Portland Trails looks to go to the next level with ‘unexpected’ financial boost

The nonprofit Portland Trails announced Monday afternoon it has been awarded a three-year, $100,000 grant by the Old Bug Light Foundation, a gift organization leaders described as “unexpected” and transformative.

In a statement, Executive Director Kara Wooldrik talked about how the grant will serve as a bridge between the “scrappy” operation Portland Trails has been for more than two decades and the more “sophisticated” fundraising and community-building group it aspires to become. The award represents the largest foundation grant the organization has ever received.

Bree LaCasse, an Old Bug Light Foundation trustee, had this to say about her group’s decision to spring the $100,000 surprise on Portland Trails:

“Portland is very lucky to have such an extensive public trails network. We are extremely grateful for all the hard work of the Portland Trail’s staff and board for continuing to create and maintain these trails for public use. We are pleased to be able to financially support amazing organizations like Portland Trails that are shaping our community and making it a better place to live, work and visit.”

Executive Director Kara Wooldrik, hiking in Scotland in a pic provided by Portland Trails.

Executive Director Kara Wooldrik, hiking in Scotland in a pic provided by Portland Trails.

So what will Portland Trails do with this funding, which averages out at $33,000 and change per year? According to its Monday announcement, the organization will use the money to help raise more money, among other things. Specifically, “build the communications tools necessary to successfully launch more sophisticated fundraising and community-building strategies” and “begin to build our stewardship endowment for future financial security.”

(Also, Portland Trails will purchase a mower, because there are a lot of free trails to be maintaining, and that takes equipment.)

In a nutshell, Portland Trails hopes this grant award can provide the foundation upon which the organization can build a more stable financial future, so it can preserve more property for hiking/walking and groom the property it already oversees.

Said Wooldrik in a statement:

“With twenty three years of experience, two mission statements accomplished, a strong brand and a positive reputation, we have been successful on many fronts. Portland Trails has transformed Greater Portland through coalition-building, scrappiness, and strategic opportunism. Now, we need to secure the future of the 70-mile trail network, the 100-plus acres of conserved land, and the community-building approach we use to create healthier people and neighborhoods. …We are thrilled by the possibilities.”

The Old Bug Light Foundation describes itself as a Portland-based family foundation which supports small organizations “that strive to protect the environment, promote social justice and foster community.”

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.