East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District awarded 2024 Partners in Conservation (PIC) grants totaling $1,050,000 in new funding. Our PIC grants provide financial support for projects that improve water and soil quality, restore natural wildlife habitat, expand community gardens and outdoor educational opportunities and fuel our local agriculture economy and food systems. This year, EMSWCD funded 26 nonprofits, schools and local government organizations. The list of PIC 2024 grantees are below.
1000 Friends of Oregon, $29,275
Land Use Leadership Initiative 2024
This grant will support 1000 Friends 2024 Land Use Leadership Initiative (LULI) in the Portland Metro region. LULI broadens and diversifies support for and participation in land use decisions that shape our cities, our natural working lands, and our community resilience. Focusing on a specific geographic area, LULI brings together 20-25 community leaders for nine sessions over five months to gain technical knowledge about land use decisions, learn about the most pressing land conservation and development issues in their community, and equip participants with resources and relationships to engage in land use issues that matter to them. A major goal of the program is to build power among a diverse, grassroots network of advocates who continue working together after the cohort has ended.
Bird Alliance of Oregon, $70,000
Green Leaders Program
The Green Leaders program provides meaningful, paid training and work experience in environmental education for youth of color that elevates them as leaders and mentors where they live. Leveraging feedback from fellow community members, Green Leaders co-develop and implement a combination of watershed-focused after-school programs, family days, and stewardship opportunities with guidance from program staff. Green Leaders also lead summertime nature camps for children in grades K-8, gaining practical experience and readying them to take up career-track positions as environmental educators or in related professions while inspiring the next generation through nature-based learning. This program is a collaborative effort managed by Bird Alliance of Oregon, Hacienda CDC and Verde.
Depave, $35,000
Morning Star Church Nature Space
Depave will partner with the African-American Morning Star Church in the Cully neighborhood of Northeast Portland to transform 18,000 square feet of pavement into a verdant, nature space with the support of volunteers and area residents. The new nature space will feature an ADA-accessible food garden, shade trees, native landscaping, a nature playground for Pequeñitos Childcare, and outdoor seating and gathering areas. The nature space will include 30 trees, 2,630 native or edible plants, 14 raised garden beds, and more than 5,500 square feet dedicated to growing food. Altogether the project will redirect 482,000 gallons of runoff per year helping to rebuild soil, sequester carbon, and reduce flooding.
Ecology in Classrooms and Outdoors, $33,550
Ecology Education for Spanish Immersion Students
The Ecology Education for Spanish Immersion Students program aims to enrich science education at Lent and Alder Elementary in Southeast Portland. Focused on 3rd-5th grade in Title I Spanish Immersion classrooms, ECO offers a curriculum that merges local ecology lessons with global and cultural perspectives, engaging students in hands-on experiential learning about watershed health, habitat restoration and climate action. The project aims to enhance schoolyard habitats, transforming them into vibrant, living classrooms. These outdoor spaces serve as practical settings for environmental education lessons and as areas where students can directly engage in habitat improvement activities, fostering environmental stewardship and global understanding among young learners.
Feed’em Freedom Foundation, $57,000
The Liberation Project lead by Roc10 Community Garden & Farm
This project focuses on enhancing community gardens, fortifying food security, and nurturing regenerative agricultural education. Rooted in principles of climate resilience and the cultivation of culturally specific crops, this project, guided by Feed’em Freedom, prioritizes uplifting Black Agriculturalists and fostering cultural food connections. The mission at its core revolves around empowering communities towards self-sustainability while fostering care and reciprocity. Funding supports advancing health, bolstering food sovereignty, and strengthening BIPOC agriculture across farms and gardens within EMSWCD’s district. Activities include regenerative agricultural workshops, technical guidance for gardeners, and the provisioning of essential resources.
