Jessica Green
Announcing PPF’s Fall 2024 Small Grant ...
Announcing PPF’s Fall 2024 Small Grant Recipients
Community, Leadership, Value of Parks
Jessica Green
Remembering our founding board chair, Josephine ...
Remembering our founding board chair, Josephine “Joey” Pope
Jessica Green
Hear from Portland City Council and Mayoral ...
Hear from Portland City Council and Mayoral Candidates about Portland’s Parks
Jessica Green
Announcing PPF’s Spring 2024 Small Grant ...
Announcing PPF’s Spring 2024 Small Grant Recipients
Jessica Green
Announcing PPF’s 2024 Joey Pope Award Nominees ...
Announcing PPF’s 2024 Joey Pope Award Nominees & 2 Honorees!

Announcing PPF’s Fall 2024 Small Grant Recipients

Announcing PPF’s Fall 2024
Small Grant Recipients

The Portland Parks Foundation mobilizes support to improve Portland’s system of parks, natural areas, and public spaces. One of the ways we do this is through our Small Grants program. PPF’s offers small grants of $2,000 each to support programs, projects, and general operations of local organizations who foster equitable access to our urban parks, natural areas, community gardens and community recreation centers.

This fall, PPF is able to support 12 organizations whose work spans the city and creatively addresses various gaps in current programming and services found in our communities thanks to partial funding from PP&R’s Community Partnership Program and a generous bequest from Nancy Hebb Freeman.

We encourage you to learn more about each of these organizations and their diverse approaches to making Portland thrive. You can find them bringing new green spaces to intersections, providing food opportunities and justice to local communities, preserving and enjoying our forests and rivers, and educating young and old alike. 

Congratulations to all of our recipients!  We’re excited to partner with you and make Portland’s parks and green spaces more accessible, more exciting, and more deeply appreciated. 

The Fall 2024 Small Grant recipients are:

Read about each of the organizations
and the work they are doing to help our parks!

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Remembering our founding board chair, Josephine “Joey” Pope

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"The bottom line is that we’re here to raise much-needed money for parks … There’s such a discrepancy between areas such as Cully and Grant Park. We need to reach for what seems impossible and think in the long term.”  

- Josephine “Joey” Pope, PPF founding board chair, July 2001,
on why Portland needs a parks foundation

The Portland Parks Foundation exists today thanks to the vision and dedication of our founding board members including our founding board chair, Josephine “Joey” Pope. Joey was instrumental in developing the concept of a city-wide parks nonprofit for Portland to help address the inequities in our parks and recreation system, and to ensure that we think strategically about advancing a thriving parks system for all.

Joey passed away on October 2, 2024. As her family shared with us in her obituary, “Joey dedicated her time and energy to Portland's parks and people.” For those of you who were lucky enough to work alongside Joey, you understand that the depth of her dedication had no boundaries.

She had big visions for parks and wasn’t afraid to advocate for them through real action and leadership. “We need to consider Portland in many ways – gardens, natural areas, as a green city, the ability to walk and hike everywhere – and look at the system as a whole and how it connects,” said Joey Pope in reference to the overall goal of PP&R’s 2020 Vision Plan and the creation of a Portland Parks Foundation. After contributing to the idea of a foundation, she went on to lead it in the following years -  building a coalition of businesses, community members and parks advocates who cared deeply about elevating the importance of parks and outdoor space. We continue to advance this goal today through PPF’s current playground replacement project, Friends & Allies summits, small grants and award programs, and our commitment to finding sustainable funding for our parks system.

Over the last few decades, Joey remained involved in PPF even after she was no longer on the board. A few years ago, she helped create an emerging leadership program with the Portland Parks Foundation to support future parks leaders. It is our honor to continue her legacy as a leader in Portland through our work at PPF, and more specifically, through our annual Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership. 

Joey leaves us with a clear vision for the parks and the gift of an organization that advocates for access to public parks and recreation for all Portland residents. I look forward to continuing to join forces with you, the Portland community, to carry out her vision of an equitable parks system for all.

