Ecotrust

Driving radical, practical change toward more reliable prosperity. Join us at ecotrust.org. We are:

1. It’s time for a more natural model of development.

Ecotrust’s role is to innovate, invest and inspire in ways that create wellbeing for people and the places they live. An incubator for social enterprise, designed to identify and test deep innovation;
2. A capital vehicle for investing in promising innovations, both to prove concepts and to scale them.
3. A growing constellation of public, private, for-profit and nonprofit organizations designed t

o inspire change around the world. How We Work
The challenges of the 21st century are immense, but at Ecotrust we believe that true wellbeing is possible. To get there, we need radical transformation of current institutions — those ways of living from banking to building, from transportation to tree harvesting, that dominate our lives. We see urgency in building up an economy that restores nature and invests in people. And we believe the way to build that economy is through bold experimentation in the bioregion we call home — the Pacific Northwest. We are continually creating and supporting new businesses, nonprofits, alliances, networks and programs that build wellbeing in nature and community and deliver economic prosperity. The industrial economic model that’s reigned for the last 300 years simply can’t last. At Ecotrust, we believe the new economy starts here — in our backyards, communities, cities and regions.

12/09/2024

An opportunity to work for NAYA and help people find housing!

NAYA is hiring!

There are several open positions, and we would like to highlight a couple in the Housing and Stabilization Services Department including:

Family Housing Advocate (Mobile Housing Team)
Resident Services Coordinator

NAYA’s Housing and Stabilization team will support unhoused families in obtaining safe and stable long-term housing, as well as access to other support services.

NAYA offers exceptional benefits, including free medical, dental and vision insurance for employees (and low-cost care for family members), 401(k) retirement plan with 6% match, paid vacation and paid holidays.

Find more details and view all of our open positions at:
https://nayapdx.org/about/jobs (link in bio)

12/09/2024

Funding Opportunity for Tribal Communities!

🌲Funding Opportunity for Tribal Communities🌲

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Urban Forest Grant Improvement Program can support tribal organizations working to enhance the sustainability of their urban and community forests, by benchmarking their local community forest to the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard.

This grant is open to nonprofits, municipalities, universities, and Indigenous communities that manage urban or community forests in the U.S.

📅Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until May 30, 2027, or until funds are fully allocated. Decisions are typically made within 45 days of submission.

Learn more by visiting the link in our bio or here: https://forests.org/urban-grant/

12/05/2024

We are accepting proposals for hourly use of our Redd East Kitchen! It is perfect for teaching cooking classes or demonstrations.

12/04/2024

🌊 Funding Opportunity for Tribal Communities🌲

Protecting water resources and reducing water quality impacts during forestry operations is crucial for several interconnected environmental, economic, and cultural reasons.

The Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity Program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, offers up to $17.6 million to support temporary bridge rental, loan, or cost-share programs with states and federally recognized Tribes.

📅Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until December 27, 2024. Funding decisions made within 30 days of submission dates!

Learn more by visiting the link in our bio or here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/science-technology/energy-forest-products/wood-innovation/temporary-water-crossing

12/04/2024

Sundance Film Festival's Native Lab Fellowship applications for 2025 have opened!

If you’re a Native American or Indigenous emerging filmmaker or episodic creator, click this link to apply: sndnc.org/native-lab ✍️

Applicants are required to submit a narrative feature or episodic pilot script with their application.
Submissions close on December 23, 2024, so be sure to get your applications in now!⏰

12/03/2024

Let's build a world where every child has access to nourishing food and connection to the land.

Every child nourished. Every farmer earning a living. Every community thriving. That’s the power of . Give today to fuel the farm to school movement! 🚜 🏫 🍏

🌱 Visit farmtoschool.org/donate to make your impact today.

12/03/2024

This GivingTuesday, be a part of bold, lasting change. 🌟

The challenges we face—climate change, inequity, and environmental harm—are interconnected, and so are the solutions. At Ecotrust, we co-create innovative, community-driven strategies that tackle these issues at their roots, building resilience and equity for people and nature alike.

Your gift fuels transformational work:
- Empowering Black and Native communities through the Green Workforce Academy
- Supporting Native Women in Forestry to advance leadership and career opportunities
- Building holistic, sustainable solutions from California to Alaska

🌟Special GivingTuesday Offer! 🌟 The first 50 donors to give $100+ by December 8th will receive a 16 oz. Climate Positive Tumbler from our partners at MiiR as a token of our gratitude.