Folk-Time, INC, $36,303
Inclusive & Accessible Community Garden
Folk-Time operates a Peer Connection Center in Northeast Portland, providing free care for individuals facing mental health or substance use challenges. Folk-Time’s services include peer support, workforce development, technology assistance, a weekly food bank, daily free hot meals, resource navigation, and the Folk-Time Bliss Garden. We will renovate the current garden by creating accessible tall, raised beds and opening it to the community as a shared garden space. Community gardeners will be selected by prioritizing those confronting systemic challenges such as disabilities, discrimination, economic barriers, lack of land, and food insecurity. This project will significantly impact community well-being, foster inclusivity, and broaden access to gardening and mental health services.
Friends of Zenger Farm, $70,000
Zenger Farm – Building Pathways to Farming
Zenger Farm seeks to increase the number of diverse farmers by training the next generation of local food producers and by providing accessible educational programming for youth and families to build pathways for future BIPOC, women, and non-binary farmers in the Portland Metropolitan area. Across programs, our curriculum will provide a comprehensive, culturally responsive, climate action-focused learning environment for four (4) beginning farmers apprentices, six (6) farm interns, 600 David Douglas School District 5th graders, and 1,200 folks participating in our family programming.
Grow Portland, $22,425
Expand Native Plantings in School Gardens
Grow Portland will expand its native plant program to include native planting areas at several current partner school gardens, adding corresponding signage and curriculum. Plants and signs will be incorporated into curriculum, events, and work parties in partnership with Indigenous communities. Partnering with an Indigenous farmer, Grow Portland will implement planting and signage and develop new lessons and activities to engage with these areas. This project will expand thriving gardens while prioritizing ecological health and water conservation to create healthier, more biodiverse garden ecosystems. It will also provide new opportunities for students and their families to engage with the garden and learn about Indigenous plants, uses, and culture.
Growing Gardens, $56,067
Horticulture Education and Workforce Development at Columbia River Correctional Institute
This grant would help sustain Growing Garden’s Lettuce Grow program at Columbia River Correctional Institution (CRCI) in Northeast Portland. Lettuce Grow uses garden education to support the health and agency of incarcerated individuals while developing workforce skills in greenhouse management, sustainable gardening, and other horticultural fields. The program puts incarcerated individuals on a pathway to post-release work and successful reintegration into their communities while promoting sustainable agricultural methods that improve the local environment.
Human Access Project, $49,000
Ross Island Lagoon – Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom Cost Engineering
A harmful cyanobacterial bloom (HCB) in Ross Island Lagoon on the Willamette River threatens environmental and human health. Since 2017, Human Access Project has partnered with Oregon State University (OSU) to identify a feasible and effective solution for suppressing the bloom. Constructing a flushing channel has emerged as the most promising and sustainable solution. Funds will support developing the 30% design and cost estimate for a flushing channel. Tasks to be funded involve experimenting with channel dimensions and locations within the existing hydrodynamic/water quality model, estimating the effect of channel configurations on measures of algal activity, producing an engineer’s cost estimate, and developing a monitoring and evaluation plan.
Kindness Farm, $49, 250
Kindness Farm: Environmental Stewardship and Education for Youth, Immigrants, Refugees and Underserved Communities
This program addresses health and wellness disparities in youth, adults, and seniors from underrepresented communities by providing access to and education in regenerative, holistic agriculture practices (including an understanding of the interconnectedness of our actions, the environment’s health, and our health). Kindness Farm provides a safe, inclusive natural space for communal gathering and learning, experience with growing food, and equipping participants with the tools needed to build food security and sovereignty. Through partnerships with schools and various immigrant and refugee groups, as well as experiential community learning days, Kindness Farm works with the community to build an equitable and resilient foundation that will serve all of us for years to come.
Latino Network, $20,000
Sustaining SUN Gardens
Latino Network’s Sustaining SUN Gardens project will enliven six (6) school garden programs to nourish the minds and bodies of students and families facing climate change. Funds will support garden infrastructure and related programming at Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Community Schools: Scott, Cesar Chavez, Kelly, Hartley, Rigler, and Kellogg. Each school’s comprehensive garden program will collaborate with program partners Growing Gardens & FoodCorps volunteers, PTAs, Garden Committees, teachers, administrators, and students to experience the power of growing food and staying happy and healthy.
Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, $25,571
STEAM Paddle Project
The STEAM Paddle Project will provide eight (8) Willamette River-based, educational paddles for 208 individuals from community organizations and schools within the EMSWCD district. Using Estuary Partnership’s 29-foot, 14-passenger, bright orange Big Canoes, the Paddle Project will prioritize engaging low-income and under-resourced groups through strategic partnerships. Participants conduct water quality monitoring while exploring the wonders of a local waterway. Public school student participants also receive 2-3 class lessons on watershed health impacts. This program provides participants unique local access to the Willamette River, nature exploration, and the benefits of citizen science, and fosters knowledge and curiosity about environmental impacts in our watershed.
Montavilla Farmers Market, $21,375
Local Food for All
Local Food for All will increase access to fresh, locally-grown food for food-insecure community members in Montevilla and adjoining neighborhoods. This program supports culturally relevant seasonal recipe demonstrations and classes, Market Bucks, and produce distribution. Directed outreach efforts will make Montevilla Farmers Market more welcoming and accessible to low-income neighbors and more economically successful for participating farm businesses. A resilient food system promotes both equity and sustainability.
Our Village Gardens, $55,111
Building Food Resilience Through Community Garden & Growing Projects
This grant will support the impact and reach of Our Village Garden’s Growing Projects, including the Seeds of Harmony Community Garden, Fruits of Diversity Community Orchard, and the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Veggie Share Box initiative. These programs build community resilience and provide access to green spaces and fresh, healthy, and culturally relevant food. This year’s priorities of capacity building, enhancing growing spaces, and promoting culturally diverse practices are efforts that amplify growing projects and community organizing initiatives in Oregon’s largest affordable housing neighborhood, New Columbia.
Outgrowing Hunger, $24,925
East County Community Gardens Support
This project will provide for the continued operation and expansion of a network of independent, community-led urban agriculture facilities in east Multnomah County (Gresham, Rockwood, Fairview, Wood Village, and Happy Valley) serving low-income Immigrant and Refugee clients from Africa, Burma, Mexico, Nepal, and Ukraine.
Padres Unidos de Rigler, $23,500
Rigler: Creating an Ecological and Equitable Schoolyard
The Rigler ecological and equitable schoolyard project will transform designated areas of the Rigler School property. The vision calls for converting multiple small areas from asphalt to a living natural area delivering multiple conservation gains. By removing thousands of square feet of pavement and then planting trees, the project allows for both climate mitigation through carbon capture, and climate resiliency by strategically placing certain tree species to cast shade on individual classrooms. The plan will also improve water quality by capturing rainfall runoff from the school parking lot and Prescott Street in bioswales. New meeting and recreational opportunities are planned to be built into this new school environment.
People of Color Outdoors, $35,000
Bring Nature to the BIPOC Community
POCO, in partnership with the Backyard Habitat Certification Program (BHCP), will create opportunities for BIPOC residents to change the narrative of who belongs in habitat restoration. In POCO’s Habitat Restoration Project, 32 volunteers will transform 32 yards into habitats. Outcomes include benefits to 200 POCO members, improving water and soil quality, increasing urban tree canopy, habitats for local wildlife, access to greenspaces, and climate resiliency. 66 POCO leaders will receive training through BHCP, growing them as BIPOC leaders in nature conservation. Lastly, the project will integrate habitat restoration education into scheduled outings so that all POCO members can learn about potential actions that they can take without enrollment in the project.
Play Grow Learn, $70,000
Agricultural Mentoring Program 2024
Play Grow Learn is continuing previous environmental education, workforce development, and conservation-oriented agricultural and nature programming throughout east Multnomah County including: 1) paid youth stewardship, conservation and restoration internships at Nadaka Park, 2) organizing and hosting partner-led environmental and ag internships, 3) operation of a farmers market and logistics, and, 4) outreach and engagement of low-income and communities of color to develop more self-sufficiency through agricultural skill building.
