Projects

Since 2001, Portland Parks Foundation has been trailblazing a unique public-private partnership in support of Portland’s parks. Working with the City of Portland’s Bureau of Parks & Recreation, the Foundation creates a community of donors to deliver private dollars into three aspects of our urban parks: the people, the amenities and the land.

People

The people we serve are the focus of our projects. Portland's parks are one of the city's great "equalizers," providing low-cost access to pools, arts, and summer recreation programs. Often, the mere presence of a Parks Summer Playground program ensures meals for children from low-income families through the Federal free/reduced lunch program. Since 2003, Portland Parks Foundation's Project Inclusion, with major support from partners at Nike, REI, Providence Health Plans, and a host of others, has directed more than $1 million toward park programs serving children in Portland. Project Inclusion's original purpose was to raise private funds to subsidize the cost of parks and recreation programming for children from low-income families. Today, as our growing population has become more diverse, so has the need to diversify our program offerings to reach at-risk children in the city's historically underserved neighborhoods.

Amenities

Through public-private partnerships, Portland Parks Foundation adds value to existing parks and makes dreams come true for Portland's citizens. In fewer than ten years, the Foundation, in partnership with its donors and the City of Portland, has made significant improvements throughout the city.

Land

With a goal of providing a park within a 15-minute walk of every citizen, Portland Parks Foundation acquires land for new parks and stewards existing ones. By forming innovative public-private partnerships with city and state entities, two new parks have been created and a much-loved old park has been rejuvenated.