multnomah)
- Affordable soccer programming with nutritional and social-emotional support for youth members