Wildhorse Foundation awards $447,230 in quarterly grant funding
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, August 25th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
MISSION – The Wildhorse Foundation has announced its grant awards for the second quarter of 2026. The foundation is a community fund managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in partnership with Wildhorse Resort & Casino.
Twenty nine organizations were awarded grants in the areas of public health, public safety, arts, education, environmental protection, cultural activities, historic preservation, and salmon restoration. The largest grants were for $30,000.
The foundation also handed out small Rapid Response Grants. Those are designed for small and immediate needs that surface throughout the year. In this area Nixyaawii Community School in Mission and Sustainable Living Center in Walla Walla received $1,500 each.
Wildhorse Foundation makes grants to eligible nonprofit, government, and Tribal organizations within the homeland area of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla people. Also eligible for funding are Tribal government agencies or Native American charitable organizations with their base of operations in Oregon or national or regional Indian organizations.
The total amount of the second-term grants is $447,230. In this area, Umatilla County organizations received a total of $178,189 in grants. Morrow County groups were awarded $59,141. Walla Walla County organizations were awarded $26,100.
Complete list of grants:
| Organization | Org. Location | Project Name | Awarded |
| ALS Northwest | Portland, OR | ALS Support Program | $5,000.00 |
| Blue Mountain Community Foundation | Walla Walla, WA | Outdoor Learning for Walla Walla Students | $6,000.00 |
| Blue Mountains Conservancy | La Grande, OR | Wild Schools Support | $2,000.00 |
| Children’s Museum of Eastern Oregon | Pendleton, OR | Expanding Equitable Access | $5,000.00 |
| City of Irrigon | Irrigon, OR | New Dream Park | $30,000.00 |
| City of Stanfield | Stanfield, OR | Tom McCann Veteran’s Memorial Park | $25,700.00 |
| City of Umatilla | Umatilla, OR | McNary Pickleball Courts | $30,000.00 |
| Columbia Basin Veterans Center (CBVC) | Pasco, WA | Connecting Veterans to Health, Housing, and Hope | $3,000.00 |
| Cove School District #15 | Cove, OR | Pathways to Practice; From High School Students to Local Health Science Careers | $9,000.00 |
| Gib Olinger Elementary School | Milton-Freewater, OR | Life Skills Through Play – Deepening Playworks’ Impact | $6,900.00 |
| Grace Clinic | Kennewick, WA | Pathways to Care – Responding to the Rising Uninsured Crisis | $29,500.00 |
| Hanford Drama Boosters | Richland, WA | New Curtains for the Hanford High Auditorium | $12,000.00 |
| Imbler School District | Imbler, OR | Imbler Marching Band equipment | $10,000.00 |
| KoosKooskie Commons | Walla Walla, WA | Every Drop Counts, Water Quality Monitoring to Determine the Effects of Logging on Salmon Spawning Streams in the Mill Creek Watershed | $7,200.00 |
| Lexington Fire and Rescue | Lexington, OR | Improving Wildland Firefighter Safety Through Compliant Equipment | $29,141.00 |
| Lines for Life | Portland, OR | Suicide Prevention Mini-Grants | $10,000.00 |
| Made to Thrive | Hermiston, OR | Support for Low Income Youth to Participate in Extracurricular Activities in Umatilla and Morrow Counties | $10,000.00 |
| Nixyáawii Community Financial Services | Pendleton, OR | Txòtáyma Community Market Hall | $30,000.00 |
| North Pendleton Rangeland Fire Protection Association | Helix, OR | Essential Fire Fighting Equipment | $29,897.00 |
| Operation Warm, Inc. | Glen Mills, PA | Basic Needs for Children in Tribal Communities | $15,000.00 |
| ORTOP | Portland, OR | STEM Pathways: Preparing Eastern Oregon Students for the Future | $8,300.00 |
| Pioneer Relief Nursery | Pendleton, OR | Facility Improvement Project | $15,000.00 |
| Portland Opera | Portland, OR | Portland Opera to Go | $10,000.00 |
| The Wallowa Band Nez Perce Trail Interpretive Center, Inc. DBA Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland. | Wallowa, OR | Homeland Gathering Grounds: Accessibility & Infrastructure Project | $30,000.00 |
| Tri-State Steelheaders Salmon Enhancement Group | Walla Walla, WA | Salmon Education Program | $8,100.00 |
| Umatilla-Morrow Head Start, Inc. | Hermiston, OR | Facility Improvements | $25,692.00 |
| United Way of Benton & Franklin Counties | Kennewick, WA | Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library | $10,000.00 |
| Wallowa County Education Service District | Enterprise, OR | Wallowa Collaborative Preschool Playground | $30,000.00 |
| YWCA Walla Walla | Walla Walla, WA | YWCA Walla Walla Survivor Services | $4,800.00 |
| TOTAL | $447,230 |