Portland Fruit Tree Project, $9,954
Reinvigorating Community Orchards
This project is intended to deeply invest in the Parkrose and Sabin Community Orchards, to build community, educate participants about sustainable agriculture, and empower neighbors to grow and care for fruit trees, vines, and shrubs. Through volunteer work parties, stewardship workshops, mason bee education, native plant swaps, potential cider presses, and more, Portland Fruit Tree Project will help these spaces become more meaningful gathering places for fruit enthusiasts.
Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center, Inc., $36,694
Natural Resource Pathways: The Green Team Program
The POIC+RAHS Green Team is an environmental leadership program that works with a team of high school students on outdoor environmental projects throughout the summer. The program places youth in charge of projects including tree pruning, maintenance, surveying and mapping tree health and mortality. It also supports student interest in pursuing living-wage careers in the natural resources sector. The Green Team supports and offers guidance to low-income students and students of color to help them play an active role in their community’s environmental health. This grant will support the Green Team over the summers of 2024 and 2025, expanding capacity by hiring a staff position to lead the program in place of the current volunteer position.
Rogue Farm Corps, $40,000
Building Resilient Communities through Regenerative Agriculture
Rogue Farm Corps is building an equity-informed regenerative agricultural workforce to address farmland loss, environmental degradation, and racial inequity. The Beginning Farmer Training Program equips aspiring and beginning farmers from all backgrounds with the hands-on experience, knowledge, skills, and relationships they need to obtain successful careers in sustainable agriculture while simultaneously bringing ecological benefits to the communities most deeply touched by the negative impacts of climate change and industrial farming. These funds will support the Portland Chapter’s Beginning Farmer Training programs serving aspiring farmers in the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District.
Serendipity Center, Inc., $40,000
Growing Minds Garden and Wellness Program
This grant will support Serendipity’s Growing Minds Garden (GMG) and Wellness Programs, which provide learning and exposure to nature, sustainable agriculture, and nutrition for young people who are living with disability and trauma. The garden is located on a half-acre of land owned by the school. Every season, more than a ton of fruit and vegetables are grown, harvested, processed and enjoyed by students, staff, volunteers, and the wider community through local food pantries. Serendipity’s Wellness Program includes the GMG, school meals, and experiential nutrition programs. Students participate in preparing primarily scratch-made school meals, including a daily salad bar that incorporates fresh, sustainably grown produce from the school garden and small, local farms.
Trash for Peace, $40,000
Co-Created Community Gardening
Trash for Peace has been providing sustainability-themed after-school programming for youth at supportive multifamily housing sites for more than a decade. At two sites operated by Home Forward, residents have been involved in gardening with Trash for Peace and built two community gardens with support from residents. Although doing well, both of the gardens need more support. This grant will provide staffing and resident stipend support at these two community gardens, improve opportunities for resident education, and create a sustainable maintenance plan so that they can thrive and serve the community to their potential.
Unite Oregon, $30,000
Unite Oregon Community Garden Initiative
This grant award will support two Unite Oregon community garden projects – one in North Portland and one in Southeast Portland. North Portland Garden: In its first year of development, this initiative is transforming underutilized green space at the Cathedral Gardens Apartment Complex into a sustainable community garden. The apartment residents and participants in Unite Oregon’s Building Undergraduates will benefit through the Inclusive Leadership Development (BUILD) Program. Knott Park Garden: Established two years ago, this garden prioritizes plots for immigrants and refugees, Black, Indigenous, and people of color empowering them to grow culturally-specific foods, learn about local ecosystems, pursue entrepreneurship opportunities, and promote sustainability. The garden includes native plantings and pollinator habitats.
Wisdom of the Elders, Inc., $70,000
Wisdom Workforce Development: Traditional Ecological Knowledge Environmental Internship
Wisdom Workforce Development’s paid internship provides education and job skill training for the environmental and conservation sector. The curriculum focuses on Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Field classes are held for 12 weeks. Wisdom provides hands-on experience with Portland Metro-area partner organizations, cultural practitioners, and environmental scientists. Field classes take place at various locations while Wednesday classroom days are held at Wisdom’s office. Topics include Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) concepts as well as Indigenous cultural arts, plant identification, uses, habitat restoration and conservation, biocultural restoration, and environmental career pathways.