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Ronda Rutledge
Citizen of the Cherokee Nation
Ecotrust Executive Director
Listen to Ronda read her letter
Dear Friends,
Change can be exciting. It can also be exhausting. Effectively navigating the complexities of change is necessary if we want to adapt, grow, and move forward.
Change is core to Ecotrust’s mission and values, so what does real, positive, transformative change look and feel like? Nature provides plenty of examples. Fire-adapted landscapes need the presence of heat and flame to prepare the ground for new growth. Floods are essential for bringing fresh nutrients to dry land. In challenging times, we are guided and inspired by this wisdom.
Through our collective efforts, we are seeking to dismantle and reimagine extractive economies, transforming our relationship with the earth and with each other. Achieving the vision of a more just, prosperous, and climate-smart future requires trust, time, and patience. And we can’t do it without you.
Here, in our 2024 Annual Report, we highlight how building trusting, reciprocal relationships and nurturing connective networks can help strengthen movements; how storytelling can bridge past and present toward a more abundant future; the ways our region-wide efforts are being tailored for local context; and the opportunity for community-centered investments to build lasting resilience. Across these initiatives we take an intersectional approach that is responsive to community needs, working together with the future in mind.
Through the examples shared here, I find inspiration and hope in our collective work toward lasting change for our region. And I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the progress we made together in 2024 toward economic resilience, social equity, and environmental well-being.
Five tools for equity-centered, place-based decision making
Adaptable, Collaborative, Open-source
We believe that tools and technology are best developed in community, and should be flexible enough to meet the distinct needs of our partners.
Since our founding, Ecotrust has used technology to help paint a more detailed picture of our region and how resource management decisions impact communities.
These offerings include the:
Indigenous Traditional Knowledge Database,
Equitable Evaluation Toolkit,
LandMapper,
Oregon Harvest for Schools Directory,
and the Salt & Soil Marketplace.
Bethany Sonsini Goodrich
Developed in partnership with the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, the Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) Database empowers tribal partners to build repositories for sensitive information that is critical for climate impact planning.
To be more responsive to community needs, we designed the database to be customizable, with each instance meeting the unique requirements and supporting the data sovereignty of our five tribal partners.
Learn more about the ITK Database
Five tribal partners have helped to create the ITK Database
Working with Amani Austin of Austin Advocates With and Katie Winters of Insight for Action, we developed an Equitable Evaluation Toolkit of six resources designed to guide our teams and partners in understanding the impact of their work.
In the spirit of sharing our learnings, we welcomed 78 attendees to a 2024 webinar about adopting an equity-centered approach to our evaluation work and introduced the Toolkit.
The Toolkit promotes amplifying community voice during evaluation. In 2024, we incorporated these principles in four projects: Indigenous Agroforestry Network, Urban Ag Microgrants, evaluation support for the Alaska Mariculture Cluster, and Green Workforce Academy.
Learn more about the Equitable Evaluation Toolkit and watch the webinar.
Patuá Films
Completely free to access, LandMapper now has more than 150 users a month, supporting landowners in both Oregon and Washington to access mapping and data that is specific to their property.
In the past, a landowner may have reached out to multiple agencies for this information. Now, they can access maps and resources to create conservation and management plans all in one place.
Learn more about Forestry Tech and visit the LandMapper tool.
LandMapper has 150+ users per month.
A school lunch featuring Salsas Locas tamales. Shawn Linehan
The Oregon Harvest for Schools Directory connects schools and early care sites throughout Oregon to local farmers, ranchers, fishers, and tribal food and prepared food providers.
To date, there are 155 producers listed in the directory who want to work with schools. Both buyers and sellers can access this resource for free, with our team providing back-end support services to ensure the site remains responsive and updated with supportive features.
Visit the Oregon Harvest for Schools Directory
Jenny Tseng and Angela Hedstrom share why the directory is a win for kids, farmers, and communities.
Juneau, Alaska — the heart of Salt & Soil Marketplace operations. urbanglimpses
The Salt & Soil Marketplace brings together local producers and consumers in Southeast Alaska. Through an online ordering platform, customers choose from 32 local farmers, gardeners, fishers, foragers, and artisans from 12 Southeast Alaskan communities.
In 2024, over 75 percent of Marketplace revenue was paid to producers in direct support of the regional foods economy.