Photo collage: Left: Joey with wheelbarrow; Center: Joey Pope and Betsy Bergstein, May 2005; Right: Barbara Allen, Joey Pope (center), Emily Crumpacker in Washington Park circa 2008

Hear from Portland City Council and Mayoral Candidates about Portland’s Parks

Don’t know which voting district you are? Get more info on the 4 new districts here.

Before you vote this fall, find out what Portland city council and mayoral candidates think about our parks. Portland Parks Foundation (PPF) invited each city council and mayoral candidate to share their thoughts with the voters on Portland’s parks system. 

City council and the mayor will impact the future of Portland’s parks system. In our new governing structure, city councilors are the policymakers with power to refer bonds and levies to the ballot and are the voices of Portland’s community members at City Hall. Portland’s mayor is the chief administrator overseeing the city’s budget development and implementation of the city’s strategic plan - ultimately overseeing the operation of parks and its budget. 

Here’s a chance to hear what your candidates think about your parks system before you vote this fall. Below are links to answers from every mayoral candidate and city council candidate who responded.

PPF reached out to all candidates. Some have not replied by the deadline. If we hear back, we’ll continue to update.

Candidate responses:

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by first name. Click on their name to read their responses.

Mayor

The following candidates are also running for Mayor, but did not provide a response:
Alexander Landry Neely, James Atkinson IV, Liv (Viva) Østhus, Michael Hayes, Shei'Meka (BeUtee) As-Salaam, Yao Jun He

District 1

The following candidates are also running for District 1, but did not provide a response: 
David Linn, Joe Allen, Joe Furi, Loretta Smith, Michael (Mike) Sands, Noah Ernst, Thomas Shervey

District 2

The following candidates are also running for District 2, but did not provide a response: Chris Olson, Debbie Kitchin, James Armstrong, Jennifer Park, Jonathan Tasini, Mariah Hudson, Michael (Mike) Marshall, Nat West, Sam Sachs, Will Mespelt

District 3

The following candidates are also running for District 3, but did not provide a response:
Ahlam K Osman, Angelita Morillo, Brian Conley, Christopher Brummer, Clifford Higgins, Cristal Azul Otero, Dan Gilk, David O'Connor, Harrison Kass, Heart Free Pham, Jaclyn Smith-Moore, Jesse Cornett, John Sweeney, Kelly Janes (KJ), Kenneth (Kent) R Landgraver III, Luke Zak, Matthew (Matt) Anderson, Melodie Beirwagen, Philippe Knab, Steve Novick, Terry Parker

District 4

The following candidates are also running for District 4, but did not provide a response:
Ben Hufford, Brandon Farley, Chloe Mason, Ciatta R Thompson, John Toran, Kevin Goldsmith, L Christopher Regis, Lee Odell, Lisa Freeman, Michael Trimble, Moses Ross, Patrick Cashman, Raquel Coyote, Tony Schwartz

What is at stake? 

An equitable and thriving parks system is essential for a healthy Portland. We know our parks: 

  • provide public places of connection

  • foster a strong sense of community and belonging

  • encourage health and overall well-being

  • offer opportunities for cultural and artistic expression

  • are essential for local wildlife and addressing the effects of climate change 

Portland’s future leaders will need to understand the vast system Portland’s parks and recreation encompasses. Additionally, understanding the various funding sources for Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is also necessary for overseeing the budget and operations and developing policy and strategy. Historically, PP&R has been funded through a myriad of funding sources including General Fund tax dollars, system development charges, service charges, permits, fees, intergovernmental and interagency agreements, special revenue trust funds, grants and donations, bonds, and levies. 

As evidenced by the long history of parks bonds and levies, funding for parks has never provided adequate funding for proper maintenance or operations. Currently, there is over a $600 million maintenance backlog and the 2020 parks levy that funds over a third of PP&R’s operating costs is set to expire at end of 2025. Portland's parks face a critical need for sustainable future planning. Recent public polling has explored both the feasibility of a future bond and the renewal of the 2020 levy to address maintenance needs and sustain operations.

There are major gaps in the level of service throughout Portland’s parks system, and our beloved parks system is facing a financial cliff if we don’t find funding to maintain it.  It’s important for Portland voters to hear from their candidates about how they intend to work with their constituents and their colleagues to address these issues to prioritize our parks. 

