Remembering our founding board chair, Josephine “Joey” Pope

"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

Announcing the Fall 2021 Small Grant Recipients

Portland Parks Foundation is Excited to Announce our Fall 2021 Grant Recipients

PPF’s small grants program supports local organizations that steward public parks, park programs, community gardens and natural areas. This Fall our community-based review committee selected five organizations to receive a $2000 grant to support general operating or a specific program. PPF is proud to partner with five new organizations committed to increasing opportunities for Black, Indigenous and people of color, immigrant and refugees, individuals with a disability, and low-income and marginalized youth and their families in public parks, nature and community centers.

Boise Eliot Native Grove

The Boise Eliot Native Grove is a volunteer run organization with a mission of restoring the habitat, cultivating education and growing community. The Boise Eliot Native Grove is a pollinator support grove and public nature space built by and for the community on Portland Bureau of Transportation land, formerly an unimproved right-of-way full of invasive species and used as a trash dump.

Community involvement is essential to the ongoing maintenance and support of the native grove. Students and teachers from Boise-Eliot and Humboldt School, who, along with students and faculty from The Ivy School and Self Enhancement, Inc., have contributed extensive design ideas and habitat restoration support to the grove.

This past summer the “heat dome” and the long, dry weather caused detrimental effects on the plant community, killing off a number of shrubs and knocking back some native ground covers.

This grant will go towards the 2022 Earth Day event plus plant specimen replacement, new signs and Library box and books, and general maintenance on the Grove.

Green Lents

Green Lents, cultivates a thriving, resilient and environmentally just community through engagement, education and collective action. In recent years, they have focused on increasing equitable access and leadership over environmental resources and benefits to those most impacted by gentrification, development, climate change and increased urban high-heat zones, wildfire smoke pollution and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Covid-19 has hit many communities and nonprofits hard over the last two years. Due to funding shortages, Green Lents was forced to cut back on staff expenditures. With programs funded by grants and donations, maintaining the same operational budget during Covid in 2021 proved difficult.

Over the next few month, they will work with board members, volunteers and partners to conduct surveys, determine community needs, and project outlines and budgeting. This grant will support the organization in addressing a funding gap to ensure current programming will not be interrupted during the planning process and provide stability and continuity for a robust 2022.

Portland Fruit Tree Project

Portland Fruit Tree Project increases equitable access to healthful foods and strengthens communities by empowering neighbors to share in the harvest and care of city-grown produce. The organization coordinates harvesting and sharing surplus fruit amongst communities and community organizations, sustains several mobile orchard and vegetable garden plots in partnership with community organizations, and educates the community on issues of equitable tree canopy, food justice, and the complexities of the food system.

As the Portland Fruit Tree project expands, they seek to build a workforce development program around fruit tree care, increase equity centered harvesting opportunities, called Healing Harvests, to address harm experienced primarily by the Black and Latino/a/x communities around harvesting food, and further community based research around barriers to accessing fruit as well as a research project focused on increasing people sharing harvests that are less reliant on organizational intervention.

The grant will support the organization as they seek to expand these services and programs.

Sail2Change

Sail2Change (S2C) empowers historically underserved and underrepresented youth through access to sailing, environmental education, mentorship and tutoring as a catalyst for equitable academic opportunity and maritime industry employment. Through sailing and outdoor education, S2C promotes equitable access to Portland’s waterways and natural areas.

Their activities encourage youth to spend more time outdoors and take advantage of Portland’s natural beauty. Many of the youth have never been to the local parks and waterways S2C frequents. As part of the sailing lessons they provide, youth explore the Willamette River and are able to experience their hometown in a new way. While sailing, youth will visit Sellwood Riverfront Park, Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge and will head downtown to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

Funding from this grant will provide programming to a larger number of youth and help to spread the word about their free programming.

Scott School Basketball Goldenball Program

The Scott School Basketball Program uses basketball as a way to enable children from the community to have a positive after school environment to develop physical, social skills and self-esteem. Scott School is located in the Cully neighborhood and has a large population of low income and students of color. The program is volunteer run, however there are costs associated with league fees, uniforms and equipment. After a season away, due to Covid, 80 students across 3rd, 4th and 5th grade will be able to participate in the Scott School Basketball Program.

The goal of the program, coached by long time physical education teacher and basketball coach, Ken Lee, is not to win games but to ensure all students are included in the game and develop team cooperation and individual growth.