Let’s take action together for a future of equity, resilience, and abundance. Visit ecotrust.org/donate/donate to give today and make your impact.

Photo of Ecotrust staff Emilie Chen and Jessica Douglas by Sean Gutierrez

12/02/2024

Now on the blog: A conversation with Catherine Nguyen, founder of Mora Mora Farm: https://ecotrust.org/a-conversation-with-catherine-nguyen-founder-of-mora-mora-farm/

Originally from Virginia, Catherine Nguyen became interested in farming through a college internship. After graduating, she continued working on farms across the country as a way of traveling. In 2018, she ended up in Portland, Ore., where she founded Mora Mora Farm while participating in Headwaters Incubator Farm program. She now farms on leased land in Troutdale, providing local produce to resturants, nonprofit programs, and her Community Supported Agriculture membership.

In this conversation with Emilie Chen, Catherine shares her pathway, successes, and challenges with running a small farm. She also discusses forging her career in farming despite hesitance from her Vietnamese immigrant parents and her visit to Vietnam this summer, which helped her better understand her parents' family histories.

12/02/2024

The Intertribal Timber Council is in the news!

11/28/2024

While this time of year marks the start of the holiday season for many, Ecotrust recognizes that communities throughout our region celebrate an array of occasions for gathering. For some, especially Native communities, the federally recognized Thanksgiving holiday is particularly challenging, representing a deeply harmful history. Rather than requiring that we take holiday time on Thanksgiving or Christmas, Ecotrust offers three floating holidays to staff (in addition to other federal holidays and a generous paid time off policy) so we can celebrate meaningful occasions and gather with loved ones throughout the year.

Photo of a hand holding a fall leaf by Sean Gutierrez

11/27/2024

Our software development and technical teams continue stewarding tools that are responsive to community need: LandMapper, Ecotrust’s free online mapping tool for forest landowners, has been updated to include Washington properties and now offers new resource guides to better support users. And tribes in both California and Oregon are using the Indigenous Traditional Knowledge Database developed by Ecotrust and the Tolowa Dee-Ni' Nation to store culturally sensitive, place-based information gathered by their communities.

You can support this work today: ecotrust.org/donate, and be sure to check out the workplace giving options for Oregon: https://www.oregon.gov/gcfs/Pages/index.aspx and Washington state employees: https://give.wa.gov/

Forestland managed by the Kalispel Tribe of Indians; photo by Sean Gutierrez

11/26/2024

This is the last week to enter into the Charity Sweepstakes to win big for your favorite charity! Learn more at https://give.wa.gov/cfd/2024-charity-sweepstakes

This week is your last chance to enter into our Charity Sweepstakes! For more info about the promotion, click here: https://give.wa.gov/cfd/2024-charity-sweepstakes🤩

Read below to see why a fellow state employee, Rachel Harkcom, decided to give to their favorite charity, Joyful Hands Ministries!

"I have supported Joyful Hands Ministries for many years. I enjoy supporting this charity because I believe in the work that they do. This organization is committed to going out every Saturday morning rain or shine, to serve breakfast to the homeless community in downtown Olympia. I have met the founder of the organization, and her story is truly inspiring to me to find joy after such a great loss. After losing her daughter she was determined to do more to give back to the community in a way that her daughter would have appreciated." Thank you for sharing, Rachel ✨

11/26/2024

New on the blog: Interview with Malia Myers, co-founder of Landmass Wines: https://ecotrust.org/speaking-with-malia-myers-co-founder-of-landmass-wines

Over the past centuries, many immigrants have come to the U.S. bringing agricultural knowledge and experience, but they face barriers to becoming farm owners themselves. Despite these challenges, their agricultural backgrounds continue to inspire their descendants today.

In the third interview of a series about Asian American farming, Emilie Chen speaks with Malia Myers, who co-founded Landmass Wines with her partner Melaney Schmidt. Malia's great-grandparents were Filipinx immigrants who worked in the sugarcane plantations of Hawai'i, and Malia discusses her journey into winemaking and how her grandfather inspires her own agricultural career.

11/25/2024

Now available on our blog: The Farm to ECE Institute's first retreat took place last month: https://ecotrust.org/a-fall-gathering-for-the-farm-to-early-care-and-education-institute/

Organized by Ecotrust and regional partners, the Farm to ECE Institute is a year-long learning experience for early childhood professionals to strengthen farm to early care and education (ECE) programming in Oregon and Washington.