Learn more about the Salt & Soil project
Three synergetic partnerships resourcing movement-building throughout the region
We gather people with common interests, backgrounds, and need for support to learn from and with each other. By offering cohort-based training and educational opportunities, we are nourishing the seeds of collective action.
Project examples include
Green Workforce Academy,
Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Institutes, and the
Indigenous Agroforestry Network.
A photo from the graduation of the Green Workforce Academy 2024 spring cohort. Rich Morales
In 2024, the Green Workforce Academy celebrated its sixth year of offering a paid workforce training opportunity for Black, Indigenous, and adults of color in Portland. The program welcomed 21 participants to learn about opportunities in the environmental field, through two cohort-based educational experiences in the classroom and on partner site visits.
Green Workforce Academy site visits included restoration work to improve the health and connectivity of salmon-supporting waterways. Academy cohort members brought their voices to the table via advocacy efforts, like community listening sessions for the Portland Harbor Superfund site — informing the clean-up process by engaging directly with local government officials.
In addition to the Academy, Ecotrust hosted two Green Workforce graduates for year-long fellowships on our Communications and Measurement & Evaluation teams.
100+ participants have graduated from the Green Workforce Academy since its launch in 2019.
Teresa Gaddy, Director of Education & Workforce at Ecotrust, on why the Green Workforce Academy is important to her.
The K-12 Farm to School Institutes Summer Retreat was held at the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton, Ore. Tony Sterling
Adapted from a model developed by Vermont FEED and Shelburne Farms, in 2024, the Ecotrust team launched the Farm to School Institute model for the first time in Oregon and Washington.
With two separate cohorts—one designed specifically for Early Childhood Education sites and another for K-12 teams—the program aims to strengthen the collaborative teams that come together to bring farm to school and early care programs to life in the garden, cafeteria, classroom, and community.
Each team includes decision-makers like school nutrition directors and administrators, alongside staff and education providers, in order to build cohesion and shared goals for their individual schools and early care sites.
This team-building is critical for continuity in farm to school programming, providing insurance that farmers, kids, and communities continue to benefit from these efforts for years to come.
120 Farm to School & Early Childhood Education Institute participants gathered to connect, learn, and develop action plans.
Learn more about the Institutes
Rey Cooley, Washington State Farm to School Network Coordinator and Ecotrust partner, on the Farm to School Institute and the importance of collaboration.
“
Our coach Lucy was phenomenal in the ideas and scaffolding to get our goals more focused, while letting the ideas come from our team and only guiding and not injecting her ideas.
—Carlos Zuleta, Farm to ECE Institute participant
Attendees at the inaugural Indigenous Agroforestry Network Gathering on a field trip to the Wiyot Tribe’s newly acquired property, Mouralherwaqh. Daisy Autumn Photography
Indigenous land management practices are deeply holistic, shaped by thousands of years of experience and knowledge. Today, these knowledge systems continue to inform contemporary agroforestry practices, creating opportunities for integrated and sustainable land stewardship.
In collaboration with a diverse network of partners that includes USDA programs and services, tribes, intertribal organizations, and universities, Ecotrust established the Indigenous Agroforestry Network to improve access to programs and services that support the benefits, recognition, and adoption of tribal agroforestry.
In 2024, for the first time, we gathered 40+ attendees in Blue Lake, Calif., to discover innovative techniques, connect with like-minded individuals, and explore the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous agroforestry.
Watch the “Indigenous Agroforestry in the Northwest” webinar
Learn more about the Indigenous Agroforestry Network
Stephanie Gutierrez (San Carlos Apache), Forest and Community Program Director at Ecotrust, talks about the importance of the Indigenous Agroforestry Network
Elevating Voices
Gathering around a meal, sharing stories, and learning from elders build meaningful context for who we are, our shared challenges, and what a more just, livable future looks, feels, and tastes like. By creating spaces for and elevating the voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color, we sow seeds for regeneration.
Highlights in 2024 include:
Mari Kita Makan,
Place Matters: Asian American Farming in the Pacific Northwest, and the
Restoration through Storytelling Series.
Denise Chin, Ecotrust Measurement & Evaluation Manager, alongside Chef Feny Lim, welcomes attendees of Mari Kita Makan. Christine Dong
Organized by Denise Chin, Ecotrust’s Measurement & Evaluation Manager, Mari Kita Makan was a dinner event held at Portland restaurant Pasar to connect immigrants and diaspora from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore in the Portland area.