The small grant will help defer some of the registration fees for children on free lunch programs at Scott School. Offsetting the costs of the program, uniforms and equipment will provide opportunities for more students to get involved in after school basketball.

Watch the 2021 Portland Parks Foundation Fall Friends & Allies Summit

Thank you to everyone who joined us on zoom for the Fall 2021 Friends and Allies Summit! The sessions were filled with robust dialogue and questions. And a special thank you to those that volunteered at our Day of Service! Below you can watch the recordings from each workshops.

Fiscal Sponsorships: What They are and What they Aren’t + Insurance 101

Parks and Houselessness: Building compassion and equity between all Portlanders

Investing in your Volunteers

The remaining session will be added after the workshop takes place.

Thank you to our sponsor,

Spring 2021 Small Grant Recipient

Portland Parks Foundation is Excited to Announce our Spring 2021 Grant Recipients

PPF’s small grants program aims to support local organizations that steward public parks, park programs, community gardens and natural areas. This spring our community-based review committee selected five organizations centering equity in their programming. Each organization is receiving $2000 to support general operating or a specific program. PPF is proud to partner with five new organizations committed to increasing opportunities for Black, Indigenous and people of color, immigrant and refugees, disabled, low-income and marginalized youth and their families in public parks and nature.

People of Color Outdoors

People of Color Outdoors (POCO) connects “Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) folks of all ages to the outdoors via BIPOC-led outings; deepening the BIPOC communities’ relationships to the outdoors by learning about basic environmental education, environmental justice, and BIPOC environmental contributions; and connect BIPOC youth to fulfilling careers in parks and nature.” Parks and outdoor areas have not always been a safe place for the BIPOC community. Pamela Slaughter, founder of POCO, started the organization to create a safe space for the BIPOC community to access and connect with nature.

Throughout COVID-19, POCO has successfully brought their members to in-person nature outings and virtual events at no cost to them. The organization operates as a MeetUp group and is quickly expanding. This grant will support POCO's general operating and capacity building by growing their social media presence to reach and engage more community members.

Vernon Neighborhood Association

The Vernon Neighborhood Association (VNA) brings neighbors together to build a safe and resilient neighborhood, rooted in an understanding of its rich cultural history. VNA actively works to “initiate, promote and implement programs that connect the diverse neighbors in this community.” COVID-19 posed great challenges for the community and now VNA is looking at how to safely connect the community to their neighbors and the outdoors. The group is excited to have local historians Anjala Ehelebe and Doug Decker lead walking tours of the Vernon neighborhood, focusing on Alberta Park and what growing up in the northeast neighborhoods as a person of color is like.

Vernon Neighborhood Association will use the grant to support Anjala and Doug in creating and executing walking tours throughout the summer. Walking tours offer an educational and fun experience for the community after a long and hard year.

Doug Decker

Anjala Ehelebe

Friends of Zenger Farm

Friends of Zenger Farm is deeply rooted in the outer southeast community. The 24 acre farm “promotes and educates about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, and community building to improve our collective wellbeing.” The organization works to dismantle food inequities created by racism, capitalism, colonialism and other systems of oppression. Friends of Zenger Farm eliminates barriers to food and land access by providing fresh food for low-income Black and Brown families in the community. 

The PPF grant will support their Open Farm Days social media and market delivery. Open Farm Days are regular events that safely bring BIPOC and David Douglas School District families to their farm wetlands. When attending this event, families learn about ecosystems, plant identification and uses, gardening and can enjoy free prepared food made by community chefs.

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden will be piloting a program, “Rooting Among Rhodies'' with Latino Network and SUN Community Schools to bring youth to the gardens for fun outdoor learning opportunities. The programing aims to center the experiences of communities of color in our public spaces. Students from Kelly and Bridger elementary schools will visit Crystal Springs for outdoor socio-emotional learning. The program hopes to build cohesion in the children's learning community and help create a stronger sense of ownership and connection to the garden. 

Funds from PPF’s small grant will ensure that the students from the two elementary schools can get to the garden, free of cost to them. Buses will bring the students to Crystal Springs to enjoy, learn and connect with nature.

Friends of Pier Park

Friends of Pier Park is an all-volunteer neighborhood group with the mission of enhancing and advocating for the 85-acre North Portland park, ensuring all visitors feel safe and invited. By including and activating the community, Friends of Pier Park is creating and empowering the diverse community to care for the park. The neighborhood around the park is rich, vibrant and diverse. The park is a place where low-income, immigrant, and culturally diverse families can come together to share ideas and enjoy the outdoors.

