PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers today announced the awarding of $55,000 in grants to 10 family, youth and environment-focused nonprofit organizations in the greater-Portland area through the Portland Timbers Community Fund (PTCF). The recipients were selected by the Portland Timbers Community Fund Advisory Board. The PTCF Advisory Board consists of partners adidas, Alaska Airlines, PGE and Providence Health & Services.
The Portland Timbers Community Fund presented summer grants to the Black Parent Initiative, Community Cycling Center, Friends of Trees, Girls on the Run, The Library Foundation, Native American Youth and Family Center, Right Brain Initiative, Raphael House of Portland, Reading Results and Teaching Preschool Partners.
Since the club’s inaugural MLS season in 2011, the Timbers have given more than $2.4 million in cash and in-kind donations, including their philanthropic work through the PTCF, the club’s field-grants program, and various experiential and charitable activities.
The funding Black Parent Initiative receives will support a project to introduce families to food gardening as a culturally grounded practice that can support good physical and economic health and parent-child interactions. For more information, visit www.thebpi.org.
Community Cycling Center, which focuses on broadening access to bicycling and its benefits, will apply its grant to secure funding for its Bike Camp Scholarships to enable low-income youth the opportunity to take part in rides exploring Portland. Visit www.communitycyclingcenter.org to learn more.
The grant awarded to Friends of Trees will go to support the Columbia Children’s Arboretum Revitalization project, which provides stewardship work for at-risk youth at Woodlawn Elementary. Funds will help purchase plants and materials, and cover student expenses for the project. For more information, visit www.friendsoftrees.org.
Girls on the Run, which inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates the sport of running, will apply its grant to help fund its scholarship program to grow the initiative in underserved communities. Visit www.girlsontherunpdx.org to learn more.
The funding that The Library Foundation receives will help the Summer Reading Program at Multnomah County Library as well as supporting the nonprofit’s goal of reaching out and engaging with a diverse number of groups and other nonprofits. For more information, visit www.libraryfoundation.org.
The funding given to the Native American Youth and Family Center will support Camp Nanich, a four-week summer camp for 24 young students to help lessen the achievement gap by providing structured academic programming and recreational activities. Learn more at www.nayapdx.org.
The grant awarded to Right Brain Initiative will provide funding to support the program’s overall budget. The Right Brain Initiative aims to achieve a measurable impact on learning by integrating the community’s arts and cultural resources into the education of K-8 students in the greater-Portland area. For more information, visit www.therightbraininitiative.org.
Raphael House of Portland, which provides a safe haven from domestic violence and engages the community in non-violent living through advocacy, education and community outreach, will apply its grant to expanding the “Coaching Boys into Men” program into Portland Public Schools. The program supports athletic coaches and provides the tools and resources needed to help young male athletes develop positive behaviors. Learn more at www.raphaelhouse.com.
The funding that Reading Results receives will help expand its tutoring program to reach more low-income students in the Portland area with a goal of serving 450 students to help them reach a third-grade reading level. For more information, visit www.readingresultspdx.org.
The grant awarded to Teaching Preschool Partners will provide support for its youth education work at Gladstone, Margaret Scott and Prescott Elementary Schools to help equip families of at-risk, preschool-age children with the skills necessary to achieve school readiness. Learn more at www.teachingpreschoolpartners.org.
The PTCF, an advised fund of the Oregon Community Foundation, supports charitable, nonprofit organizations that are registered as a 501(c)(3), with a tax-exempt status from the IRS and are located within one of the four surrounding counties of the Portland metro area: Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Clark County in Southwest Washington. Grant-seeking organizations must fall under one of the following areas of focus: youth education; youth activity; environmental awareness and activism with youth and families.
Through the club’s community outreach platform, Stand Together, the team is committed to furthering its community mission to harness the power of sport to improve the lives of children and families in the region through targeted programs, deep partnerships and philanthropic giving. For more on the Timbers community outreach programs and partners, visit www.timbers.com/stand-together.