Raymond Park Play Day Catches Community Voice

On Saturday, July 27th Portland Parks Foundation and Portland Parks & Recreation welcomed East Portland community members to a Play Day at Raymond Park. Kids and families were invited to practice their ranked-choice voting to select the shape of slides, style of monkey bars, and dynamic color schemes of their new playground.

And, what’s a playday without some play! Though the Raymond Park playground will not be replaced until 2025, community members got moving thanks to activities from community partners Zenger Farm, Girls on the Run, Free Arts NW, and Nicole’s Face Painting. Plus, snacks donated from Bridgetown Natural Foods and lunch catered by Tierra del Sol kept the neighborhood fed.

You can cast your votes on the new Raymond Park playground design here, through August 30.

This was the first of many playful days to come, as part of PPF’s Everybody Plays! Campaign, bringing new playgrounds to three parks around Portland, and increasing access to healthy activity, outdoor fun, and inclusive play equipment.

Announcing PPF’s Spring 2024 Small Grant Recipients

Announcing PPF’s Spring 2024
Small Grant Recipients

The Portland Parks Foundation mobilizes support to improve Portland’s system of parks, natural areas, and public spaces. One of the ways we do this is through our Small Grants program. PPF’s offers small grants of $2,000 each to support programs, projects, and general operations of local organizations who foster equitable access to our urban parks, natural areas, community gardens and community recreation centers.

This spring, PPF is able to support 13 organizations whose work spans the city and creatively addresses various gaps in current programming and services found in our communities thanks to partial funding from PP&R’s Community Partnership Program and a generous bequest from Nancy Hebb Freeman.

We encourage you to learn more about each of these organizations and their diverse approaches to making Portland thrive. You can find them in activating and cleaning up neighborhood parks, distributing food through community gardens and orchards, educating youth on trails and in natural areas, and team building through collective movement and creativity.

Congratulations to all of our recipients! We’re excited to partner with you and make Portland’s parks and green spaces more accessible, more exciting, and more deeply appreciated. 

The Spring 2024 Small Grant recipients are:

Read about each of the organizations
and the work they are doing to help our parks!

Announcing PPF’s 2024 Joey Pope Award Nominees & 2 Honorees!

2024 Joey Pope Award and PGE Parks Champion nominees at PPF’s 2024 Friends & Allies Spring Summit.

The Portland Parks Foundation (PPF) is excited to announce two honorees for the 2024 Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership!

This annual award is named after Josephine “Joey” Pope, PPF’s founding Chair and a devoted activist, philanthropist, and leader in making Portland’s parks system more accessible to all. The award celebrates emerging leaders, organizations and initiatives advancing accessibility and innovation in Portland’s parks system. 

We celebrate and acknowledge the impressive work of all of our nominees:

  • Bea Yeh Ogden, of Luminous Together

  • Black Swimming Initiative

  • Brianna Brawley, of Zenger Farm

  • Brown Girl Rise

  • Free Arts NW

  • Harper's Playground

  • Jamie Newsome, of ELSO Inc.

  • Kids N' Tennis, Inc

  • Knott Street Boxing

  • Nicole Allen, of Through the Trees Collective

  • Portland Community Football Club

  • Realize the Root, of Black and Beyond the Binary

  • Reclaiming Black Joy Project

  • Terrain: a land art exhibition

  • The Kidz Outside

  • Vanport Placemarking Project

 

Read more about the nominees
and their work here:

And now to our 2024 honorees…
Brown Girl Rise and Portland Community Football Club!

Brown Girl Rise

Brown Girl Rise is deeply committed to creating inclusive spaces where historically excluded groups, particularly BIPOC youth and femmes, can access nature, engage in recreational activities, and foster cultural connections. BGR’s week-long day camps, Radical Organizing Workshop Series (ROWS), and youth board engagement initiatives provide transformative experiences that blend outdoor education, social justice advocacy, and cultural celebration. Their work centers the experiences and voices of BIPOC youth, in an effort to challenge traditional narratives of who belongs in outdoor spaces and redefine the relationship between marginalized communities and nature.