Translators and interpreters are an essential part of Friends of Pier Park’s future of ensuring all community members have the opportunity to be involved in the decisions of the park. The small grant will be used for general operating support. This grant will help create the foundation for growth as the organization works on developing new sustainable and inclusive programming.

For more information and to read about past grantees, check out our Small Grants Program page.

Contact Jessica Green at jgreen@portlandpf.org with any questions.

Small Grants Recipients Read, Paddle and Repair

The Portland Parks Foundation is happy to announce our Fall 2020 grantees

PPF’s small grants program aims to support local organizations that steward public parks, park programs, community gardens and natural areas.  This fall our community-based review committee selected three organizations centering equity in their programming with proven adaptability during times of COVID-19 restrictions to continue bringing parks-related programming to marginalized communities in Portland.    

City Repair and Ecological Landscaping

The City Repair Project, $2,500

The City Repair Project facilitates “artistic, social justice and ecological placemaking through projects that honor the interconnection of human communities and the natural world.” City Repair manages village building programs for individuals experiencing houselessness, sponsors popular placemaking events such as Pickathon, and organizes Earth Day celebrations. Through their programming, they “aim to nuture public participation in parks, community gardens and natural areas.”

This small grant will build organizational capacity and directly support City Repair’s ecological landscaping and permaculture community trainings and online workshops, and their 21st annual Village Building Convergence. A portion of the funds will be used to offer paid opportunities for community members to guest teach workshops in their effort to prioritize Black, Indigenous People of Color and LGBTQ+ community members. 

Summer Free For All Bookmobile Camp

The Bookmobile Babe, $2,500

The Bookmobile Babe’s mobile libraries address the critical importance of childhood literacy and the reading gap that often occurs every summer. This grant will directly fund free books and free literacy programs for children ages 0-18, in addition to supporting the program’s dedicated volunteers. For the last three years, Bookmobile Babe has partnered with Summer Free for All’s Free Lunch + Play programming in Lents and Creston Parks. Free Lunch + Play sites provide free lunches and play opportunities at sites throughout the city where the need for nutritious meals is most critical. The Bookmobile Babe’s partnership provides additional opportunities for these families to engage in summer reading.

The Bookmobile Babe operates on a small but impactful scale, and has done so successfully for three years, including this past summer with COVID-19 precautions in place. This grant will enhance their successful program so that even more children may have access to literacy support in the summer when they need it most. 

Columbia Slough Bilingual Paddle Leaders

Columbia Slough Watershed Council, $2,473

The Columbia Slough Watershed Council (CSWC) maintains and advocates for a healthy watershed for all Portlanders. They recognize the many physical and emotional benefits that outdoor recreation offers. Furthermore, “engaging with local natural areas and parks motivates Portland community members to protect these areas.” Historically, immigrant communities have lacked access and awareness to the outdoor recreation opportunities Portland offers. To address this inequity, CSWC has partnered with Slavic and Latinx communities to develop a bilingual paddle program which provides an opportunity to learn kayak and canoe skills while also teaching about the history and ecology of the watershed. An integral component of this program is recruiting and training bilingual paddle leaders from the Latinx and Slavic communities. Funds from PPF’s small grant will be used to grow the program through training sessions where existing paddle leaders will come together to train new ones as well as provide information sessions on additional environmental topics of interest to these two communities. 

For more information and to read about past grantees, check out our Small Grants Program page.

Contact Jessica Green at jgreen@portlandpf.org with any questions.

Portland Parks Foundation Holiday Cheer Photo Contest

Hey Portland Park Friends! No holiday travel? No problem: Do it in a park!

The next time you stretch your legs at a park, snap a holiday photo for a chance to win a $100 donation to a non-profit parks organization of your choice!

How to enter: Post your photo video on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram , tag the Portland Parks Foundation, and use the hashtag #pdxparkholiday.

Deadline: Monday, December 21, 2020

How to win: Get the most likes on either Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

We all know 2020 has been full of challenges, but as we close out this year, we should remember all we have to be thankful for. We are looking for some fun, inspirational, and caring reminders of how much we love our parks.  Wear your favorite holiday sweater, bring seasonal decorations and spread some cheer at your favorite Portland park (socially distanced, of course)!

