Wildhorse Foundation grants $100,097 to Union, Wallowa county groups
Seven Union and Wallowa county groups split $100,097, led by a $28,000 Island City pathway project and $20,000 for Pioneer Park’s splash pad.
A new splash pad in Pioneer Park, an upgraded ski patrol equipment cache in North Powder and a pathway project in Island City were among the local projects set to move ahead after the Wildhorse Foundation awarded $100,097 to seven Union and Wallowa county groups.
The foundation distributed $495,628 in first-quarter 2026 grants to 35 organizations across Oregon and Washington after receiving 70 eligible applications seeking about $1.5 million. That left half of the eligible applicants without funding in a round that covered public safety, arts, education, environmental protection, cultural events and salmon restoration, with awards ranging from $3,000 to $30,000.
In Union County, the City of La Grande Parks and Recreation Department received $20,000 for a Pioneer Park splash pad replacement, a project that would directly affect one of the city’s most visible family recreation spaces. The Island City Parent Teacher Organization received the largest local award listed, $28,000 for a pathway project. La Grande High School was awarded $3,700 to renovate its track tower, while the Rural Engagement & Vitality Center in La Grande received $9,000 for the Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute.
North Powder’s Anthony Lakes Ski Patrol was awarded $7,397 for an equipment upgrade, a grant tied to the kind of safety and response work that matters when conditions turn quickly in the mountains. In Elgin, Friends of the Opera House received $20,000 for the Pendleton Playhouse renovation, adding another arts-related project to the regional list.
The Wallowa County side of the roundup included $12,000 for the Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness in Enterprise, funding a wellness park and community garden project. Winding Waters Clinic in Enterprise also received a rapid response grant, though the amount was not listed.
Taken together, the awards show where local organizations are winning support in a crowded field: projects with visible public benefit, clear construction or program goals and a direct line to daily use by residents. They also show what does not get funded in the same cycle. With $1.5 million requested and less than one-third of that amount approved, local groups are competing for a finite quasi-public resource that can determine whether a park upgrade, school improvement or community program happens now or waits for another funding round.
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