Through a diverse array of community partnerships and coalitions, BGR expands access, education, and advocacy efforts for their participants. These efforts include outdoor skill-building, deeping connection to land and culture, farming and food justice, learning from Indigenous wisdom and practices, and environmental sustainability. BGR is committed to doing the work together with the community and exemplify collaboration by working in tandem with organizations such as Wild Diversity, Atabey Medicine, and Mudbone Grown Farms to co-facilitate workshops, share resources, and provide programming that integrates environmental activism, cultural heritage, and outdoor recreation.   

Portland Community Football Club

Portland Community Football Club (PCFC) provides access to high-quality, affordable club soccer for low income and marginalized youth, ages 6-18, including LGBTQIA+, Black, Brown, Latinx, immigrants, and refugees. Their “whole child” advocacy approach supports overall health, offering wraparound services that focus on emotional, psychological, and social well-being including nutrition, mentorship, academic support, and social service referrals. PCFC is committed to meeting their youth athletes and families where they are, be that on the field or at home. 

PCFC embraces a unique Sports Based Youth Development methodology that uses soccer to provide support and opportunities youth need to be healthy, contributing citizens now and as adults. Additionally, they mentor their team coaches so they can better mentor their young athletes, including trauma-informed, anti-oppressive practices. Their wraparound community support programs include diverse family services, a food pantry, and their Liberate Sports Campaign committed to erasing the gap between privilege and play through a focus on gender, race, and economic equity within sports.

What a pair of honorees!

PPF is excited to celebrate these two honorees, who are setting the bar high for inclusive and community-directed programming in parks and recreation spaces. It is particularly exciting to celebrate two organizations who have a strong commitment to empowering BIPOC and femme individuals to grow in their skills, deepen their connection to land and community, and activate Portland’s places of nature and play. 

Learn more about the Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership and past nominees and awardees here.

Announcing PPF's 2024 PGE Parks Champions!

A map of our PGE Parks Champion (green) and Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership (orange) nominees, seen at our 2024 Spring Summit.

PPF’s annual PGE Parks Champion Award recognizes individuals who provide outstanding volunteer service to a park, community center, natural area or community garden. The two honorees each receive the opportunity to direct a $1,500 grant from PPF to a community organization that aligns with our vision: to help Portland communities create more equitable access to nature, play, health, and places of connection.

This year, we received nominations for 12 people and groups across Portland, and you can see their impact across the city!

Some highlights include:

  • Getting kids (and adults!) on bikes for the first time, and comfortable on outdoor trails

  • Making and extending art experiences in the outdoors

  • First-responder devotion to trail access access and maintenance

  • Restoring and improving watershed health and sustainability

  • Pollution prevention and waste pickup in sensitive green spaces

  • Community engagement and creative environmental education

Our 2024 PGE Parks Champions are:

Andrea Wall, Friends of Fanno Creek Headwaters

In 2016, Andrea created the Friends of Fanno Creek Headwaters, and her restoration efforts have involved the coordination of hundreds of volunteers to remove invasive ivy and blackberry and planting thousands of native plants in their place. Beyond invasive plant removal, her restoration efforts have improved stormwater management, creek bank erosion, and contributed to educational engagements for youth, teens, and community members.

Her award will be donated to support Fanno Creek. You can learn more and support work at the Fanno Creek Headwaters here:

Juntu Oberg, North West Trail Alliance

Juntu is Portland Parks & Recreation liaison for the Northwest Trail Alliance, where they voluntarily set up trainings and courses for anyone interested in mountain biking and multi-use trails. Since 2018, they have significantly expanded access to mountain biking for youth and families that face immense barriers to outdoor recreation. Through their work with NWTA, Juntu provides opportunities for participants through community social events, group rides, educational skills trainings and stewardship.

