Trail Blazers Foundation Fund
The Trail Blazers are dedicated to positively impacting the lives of individuals from historically underserved and marginalized communities with a focus on youth where they live, learn and play.
APPLICATION WINDOW: NEW APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCAPTED BEGINNING IN 2026. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN MARCH 2026.
The TBFF gives grants to nonprofits throughout Oregon and southwest Washington to support youth and families from historically underserved and marginalized communities across three focus areas.
Grant Programs
The TBFF has three funding streams: LIVE Greener, LEARN and PLAY:
- LIVE Greener Grant Guidelines: General operating support or program funding for organizations connecting youth with the environment for education, preservation or employment.
- LEARN Grant Guidelines: General operating support or program funding for organizations supporting youth in their journey to and through high school.
- PLAY Grant Guidelines: General operating support or program funding for organizations getting kids and their families active.
Eligibility
Geographic Focus & Organizational Requirements
Grant applications are accepted from nonprofits throughout Oregon and southwest Washington.
Applications are accepted from organizations that are a 501(c)(3) public charity, an IRC 7871 federally recognized Indian tribe, or a government entity (such as a city parks and recreation department).
Frequency of Application
- You may apply for one TBFF grant type (LIVE Greener, LEARN or PLAY) per year.
- You may receive only one grant from TBFF per year.
- Applying to TBFF does not preclude you from applying to other OCF grant programs.
NOT Eligible for Funding (all funding streams)
- Organizations that discriminate based on age, ethnicity/race, political affiliation, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or other disability, or national origin.
- Individuals (including scholarships, stipends, fellowships and personal assistance).
- Scholarship funding, unless it's the core purpose of your organization. If you'd like to provide underserved youth access to your programming, please apply to the program expenses rather than the scholarship amount.
- Research or project planning activities.
- Schools (if you’re looking for funding for your school, check out the Trail Blazers Foundation’s Take to the Court School grants open in early 2023 at trailblazers.com/foundation).
- Endowments, memorials, budget deficits or fundraising activities.
- Religious organizations whose programs do not have a secular and community focus.
- Lobbying, political or fraternal activities.
- Organizations that intend to regrant the funds awarded.
- Projects and events that occur prior to the TBFF grant award.
Spring 2024 Application
Deadline: April 2, 2024 at 5 p.m.
Applications will be accepted beginning March 4, 2024.
To apply, login to MyOCF to fill out your application. If you haven't used MyOCF before, you will be asked to register first, but you will not be required to immediately enter any grant application information yet. Once you start your grant application, you may finish it over the course of several weeks, as long as it is completed by the deadline (in other words, you are not required to finish the application in one sitting).
Application questions are available in PDF for your reference: LIVE Greener, LEARN and PLAY.
We suggest that you prepare answers to your questions in a word processor and paste them into the online application.
Grantee Reporting
The Trail Blazers Fund will invite reports at the end of the funding cycle. Information will be sent out in the early Spring about options. To submit your report or to ask questions, please email us at OCF-TrailBlazersFund@oregoncf.org.