Ten local nonprofits selected to receive grants; will be recognized at halftime of Saturday’s game against Colorado at Providence Park
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers today announced the awarding of $60,000 in grants to ten educational, environmental, and community-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, consisting of partners adidas, Alaska Airlines and Providence Health & Services.
Since the club’s inaugural MLS season in 2011, the Timbers have given more than $7.2 million in cash and in-kind donations, including their philanthropic work through the PTCF, the club’s field-grants program and various charitable activities.
The Portland Timbers Community Fund presented grants to Adelante Mujeres, Centro Cultural del Condado de Washington, Girls on the Run Greater Oregon, KairosPDX, Northwest Outward Bound School, Oregon Zoo Foundation, Portland Audubon, Portland Fruit Tree Project, SMART Reading, and Zenger Farm.
Each of the ten organizations will be recognized at Providence Park during halftime of the Timbers match against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday (7:30pm PT, TICKETS, FOX 12 PLUS).
Adelante Mujeres, a nonprofit that works to provide education and empowerment opportunities to Latinx women and their families to ensure full participation and active leadership in the community, will apply it’s grant toward STEM through culturally-specific engagement at 28 school sites throughout Washington County, OR. For more information, visit https://www.adelantemujeres.org/.
Centro Cultural del Condado de Washington, an organization on the Latino needs of their diverse community by promoting personal growth and empowerment. This grant funds the Latino Youth Identity and Cultural Relevance in STEAM program. Centro Cultural will promote the relevancy and representation of Latinos in STEAM by integrating Latino/a art and culture into the fabric of Centro’s 4-week Summer STEAM curriculum. For more information, visit https://www.centrocultural.org/.
Girls on the Run Greater Oregon inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. The nonprofit will use the grant to help use physical activity to promote life skills, positive connections and whole health. For more information, visit https://www.gotroregon.org/.
The grant awarded to KairosPDX, which works to eliminate the racial achievement and opportunity gaps by cultivating confident, creative, compassionate leaders exceeding academic expectations at each developmental milestone, will benefit their Community Action Sessions (CAS). CAS offers their young leaders the opportunity to find and explore new passions through learning and play. For more information, visit https://kairospdx.org/.
The grant awarded to Northwest Outward Bound School, the premier provider of outdoor education and experiential programs for youth and adults in the Pacific Northwest, will fund the Public Schools Program which provides transformational, experiential outdoor education and social-emotional learning to low-income and BIPOC students in grades 7-10 in the Portland Metro area. For more information, visit www.nwobs.org.
The Oregon Zoo Foundation empowers people to create a better future for wildlife by creating engaging experiences and advancing the highest level of animal welfare, environmental literacy and conservation science. The funds from this grant will go towards the Zoo Animal Presenters (ZAP) program. ZAP furthers teens' leadership skills and civic engagement in our community. For more information, visit https://www.oregonzoo.org/about/about-oregon-zoo-foundation.
The grant awarded to Portland Audubon, which aspires to inspire all people to love and protect birds, wildlife, and the natural environment upon which life depends, will use the funds to provide Green Leaders (age 15-20) from Hacienda CDC with 5 months of training in environmental justice, outdoor education and STEM. For more information, visit https://audubonportland.org/.
Portland Fruit Tree Project aims to increase equitable access to healthful food and strengthen communities by empowering neighbors to share in the harvest and care of city-grown produce. This grant will fund the Backyard Harvests program which build community resilience through harvesting and sharing fruit that would otherwise go to waste with people who lack access to fresh fruit. Each fruit harvest is paired with an organization who works with a community that can use it and is excited to have it. For more information, visit https://www.portlandfruit.org/.
The grant awarded to SMART Reading, which aims to spark joy and opportunity through the magic of a shared book, will fund the SMART Reading Books to Keep program. This project will provide over 40,000 books to keep as their own to 3,500 Metro area Prek-3rd graders participating in SMART Reading programs. For more information, visit https://smartreading.org.
Zenger Farm provides a working urban farm that models, promotes and educates about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, community development and access to good food for all. This grant will fund 12 camps in to connect local youth to the natural world, gardening skills, wetland/farm ecology, habitat restoration. For more information, visit https://zengerfarm.org/.
Through the Timbers’ 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.