Their award will be donated to NWTA. You can learn more and support work with the Northwest Trail Alliance here:

2024 PGE Parks Champion Nominees include:

  • Andrea Wall, SW 25th Ave Community Trail, located SW 25th Ave between Capitol Hwy and Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy, Fanno Creek Headwaters

  • Bill Banister, Forest Park, Forest park Conservancy, Soft-Surface Trails 

  • Bill Bradford & Kathy Olliver, Johnson Lake Natural Area

  • Des Murphy, Hoyt Arboretum

  • Hannah Crosfield, Khunamowkst Park, Grant Park, Mt. Tabor, Lincoln Park Elementary, Whitman School

  • Jennifer Phillips, Montavilla Community Center & Gateway Green

  • Juntu Oberg, Gateway Green, Powell Butte, Forest Park, Montavilla Park, Mutli use soft surface trails

  • Norm & Kaye Fetscher, Leach Botanical Garden

  • Pam Fox, Spring Garden Park

  • Robin Jensen, Friends of Marquam Nature Park/Forest Park Conservancy

  • Stephen Cameron, Whitaker Ponds, Wilkes Creek Headwaters, Johnson Lake, and Kelley Point Park. 

  • Tom Ralley, Lent Elementary; Lents Neighborhood

Read about the nominees
and their work here:

A special thanks to our 2024-25 program sponsor, Portland General Electric.

Thank you to Portland General Electric for partnering with us to recognize the individuals and organizations in our community who are passionate advocates for creating safe and welcoming parks and greenspaces. The PGE Parks Champion Awards are an extension of PGE’s commitment to empowering communities to create a cleaner, greener, more equitable Oregon. Through its Project Zero initiative, they are engaging youth and community members to learn, solve and take action through climate and clean energy education, environmental stewardship and access to green jobs. The PGE Parks Champion Awards embodies the very mission of Project Zero and reflects the significance that volunteerism plays in building strong, healthy communities.

Welcoming our new Executive Director

Dear PPF Community,

We are excited to announce Jessica Green as PPF's next executive director! Jessica is an ardent parks advocate with deep relationships in the city and parks community, a seven-year veteran of the organization, and our former deputy director. 

Jessica joined PPF in 2017. During her time here, she has proven herself as a steady leader of PPF operations, governance and finance. Through collaborative partnerships Jessica envisioned and inaugurated PPF’s Friends & Allies initiatives that continue to deepen PPF’s connection to emerging and seasoned leaders in our community. Her commitment to bringing meaningful resources to our community partners has led to raising the profile of our Small Grants Program and increasing our reach and diversity in giving. Additionally, she has played key roles in many of our major projects including the Barbara Walker Crossing campaign, downtown-centered Summer Paseo Festivals, and the Rose City Park Playground replacement project.

"Our organization and community of park advocates continue to celebrate the more than 20-year impact we have all made working together for our outdoor and green spaces. In that time, Jessica has been instrumental to move our mission forward and elevate our organizational operations to the professional level that it is today,” says PPF Board chair JR Lilly. “As Jessica moves now to take the helm, we look forward to expanding our broad range of public/private partnerships, and to continue building on our success of reimagining the role parks can play in civic health, especially in historically disadvantaged communities." 

"I am honored by this opportunity,” says Green. “PPF has a dedicated team of staff and board members who are passionate advocates for helping people help parks. I look forward to leading PPF’s efforts to help our city live up to the challenge of a parks system that is inclusive to all communities.”

Jessica studied geology at Hamilton College and environmental policy at Lewis and Clark Law School. An accomplished runner, Green partners with The Michael J. Fox Foundation's endurance arm, Team Fox, to provide nationwide year-round coaching services to all of Team Fox's long distance athletes. She’s also the board chair at Friends of Tryon Creek, and a proud mom of three young children who love to explore our city’s parks.  

"I am thrilled to congratulate Jessica Green on her appointment as the executive director of the Portland Parks Foundation,” says Vibrant Communities Commissioner Dan Ryan. “With her extensive experience and deep commitment to our parks and community, Jessica is well-poised to lead the foundation. Her proven leadership during her tenure as deputy director and interim executive director demonstrates her capability to steer the organization toward continued success. I am confident that the Portland Parks Foundation will thrive under Jessica's guidance."

Considering Jessica’s leadership over the last several years, her commitment to advancing PPF’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion values within PPF’s operations and programs, and her strong relationships to the parks community, PPF’s board of directors is excited to welcome Jessica Green as the next executive director of the Portland Parks Foundation.

