Wildhorse Foundation Awards $353,606 to 25 Nonprofits in Q4 2025

Special Olympics Oregon's Union County branch in Elgin was among 25 organizations to receive a share of $353,606 in fourth-quarter 2025 grants from the Wildhorse Foundation, a community fund managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in partnership with Wildhorse Resort & Casino.

The 25 organizations received awards ranging from $2,000 to $30,000 for projects in public health, public safety, arts, education, environmental protection, cultural activities, and salmon restoration. The Union County Special Olympics program received $4,000 to support its athletic programming in the region.

The highest individual awards of $30,000 went to the Boardman Fire Rescue District, the Historic Rivoli Theater Restoration Coalition in Pendleton, and the Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center in Wallowa County. The Maxville grant is earmarked for a historic building renovation at the center, which seeks to gather, preserve, and share the rich history of African American, Indigenous, and immigrant loggers in the Pacific Northwest.

Other northeastern Oregon recipients included the Echo Heritage Association in Echo, which received $7,876 for its cultural history program; Compost Casa in Lexington, which received $9,500 for school-to-soil shredding and compost handling equipment; and the Milton-Freewater Valley Ambulance District, which received $15,000 for updated radios. In Pendleton, Blue Mountain Community College received $5,500 toward the 2026 BMCC Spring Celebration Powwow, Cat Utopia received $12,000 for a spay/neuter and rescue transport van, InterMountain Education Service District received $11,600 for its Playworks program, and St. Mary's Outreach received $10,000 to replace its outreach vehicle. The Pacific Northwest Veterans Alliance in Hermiston received $20,000 for its Eastern Oregon Veterans Emergency Assistance Project.

On the Washington side, the Walla Walla Public Library received $30,000 for its campaign to revitalize the library, and the Washington Water Trust received $28,940 for streamflow restoration and a decision support tool expansion to benefit salmon and steelhead in the Walla Walla Basin.

Three Oregon-based organizations also received Rapid Response Grants, which are designed for small and immediate needs that surface throughout the year. Those grants of $1,500 or less went to the Blue Mountain Humane Association in La Grande, the Milton-Freewater Breadbasket in Milton-Freewater, and the Oregon Coast Youth Symphony Festival in Newport.

The total awarded in the fourth quarter was $353,606, bringing the total for the foundation's 2025 quarterly grants to $1,832,179. Since its establishment in 2001, the foundation has awarded over $20 million in grant funding to organizations across the region.

The foundation's eligibility criteria extend beyond traditional nonprofits. According to a foundation release, grants go to "eligible nonprofit, government, and Tribal organizations within the homeland area of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla people," with additional eligibility for tribal government agencies, Native American charitable organizations based in Oregon, and national or regional Indian organizations.

The Wildhorse Foundation is a community fund managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in partnership with Wildhorse Resort & Casino. Grant applications are accepted on a quarterly basis, with deadlines on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. The next deadline is April 1, 2026. Applications and program information are available through the Wildhorse Foundation.