With over 40 attendees, the event focused on the need for affinity spaces, highlighting the diversity represented by Portland’s Asian and Asian American communities, and sparked the desire for continued connection among attendees.
Learn more about Mari Kita Makan
Listen to Denise Chin read her story about organizing Mari Kita Makan and creating belonging.
“
Mari Kita Makan was a delightful and much-overdue gathering of people from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Food is so central to our culture, and this lovely event gave us the opportunity to find each other in Portland, create community while savoring food from our homeland.
— Sheila Murty
Clockwise from top left: Pam Oja, owner of Tamura Farms; Chantal Wikstrom, granddaughter of Cambodian farmers; Leilani Mroczkowski and Jihelah Greenwald, co-founders of Kasama Farm; Malia Myers, co-founder of Landmass Wines (not shown on mobile); and Catherine Nguyen, owner and farmer of Mora Mora Farm. Emilie Chen
Photos shown above: Pam Oja, owner of Tamura Farms; Chantal Wikstrom, granddaughter of Cambodian farmers; Leilani Mroczkowski and Jihelah Greenwald, co-founders of Kasama Farm; Malia Myers; and Catherine Nguyen, owner and farmer of Mora Mora Farm. Emilie Chen
“
It’s important that the farm—and food in general—can act as a gathering place. We can start to be in community together. And as those relationships get stronger, we can build the connection and power to make changes.
— Jihelah Greenwald, Kasama Farm
Highlighting the legacy of Asian farming in the West Coast, Emilie Chen, Ecotrust’s Communications Manager, interviewed six Asian Americans about their family immigration stories, family histories in agriculture, and their careers in farming if they chose to pursue that path.
Read the six blog posts from the “Place Matters: Asian American Farming in the Pacific Northwest” series
“
You want the same opportunities, you want the same privileges, but at the same time, you’re not part of this homogeneous, monotonous story of other people in the industry. …So you kind of go with it. You’ve got to be true to yourself and make the things you want to make.
— Malia Myers, Landmass Wines
Malcolm Hoover, co-founder of Black Futures Farm, speaks during the first Restoration through Storytelling event. Ben Anang via FLI Social.
The Restoration through Storytelling series was designed to elevate ancestral innovation and agricultural wisdom of Black, Indigenous, and people of color through a series of four gatherings within East Multnomah County.
With partners, we identified local storytellers, and engaged a diverse group of stewards, healers, land justice advocates, urban farmers, and community builders to uplift storytelling as both a meaningful knowledge system and a cultural and community preservation practice. The series was held at four locations:
• Black Futures Farm
• Oxbow Regional Park
• June Key Delta Community Center
• Historic Alberta Public House
100+ participants came together over the course of four events in intergenerational spaces designed for learning and connection.
See photos and read more about the series: Telling the stories of land stewardship
Alisha Howard, Ecotrust’s Community Outreach Coordinator and co-designer of the “Restoration through Storytelling” series, on intergenerational healing, reclaiming access to urban natural spaces, and so much more.
In partnership with Vanport Mosaic, we hosted a storytelling event at the Historic Alberta Public House as part of the 9th Vanport Mosaic Festival. Ben Anang via FLI Social
Quisha Light and Lela Triplett-Roberts speak at the June Key Delta Community Center. Ben Anang via FLI Social
“
Engage with elders, listen to their experiences, and document these narratives. Embrace storytelling as a living tradition that evolves while preserving the essence of our heritage. … Remember that every story shared contributes to a larger tapestry, reinforcing our connections to each other and to the land and waters we protect
— Quisha Light, former chapter president of the Portland Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
Developing shared resources toward a more just, prosperous future
Salem Keizer school garden. Shawn Linehan. Kodiak marina. Jason Houston. Corinne Sams receives the Indigenous Leadership Award. Really BIG Video. Dr. Philip Cash Cash and Antone Minthorn. The Redd on Salmon Street. Connor Meyer.
Forging connections,
fostering community
Connecting to and honoring place is a meaningful—and powerful—element of our work. Through the brick-and- mortar of our buildings and venue spaces, developing new place-based initiatives, and investing in community-led infrastructure, we address social, economic, and environmental challenges here at home, while working toward a more abundant future.
Project examples include
investigating the impacts of American shad,
strengthening food systems in Southeast Alaska, and
building a region-wide mariculture initiative.