In partnership, 

Portland Parks Foundation Board of Directors

Announcing PPF’s Fall 2023 Small Grant Recipients

The Portland Parks Foundation mobilizes support to improve Portland’s system of parks, natural areas, and public spaces. One of the ways we do this is through our small grants program. PPF’s offers small grants of $2,000 each to support programs, projects, and general operations of local organizations who foster equitable access to our urban parks, natural areas, community gardens and community recreation centers.

This fall, PPF is able to support 13 organizations whose work spans the city and creatively addresses various gaps in current programming and services found in our communities thanks to partial funding from PP&R’s Community Partnership Program and a generous bequest from Nancy Hebb Freeman.

We encourage you to learn more about each of these organizations and their diverse approaches to making Portland thrive. You can find them in activating and cleaning up neighborhood parks, distributing food through community gardens and orchards, educating youth on trails and in natural areas, and team building on and off the basketball court and soccer field.

Congratulations to all of our recipients!

We’re excited to partner with you and make Portland’s parks and green spaces more accessible, more exciting, and more deeply appreciated. 

The Fall 2023 Small Grant recipients are:

Read about each of the organizations
and the work they are doing to help our parks!

Executive Transition

The Portland Parks Foundation announced today that Executive Director Randy Gragg will retire from his role effective September 30 of this year. 

“It’s been almost five years,” Gragg said. “During that time, we’ve made huge strides remaking the organization to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive both in its programming and in all of its relationships with the wide range of communities we serve. We’ve done, and are still doing, some great projects. We survived a pandemic . . . and we grew.”

Gragg will return to writing and to producing independent creative projects in the fields of architecture and urban design.

The foundation’s Deputy Director Jessica Green, a seven-year veteran of the organization, will serve as Interim Executive Director until Gragg’s successor is chosen. 

During the past two months, the Portland Parks Foundation board has worked closely with both Gragg and Green to ensure a smooth transition. Going forward, Gragg will work on an as-needed basis to complete important projects in progress such as PPF’s development of design and engineering contract documents for the restoration of the Thompson Elk Fountain. 

"When Randy joined us, he quickly raised the visibility of the organization and enriched its value to Portlanders,” said Board Chair Kia Selley. “He jumped into the middle of a complex construction project connecting Portland’s Wildwood Trail across West Burnside with the Barbara Walker Crossing. This summer, we celebrated the completion of the new playground in Rose City Park. Under Randy’s leadership, we’ve harnessed the power of parks to strengthen communities and create a more powerful sense of belonging for everyone.” 

During his tenure, working collaboratively with Green, Gragg shepherded an impressive list of key projects and initiatives:

  • Completing the construction of the Barbara Walker Crossing. 

  • Producing “Green Dreams,” a compelling series of conversations with thought leaders and elected officials about the future of Portland’s parks system. 

  • Developing “Friends & Allies” initiatives supporting the city’s 200+ parks-related organizations with an expanded grants program, technical assistance, and summits.

  • Curating PPF’s parks posters, a series of collaborations with local designers to celebrate parks with a series, now 10 and counting, of collectible silkscreens and lithographs. 

  • Overseeing the 2020 Parks Levy campaign that now provides over $50 million per year to support PP&R’s programs, parks maintenance, and tree stewardship.

  • Launching Paseo, an annual festival animating the South Park Blocks with the art and culture of communities that all too often have felt excluded from downtown.

  • Piloting The Joey Pope Fund for Parks Leadership — an endowment of $590,000 and growing — that supports emerging leaders with grants technical assistance. 

  • Crafting a private/public partnership to build a new playground in Rose City Park. 

  • "Reimagining O’Bryant Square,” a major public outreach effort to redevelop the square recently renamed Darcelle XV Plaza.

  • And most recently, spurring a private/public partnership developed with City Commissioners Carmen Rubio, Dan Ryan, and Mingus Mapps to restore Portland’s landmark David P. Thompson Elk Fountain and return it to its historic home downtown.

 

Jessica Green has run operations for PPF since joining the organization in 2016. In 2019, she took over PPF programming overseeing the development of the Friends & Allies grants, awards and summit programs and all of PPF’s initiatives in diversity, equity and inclusion. She also serves as board chair for Friends of Tryon Creek and provides year-round coaching to athletes across the country running races and raising money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.