PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers today announced the awarding of $44,286 in grants to 10 family and youth-focused, nonprofit organizations throughout the greater-Portland area through the Portland Timbers Community Fund (PTCF). The recipients were selected by the Portland Timbers Community Fund Advisory Board.
Supported by founding partners JELD-WEN Windows & Doors, Alaska Airlines, adidas, PGE and Burgerville, the PTCF presented grants to Adelante Mujeres, Camp Fire Columbia, Friends of the Children-Portland, Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East, Impact NW, Momentum Alliance, Morrison Child & Family Services, Northwest Outward Bound School, Sauvie Island Center and Social Venture Partners Portland.
The PTCF has set as an aggressive goal of awarding $180,000 in grants to local nonprofits and field projects in 2013. The spring grants are the first of two grant cycles over the course of the year. Letters of Interest (LOI) for the PTCF’s second grant cycle are due Friday, June 12. For grant applications and guidelines, visit www.portlandtimbers.com/community/fund.
The funding that Adelante Mujeres receives will go towards helping 150 elementary- to high school-aged girls learn ways to improve their fitness and overall health, enhance their self esteem and learn teamwork through the sport of soccer. For more on the programs provided by Adelante Mujeres, based in Forest Grove, Ore., visit www.adelantemujeres.org.
Camp Fire Columbia will apply its grant towards scholarships for its teen program, “Xploregon.” The summer program for high school youth in the David Douglas School District features a 12-day road trip to explore a variety of Northwest landscapes and locations through adventure, leadership and service. For more information on Camp Fire Columbia or its programs, visit www.campfirecolumbia.org.
The grant awarded to Friends of the Children-Portland will go to its “Love of Soccer” camp, created as a result of a positive experience from a soccer camp funded by the PTCF in 2012. Funds will be used for the camp and to sponsor youth who want to play on local teams. Additional information on Friends of the Children-Portland is available at www.friendspdx.org.
Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East will apply its grant to the creation and support of a community garden and open-space play area located at a 45-lot, home-build site in Southeast Portland. The development at SE 171st and Division Street is the largest Habitat for Humanity build in Oregon. Click here to learn more about the project and Habitat for Humanity’s work in the community.
The funding given to Impact NW will be used for “On Track,” an afterschool running club for youth at Barnes Elementary in Beaverton, Ore. The program provides 60 students with physical activity and positive adult role models. Impact NW has been a leader in providing individuals of all ages with skills and resources to achieve success and to advocate for their communities; click here to learn more.
The grant awarded to Momentum Alliance will support the organization’s summer leadership camp for underrepresented youth in the Portland-metro area. The five-week camp focuses on important life skills such as nutrition, physical activity and budgeting. Additional information about the work of Momentum Alliance, based in North Portland, is available at www.studentallianceproject.org.
Morrison Child & Family Services received funding to support three health and wellness activities – Zumba, yoga and Tai Chi – for adolescent girls through the organization’s Rosemont School wellness initiative. The program addresses the need for health and fitness activities in support of a comprehensive approach to successful mental health treatment. To learn more, visit www.morrisonkids.org.
The grant given to Northwest Outward Bound School will be used to provide 10 weeks of outdoor and adventure programming for seventh- and eighth-grade students in Portland’s Parkrose School District during the 2013-14 school year. Outward Bound’s Portland Center makes elements of wilderness programs accessible to lower income individuals and urban youth through partnerships with schools and community-based organizations. Additional information is available at www.nwobs.org.
Funds awarded to Sauvie Island Center will go to its Grow Lunch Garden, a hands-on educational program that allows children to experience farming and to prepare healthy foods. The Sauvie Island Center increases food, farm and environmental literacy in the community by providing educational field trips for elementary school children. To learn more, visit www.sauvieislandcenter.org.
Social Venture Partners Portland will apply its grant towards its program “Think Little,” designed to create a platform for systematic change to help young children arrive at school prepared for learning. The program specifically aids children living in poverty and those whose first language is not English. To learn more about the support provided by Social Venture Partners Portland, click here.
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 sports; youth health and fitness; environmental awareness and activism with youth and families.
Through the club’s community outreach platform, Stand Together, the Timbers’ community mission is 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.portlandtimbers.com/stand-together.