Remember to wear your mask and leave no trace!

Photo Rules:

• Photo must be in a Portland Park 

• Appropriate Content/Material in line with PPF Values 

• You will be responsible for cleanup of all materials used in park 

• Videos are allowed, and encouraged!

• Photoshop and Photo Editing Tools are allowed 

Photo Theme Suggestions: 

• Family/Friends Ugliest Christmas Sweater Group Photo 

• Friends Group Social Distance Fun 

• Holiday Lights/Tree Decoration in a Park 

• Holiday Throwback (a photo from the past) 

• Acts of Kindness with Strangers in the Park 

• Cutest Couple in the Park 

• BLM to Santa 

• Puppies! 

Email Lucy Pawliczek at lpawliczek@portlandpf.org with questions.

We help people help parks.

The Portland Parks Foundation fosters leadership, creates partnerships, and raises funds to advance equity, excellence, accessibility, and good stewardship in our parks. We are the philanthropic partner of Portland Parks & Recreation and work with many other friends and ally organizations to make Portland's parks and open spaces healthy, safe, and inviting to everyone.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter!

Watch part of the 2020 Portland Parks Foundation Friends & Allies Summit

The magic superpowers of Portland’s parks system are the 200+ non-profit, volunteer, and grassroots groups devoted to stewarding and developing programs for and in individual parks, natural areas, community gardens and community centers. On September 26, 2020, PPF, in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R), hosted members of these groups to join together for a day of inspiration, training, and engagement with each other.

If you attended the summit, we would love to hear from you! Please complete this short post-event survey.

If you missed the summit but would like access to some of the resources made available to attendees, check out the summit program.

If the summit’s featured a presentation by Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia inspired you to educate yourself further on the intersection between race and trauma-informed care, review her workshop’s accompanying toolkit and purchase her book, Training for Change: Transforming Systems to be Trauma-Informed, Culturally Responsive, and Neuroscientifically Focused.

The weekend following the summit, attendees put on their work boots and volunteered at various parks in East and North Portland. Thank you to all of our day of service participants!

George Park planting and mulching on October 3, 2020.

Lincoln Park ivy removal on October 3, 2020.

Volunteers at Luuwit View Park on October 3, 2020.

Portland Memory Garden weeding and mulching on October 3, 2020.

Thank you to our sponsors:

The Anderson Family Giving Fund

Watch our September 29th Candidate Forum with Mingus Mapps and Chloe Eudaly

PPF hosted our third and final City Council candidates forum on parks and recreation issues. Watch our conversation with Mingus Mapps and Chloe Eudaly here.

International Recognition for the Barbara Walker Crossing

The Barbara Walker Crossing earned recognition from two major organizations this week: Collaboration of Design + Art in Public Spaces (CODA), an international clearinghouse for connecting designers and artists, and The Portland Garden Club.

CODA's international jury gave the Crossing top honors in Transportation and the Crossing also won one of the three People’s Choice awards, selected from among hundreds of entries worldwide. Have a look at the amazing company we're keeping. This is the first time the CODAawards process has resulted in a double winner. 

The Portland Garden Club awarded the Portland Parks Foundation with the Garden Club of America Club Civic Improvement Commendation in recognition of the creation of the Barbara Walker Crossing, connecting and providing a safe and scenic passage on the Wildwood Trail between Portland’s Forest Park and Washington Park.

Completed last October, the Crossing was the Portland Parks Foundation's largest project to date and Portland's first "crowd-funded bridge."

An act of design activism, the Crossing was co-conceived by architect Andrew Wheeler and artist Ed Carpenter to elegantly solve a problem of the Wildwood Trail's dangerous, at-grade crossing of Burnside. Designed and shepherded by Carpenter for a decade, it ultimately was built by the Portland Parks Foundation in collaboration with Portland Parks & Recreation, Portland Bureau of Transportation, and Metro. Over 900 individual donors contributed, along with major pro bono work done by the design/construction team, led by KPFF, R&H Construction, Walker Macy, and SOJ. Oregon's Kitchen Table helped with the crowdfunding campaign. Thank you to everyone who voted to help us win the CODA People’s Choice award and thank you to the huge team that made the project a reality—especially the hundreds of Portlanders who donated to make this the first crowdfunded bridge in Portland!

Find out more about the project on our Barbara Walker Crossing projects page.