American Shad, caught in the Columbia River. Emilie Chen
More than a century after being introduced to several West Coast rivers, American shad have spread, competing with native salmon for resources and filling fishing nets.
In 2024, Ecotrust convened or conducted outreach to more than 100 individuals in Oregon and Washington to learn more about shad’s impacts on salmon and fishers and the potential for developing market channels for this introduced species.
Learn more about Addressing the impacts of American Shad in the Columbia River
Tyson Rasor, Food and Fish Senior Program Manager at Ecotrust, talks about reducing pressure on native salmon species by creating markets for shad.
The Four Winds Resource Center Victory Garden is going strong with weekly volunteer work parties. Shaelene Moler
Across a variety of projects and partnerships, our food systems work in Southeast Alaska continues to grow. In particular, new efforts have taken root in communities located along the Lynn Canal, from Juneau to Haines and beyond.
Number of families who received food from the Chilkat Valley Food Hub’s pantry in 2024
Visit the Lynn Canal Food Web site
Erika Merklin, Upper Lynn Canal Food System Strategist at Ecotrust, talks about her work on the ground and shares why it matters: “First we eat, then we do everything else.” -MFK Fisher
Harvesting kelp in Southeast Alaska. Bethany Sonsini Goodrich
Mariculture has the potential to transform coastal economies. Our goal is to encourage sustainable practices that honor Indigenous stewardship, create pathways to economic independence, protect vital ecosystems, and address the urgent challenges of climate change.
In 2024, we continued working toward this goal in Alaska and Oregon by providing training for Native entrepreneurs, communications and evaluation support for coalition efforts, and direct outreach and network building in coastal communities.
Learn more Mariculture in Southeast Alaska
Bethany Sonsini Goodrich
Investing in community vision
Communities know what they need to thrive. By funneling financial support to individual leaders, businesses, and local infrastructure, we’re helping build community-based power and possibility.
Projects include
Indigenous Leadership Awards,
Redd Access Program,
Urban Ag Microgrant Awards,
New Markets Tax Credit Program, and
Ecotrust Events.
The 2024 Indigenous Leadership Award recipients (from left to right): sm3tcoom (Delbert Miller), Skokomish; SandeBea Allman, Oglala Lakota and Nimiipuu; Delano Saluskin, Yakama; Darrell Hillaire, Lummi; Corinne Sams, Umatilla; and Theresa Sheldon, Tulalip. Kari Rowe, Lakota, Ojibwe
In 2024, we recognized and awarded $60,000 in unrestricted cash prizes to six Indigenous Leadership Award recipients.
Native peoples have persevered as generations of Indigenous leaders and community members have worked tirelessly to protect their sovereignty, families, cultures, and homelands.
The desire to recognize the determination of Native peoples and the significant achievements of Indigenous leadership are the reasons the Indigenous Leadership Awards were created. The awards are a public appreciation—a celebration—of each awardees’ unwavering dedication and impact.
Awarded in unrestricted cash prizes to six 2024 Indigenous Leadership Award recipients.
Learn more about the Indigenous Leadership awards and join us in October 2025.
Revisit the 2024 Indigenous Leadership Awards through this highlights reel and watch the full speeches here
The founders of Sisterhood Kitchen Collective: Leslee Pate, Andrea Wade, and Lee Hedgmon. Quy Nguyen
“
Ecotrust didn’t just lease us a kitchen, they invested in our vision, our voice, and our value. From day one, they treated Sisterhood Kitchen Collective like partners, not charity. And that matters deeply, especially for Black and Indigenous women entrepreneurs who are so often overlooked or underestimated.
Ecotrust shows up with integrity, respect, and a real commitment to seeing us win, not just survive, but thrive. This is what true partnership looks like. This is what leadership rooted in equity looks like.
— Andrea Wade, co-founder of Sisterhood Kitchen Collective and founder of Honeybee Lemonade Syrups
The Redd on Salmon Street continues to provide mission-aligned infrastructure and support to a variety of food businesses. In 2024, we welcomed two new tenants: 7 Waters Sovereign Foods and the Sisterhood Kitchen Collective, enterprises created to honor cultural food traditions and serve community.
In addition, we piloted the Redd Access Program specifically for Redd community members who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color to access infrastructure, financial assistance, and business planning to support their success.