Photo by Ben Anang via FLI Social

11/25/2024

It's their largest grant yet. Apply today!

We’re excited to announce that Kiss the Ground is awarding $500K in grants to farmers and ranchers starting in 2024! After over a decade of supporting the transition to regenerative agriculture, we’re proud to share our largest grant yet. 💚

Learn more about our work with farmers, including grants and our "5 with a Farmer" series, at https://kisstheground.com/farmers/ 🌱

11/22/2024

We are thrilled to announce that Alora joined us this October! We are so excited to work with her. Here's Alora in her own words: As Ecotrust’s Staff Accountant, I make sure everybody gets paid. Whether it’s our own employee payroll or outside contractors & services, no number shall go uncrunched! Before joining Ecotrust, I spent over ten years as an accountant for various public accounting firms and non-profits. Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, I am a lover of the outdoors, and you can often find me and my dog, Avocado, out on the trails exploring the PNW. While indoors, I love all sorts of arts & crafts and I dream of owning my own sewing studio one day, offering classes and a space to gather for inspiration and community.

11/21/2024

Check out our blog post about the K-12 Farm to School Institute Summer Retreat!

11/20/2024

This Big Give Day is for the Birds!

Give $10 or more today and you could win a $500 gift card from Backyard Bird Shop! Win on this Big Give Day and treat yourself to a brand-new birdhouse, stock up on seed, get a few squirrel-busting feeders, or get nuts just for the squirrels!

Donate today and you can help support NAYA’s work to Indigenize our campus, stewarding a vital resource adjacent to Whitaker Ponds and the Columbia Slough for all our relatives–our plant relatives, the two-leggeds, four-leggeds, those that swim and those that fly.

NAYA relies on these donations through Give!Guide to fund our wraparound programs that serve everyone from infants to Elders, impacting the lives of more than 10,000 people annually.

Address

1140 SE 7th Avenue, Ste. 150
Portland, OR
97214

Website

http://www.ecotrust.org/

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Videos

"One of Ecotrust’s guiding principles is to drive radical, practical change. According to Merriam-Webster, “Radical comes from a Latin word meaning ‘root,’ and in its earliest uses it referred to roots of various kinds.” Ecotrust’s roots in the region date back more than 33 years, leading to this moment of growth, transformation, and collective impact. In our 2023 annual report, we highlight our progress toward strategic goals in lands and waters stewardship, community climate resilience, and intergenerational wealth building. It’s my pleasure to share this year-in-review with you, our partners and supporters, and reflect on what we’ve accomplished together.” - Ronda Rutledge, Ecotrust Executive Director Explore our immersive 2023 Annual Report and hear more from our staff and partners at: ecotrust.org/2023report If you would like to receive the print version by mail, sign up here: bit.ly/2023report_Print_Signup

We are accepting nominations for the 2024 Indigenous Leadership Awards! Submit your nomination by March 31 from the link in our bio. Meanwhile, check out this highlights reel from last year’s awards ceremony. Full speeches are viewable on ecotrust.org. In order of appearance: - Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson (Haida) | Attorney, author, activist, artist, musician - Marina Anderson (Haida/Lingít) | Director @sustainablesoutheast - Gabe Sheoships (Cayuse/Walla Walla) | Executive Director @friendsoftryoncreek - Alyssa Macy (Wasco/Navajo/Hopi) | CEO @waconservationaction - Frances Charles (Lower Elwha) | Lower Elwha K’lallam Tribe Chairwoman - Louise Brady (Lingít) | Herring Protectors - Corine Pearce (Pomo) | Master Artist in Basketry - Penelope Gavin-Harvey representing @ctuiryouthcouncil - Bobbie Conner (Cayuse/Nez Perce) | Director of Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, 2007 awardee, Ecotrust board member - CTUIR Youth Leadership Council (@ctuiryouthcouncil)

We’re highlighting the farmers and growers who participated in BIPOC Farm to Market: @1855plants! 1855 Plants, founded by Duane Lane, is a Native plant nursery that grows and sells plants Indigenous to the Vancouver, Portland, and Willamette Valley watershed area. Photo credits: Emilie Chen, Walter Siegmund, Sean Gutierrez, or courtesy of 1855 Plants