#makeitbrighter Non-profits

Each non-profit we've supported through the #makeitbrighter project is out there making a difference everyday. We love being able to bring light to their cause. Below is a list of the previous non-profits we've featured and links to their sites (click on their names) so you can continue to support their efforts. 

 Do Good Multnomah (Our first non-profit!)

Do Good Multnomah is a non-profit organization that partners with the community to provide permanent supportive housing and low-barrier emergency shelter to houseless Veterans in Portland, Oregon. We emphasize relationship-building, one-on-one engagement, supportive services, and direct community participation, changing the way we serve houseless Veterans.

Our Mission: Do Good Multnomah supports Veteran-centered communities that inspire dignity, sustainability, and purpose.

Friends of the Columbia Gorge

Ensuring the Gorge remains a vibrant, living place—wondrous, wild, and open to all—is at the core of what we do. We are Friends of the Columbia Gorge, the only conservation organization entirely dedicated to protecting, preserving, and stewarding the Columbia Gorge for future generations.

 Forward Stride

Forward Stride’s mission is to enhance quality of life through horse-centered activities and therapies. This means that every program, clinical or not, has the power to have lasting therapeutic benefit to its participants. Our seven programs are organized into three categories of services: Equestrian Sports, Clinical Services, and Personal Development. Click on the program names to learn more, or click the button below your preferred program to register.

Project Lemonade

We support foster youth and provide resources for them to realize their gifts and gain confidence, so they achieve success in school and life. Our three programs, the Project Lemonade Store, Foster the Future Summer Internship and WISH (What Inspire’s Student’s Hearts), provide foster youth a chance to Shop. Learn. Dream. With the odds against our foster children, let’s do what we can to turn lemons into lemonade.

Girls, Inc of the PNW

In partnership with schools and at Girls Inc. centers, we focus on the development of the whole girl. She learns to value herself, take risks, and discover and develop her inherent strengths. The combination of long-lasting mentoring relationships, a pro-girl environment, and research-based programming equips girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers, and grow up healthy, educated, and independent. Informed by girls and their families, we also advocate for legislation and policies to increase opportunities and rights for all girls.

All About Kids

With your support, The Salvation Army believes Together We Can make a difference in the lives of kids in our community each day. Last year, The Salvation Army in the Portland Metro area provided services to 54,553 people. This included serving over 178,074 meals and snacks to families, and equipping over 4,523 youth with character building programs. We believe that providing youth with positive engagements and environments at a young age will significantly impact their adult life.

Run Like a Dog

An annual event that is a Canine Friendly 5k Run/Walk to benefit the Thurston County Humane Society! Animal lovers of all fitness abilities are invited to come out for a fun event to raise funds and cheer for the Thurston County Humane Society!

Gift of Parenthood

Gift of Parenthood is a charitable grant program dedicated to helping couples and individuals struggling with infertility. The program aims at helping families conceive through advanced fertility treatments such as IUI, IVF, egg donation, embryo donation, and gestational surrogacy.

Tumblewheel Studios

Tumblewheel Studios is a custom converted school bus turned self-contained, mobile art classroom. Our nonprofit focuses on bringing art to Northwest Oregon by providing art education and art making supplies to underfunded schools and underserved communities. We are committed to building spaces in which everyone has equitable access to the arts. 

​Through alliances and relationships with local partners, Tumblewheel Studios implements alternative methods of arts education, and promotes discovering new ways to support creative endeavors.

The Oregon Food Bank

We’re probably not what you expect when you think of a food bank. In Oregon, we do things differently. We started off like most food banks did back in 1988. That’s when Interagency Food Bank and Oregon Food Share merged to become Oregon Food Bank, and we distributed USDA Commodity Supplemental Food to over 200 hunger-relief agencies. Today, Oregon Food Bank collects food from farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, individuals and government sources. We distribute that food through a Statewide Network of 21 Regional Food Banks and approximately 1,200 food assistance sites serving all of Oregon and Clark County, Washington. It seems like a big job, and it is. We absolutely couldn’t do it alone. But, distributing food is not the entire job. Like we said – we do things differently in Oregon.

Black Mama's Matter

Black Mamas Matter Alliance is a Black women-led cross-sectoral alliance. We center Black mamas to advocate, drive research, build power, and shift culture for Black maternal health, rights, and justice. We envision a world where Black mamas have the rights, respect, and resources to thrive before, during, and after pregnancy.

Taking Ownership PDX

A small-but-mighty community collective of contractors, realtors, neighbors, and businesses brought together by Portland musician, activist Randal Wyatt. Together we renovate and revive Black-owned homes that have requested our help, with an emphasis on enabling Black homeowners to age in place, generate wealth and simultaneously deter predatory investors and realtors to deflect the gentrification process. While nothing can undo the decades of harm imposed upon Portland's Black community via deliberate historical redlining, gentrification and systemic racism, Taking Ownership is turning the tide with a commitment to impactful grassroots change in support of the Black home owners of our city.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Portland

Since 1946, Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland has been providing thousands of youth throughout the Portland metro area with affordable, high-quality after-school and summer programs. Our mission is to empower all young people, especially those who need us most, to discover their full potential as caring, engaged, responsible community members. We provide a safe and nurturing space for underserved youth in Portland and surrounding areas, from first grade through graduation. 75 years later, we still provide our members and their communities year-round services by meeting critical community needs such as providing free meals, after-school academic support, caring adult mentors, youth and family services, mental health support, college prep, and workforce readiness programs. Our programs are designed to empower Club members to realize a wide variety of positive outcomes, a strategy for developing the “whole child.”

 The Elizabeth Smart Foundation

"The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. Elizabeth was abducted on June 5, 2002 and endured daily sexual assault, starvation, and abuse for 9 grueling months. Fortunately, the police safely returned Elizabeth back to her family on March 12, 2003.

Elizabeth triumphantly testified before her captor and the world about the very private nightmare she suffered during her abduction, which led to conviction. She went on to found the Elizabeth Smart Foundation in 2011. Since its inception, the foundation has actively joined the fight against sexual violence. Through educational programs such as the Smart Talks podcast and prevention programs such as Smart Defense, the Elizabeth Smart Foundation provides services to promote prevention, recovery, and advocacy."

 The Griffin School Foundation

The Griffin School Foundation was established in 1999 to enhance the educational experience of the students, teachers, staff and community of the Griffin School District by funding those needs that are not or cannot be supported by traditional funding sources of the Griffin School District. Their purpose is fulfilled by:

  • Funding Grants that support improvement of public education
  • Funding scholarships for Griffin School students and former Griffin students
  • Funding educational and training opportunities for Griffin School employees and Griffin School Board members
  • Funding capital improvements and equipment for the Griffin School District and Griffin-area youth
  • Providing historical and other displays at Griffin School
  • Addressing the special needs of Griffin students
  • Hosting events honoring our Griffin community senior citizens 

World Central Kitchen

"WCK is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises. We build resilient food systems with locally led solutions."