Follow Sisterhood Kitchen Collective on Instagram
Follow 7 Waters Sovereign Foods on Instagram
Lukas Angus of 7 Waters Sovereign Foods holds a fresh-caught fish. Tony Sterling
Aerial view of friends gathered to harvest radishes at Black Futures Farm in Portland, OR. Robert Cuadra
Investments in infrastructure and the space to experiment and adapt are essential for farmers to weather the impacts of climate change.
In 2024, as part of the broader Resilient Food Futures program, we distributed $65,000 in microgrants to 13 farm businesses who are implementing projects from greenhouse restoration to upgrading water systems—all to enhance and strengthen urban agriculture in the Portland metropolitan region.
Learn more about Resilient Food Futures
Distributed in microgrants in 2024
The MLK Medical Campus. Sara Pietka
In 2024, Ecotrust’s Community Development Entity received $40 million in New Markets Tax Credit allocations to invest in community environmental resilience projects like utility infrastructure and climate-smart businesses.
We are working directly with communities to make their visions for resilience a reality. Of our 2024 allocation, 50 percent will be deployed to projects on federal trust lands such as on tribal reservations, Hawaiian Home Lands, and Alaska Native Villages.
Learn more about the New Markets Tax Credit Program
rural investment in the past five years by the Ecotrust CDE
ALIST was a 2024 Community Grants recipient who hosted their WSW Meet Up event on the Natural Capital Center’s Rooftop Terrace. Hannah Bernabe
“
The community grant from Ecotrust allowed us to gift this rooftop to the community and keep the ticket price low for our 16th WSW Meet Up. We would not have afforded this beautiful location without your grant.
— Amanda Mailey, founder of ALIST
Providing spaces for people to come together is a critical ingredient for strengthening community.
By offering reduced rates for fellow nonprofits and through our Community Grants program, we worked alongside 129 nonprofits to host 320 nonprofit-focused gatherings—including weekly meetings, galas and fundraisers, volunteer appreciation events, educational sessions, and more—in our venues at the Natural Capital Center and the Redd on Salmon Street.
Visit the Ecotrust Events website
Learn more about the Natural Capital Center and The Redd on Salmon Street.
nonprofit-focused gatherings hosted in 2024 in Ecotrust venues
The financial information above presents the best available report on revenue and expense at time of publication and has been adjusted for informational purposes using an EBITDA methodology.
Ecotrust responsibly raises, earns, and deploys funds in service to our mission-driven work across the region. We utilize these funds alongside partners to build power with communities and strengthen environmental and social outcomes.
In 2024, Ecotrust’s leadership explored both revenue enhancement and cost reduction strategies to make the organization more resilient. The goal is to develop an operating model that’s characterized by both sustainability and endurance as the best means to achieve our mission, while at the same time building core non-operating assets capable of supporting our strategic goals. This work is critical to our future success and will be ongoing as we navigate shifts and changing contexts in 2025 and beyond.
The charts above depict Ecotrust’s expenses and revenue in 2024. Revenue is made up of grants and contributions (from foundations, individuals, and public agencies), investment returns (from Ecotrust’s working endowment and investments), contracts and services (such as software development, technical assistance, and our events venues at The Redd and Natural Capital Center), and capital initiatives (such as our New Markets Tax Credit work). Expenses include programs as further described in this annual report, capital initiatives, and operational and engagement functions (such as management, events, development, and communications). Our organizational and financial information is publicly accessible online, and our audited 2024 financials will be posted as soon as they are available.
Thank you for helping us plant the seeds for an abundant future. Strong relationships fuel the transformation needed for new growth.
Ecotrust staff and friends volunteer with Friends of Tryon Creek. Jason Hill.
In 2024, we advanced our work in close collaboration with over 500 partners who share our commitment to building a more just, prosperous, and climate-smart future.
We are grateful for every one of our partners’ contributions that make a difference to the people and places of our region. As we navigate this time of change together, we are grateful to be part of a growing community making a lasting impact.
Get to know some of our 500+ partners
Meet the 70+ Ecotrust Staff & Board
Lily Abood, Ecotrust’s Vice President of Development & Engagement, on partnership and reciprocity.
“
Ecotrust unites communities in the Northwest to focus on a positive future based on Indigenous knowledge and a shared investment in the health of our land, water, and people.
— Kelley Beamer, Executive Director at East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District
Unseen, patient seeds shelter their potential
With breath spark builds from ember to flame
Life to life
New growth from generational remembrance
Regeneration from connection
Emergence as petals of promise
A shift in form and perspective
Hope in transformation
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