Pendleton, OR (May 25, 2023) – The Wildhorse Foundation, a community fund established by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), announced their grant awards for the first quarter of 2023.
The Wildhorse Foundation received 69 applications in the first quarter of 2023 with total requests nearing $1 million. 38 organizations were awarded grants ranging from $1000 to $16,000 for projects in the areas of Public Health, Public Safety, Arts, Education, Salmon Restoration, Historic Preservation, Environmental Protection, and Cultural Activities. Total funding awarded was $387,841.60
In 2022, the Wildhorse Foundation awarded $1,383,347 in grant funding to eligible government, Tribal and charitable organizations.
Below is the list of organizations and the grant amount awarded to each for the first quarter of 2023.
| Organization Name | City | State | Project Title | Amount |
| Alpenfest | Enterprise | OR | Alpenfest 2023 | $9,600.00 |
| Blue Mountain Community Foundation | Walla Walla | WA | Walla Walla Public Schools Field Trips | $8,000.00 |
| Blue Mountains Conservancy | La Grande | OR | Wild School Education Classes and Habitat Enhancement | $5,940.80 |
| Boardman Fire Rescue District | Boardman | OR | Airway Management Project | $14,324.00 |
| Cardinals Nest | Waitsburg | WA | What’s Fishy About Your Local Environment? | $1,742.40 |
| Children of the Setting Sun Productions | Bellingham | WA | When Salmon Come Home | $16,000.00 |
| City of Union Fire and EMS | Union | OR | Mobile Radio Updating | $16,000.00 |
| Color Our Community on Awareness | Walla Walla | WA | Juneteenth Jubilee 2023 | $1,000.00 |
| Columbia County Sheriff’s Office | Dayton | WA | Emergency Response for Patrol | $16,000.00 |
| Confluence Project | Vancouver | WA | “Voices of the River” Traveling Exhibit/Museum Project | $8,000.00 |
| Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts | Pendleton | OR | Traditional Arts Workshop Funding | $8,000.00 |
| CTUIR Department of Education | Pendleton | OR | Feathers for Our Future | $8,800.00 |
| CTUIR Department of Public Safety | Pendleton | OR | Prevent Homeless Pets | $8,000.00 |
| Eastern Oregon Regional Arts Council, Inc. (DBA Art Center East) | La Grande | OR | Gallery Program | $8,432.00 |
| Friends of Joseph Fire Fighters | Joseph | OR | SCUBA Rescue Equipment | $16,000.00 |
| Friends of The Historic Union Community Hall | Union | OR | Historic Stained-Glass Window Repair | $10,000.00 |
| Grande Ronde Hospital Foundation | LaGrande | OR | Grande Ronde Hospital Campus Expansion Project | $16,000.00 |
| Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation | La Grande | OR | Restoration Monitoring and Evaluation of Fish Use and Movement in the Upper Grande Ronde River and Meadow Creek Watersheds | $15,704.00 |
| Happy Canyon Foundation, Inc. | Pendleton | OR | Happy Canyon Metal Scenery Wings Repaint Project | $16,000.00 |
| Hurricane Creek GraNGE #608 | Joseph | OR | sewer replacement and upgrade | $12,000.00 |
| Imbler School District | Imbler | OR | Imbler High School Track and Field Program/Imbler High School Football Program | $7,450.00 |
| Kennewick Grid Kids | Kennewick | WA | Kennewick Grid Kids 2023 Cheer/flag/ tackle football season | $12,000.00 |
| Little League Baseball Inc. – Triangle Little League | Adams | OR | Outdoor lighting and fencing | $11,094.40 |
| Meadowood Springs Speech & Hearing Camp | Pendleton | OR | 2023 Meadowood Speech Therapy Camp | $7,600.00 |
| Page Ahead Children’s Literacy Program | Seattle | WA | Story Leaders | $4,000.00 |
| Pioneer Relief Nursery | Pendleton | OR | Pioneer Relief Nursery Expansion | $16,000.00 |
| Powder Basin Watershed Council | Baker City | OR | Powder Basin Watershed Council Macroinvertebrate Surveys | $4,293.60 |
| Salvation Army Pendleton Corps | Pendleton | OR | Community Hunger, Thirst and Utility Support | $16,000.00 |
| Special Olympics Oregon Union County | Elgin | OR | Special Olympics Union County Uniform Replacement Project | $4,500.00 |
| Stepping Stones Alliance | Hermiston | OR | Transportation | $16,000.00 |
| Two Rivers CDC | NORTH BEND | WA | Veteran Stress Reduction | $5,000.00 |
| Umatilla County Cemetery Maintenance District 2 | Weston | OR | Security gate and cameras | $4,000.00 |
| Umatilla County Soil and Water Conservation District | Pendleton | OR | Umatilla County Bank Restoration and River Resiliency Guidebook | $16,000.00 |
| Umatilla Tribal Fire Department | Pendleton | OR | Fire & EMS Training Equipment | $16,000.00 |
| Union County Emergency Services | La Grande | OR | Union County Swiftwater Rescue Capability Enhancement | $9,206.40 |
| Walla Walla Symphony | Walla Walla | WA | Rock Camp 2023 | $2,000.00 |
| Walla Walla Valley Bands | College Place | WA | Walla Walla Valley Band Sound and Video Equipment Purchase | $5,154.00 |
| Willow Creek Park District | Heppner | OR | Willow Creek Water Park Rehabilitation | $16,000.00 |
In addition to the Wildhorse Foundation, there are five other similar Tribal community funds and foundations in Oregon. Collectively, these six organizations gave out nearly $11 million in grant funding in 2022. The five other Tribal philanthropic organizations are Spirit Mountain Community Fund, Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund, 3 Rivers Community Foundation, Coquille Tribal Community Fund, and Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation.
About Wildhorse Foundation
The Wildhorse Foundation was established January 1, 2001 for the purpose of formalizing charitable giving on behalf of the Wildhorse Resort & Casino and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Funds from the Wildhorse Foundation are used for education, public health, public safety, gambling addiction prevention, the arts, environmental protection, cultural activities, salmon restoration, and historic preservation. Grants are awarded on a quarterly basis with deadlines on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1. For more information, visit TheWildhorseFoundation.com.
About the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation comprises the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes, formed under the Treaty of 1855 at the Walla Walla Valley. In 1949, the tribes adopted a constitutional form of government to protect, preserve and enhance the reserved treaty rights guaranteed under federal law.