Donation will support 13 local nonprofits across the state
CLACKAMAS, Ore. – On January 26, 2026, the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative — operator of the BottleDrop network — and Oregon Community Foundation jointly announced the donation of $250,000 through the BottleDrop Fund to 13 nonprofits operating across Oregon:
- AntFarm Youth & Family Services
- Elakha Alliance
- Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
- Friends of the Children – Central Oregon
- Heart of Oregon Corps
- Illinois Valley Community Development Organization
- Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center
- Lomakatsi Restoration Project
- North Coast Watershed Association
- Spruce Up Warrenton
- Upper Deschutes Watershed Council
- Wallowa Resources
- Willamette Riverkeeper
“Environmental stewardship and Oregon’s Bottle Bill go hand in hand,” said Hillary Barbour, director of community relations and stakeholder engagement at OBRC. “OBRC is committed to protecting the environment not only through our own operations, but also by supporting the work of nonprofit partners who educate and inspire the next generation of leaders. We are thrilled to support this year’s recipients and grateful for their work helping Oregonians protect and enhance the places we all love.”
The BottleDrop Fund, created in partnership with Oregon Community Foundation, supports nonprofit organizations in Oregon that are operating in the spirit of the Bottle Bill through annual grantmaking. The Fund’s priorities include litter and waste reduction, environmental conservation, environmental education, recycling, public-private partnerships that work to solve a community problem in Oregon, and skill-building and job training for low-income residents.
“We are proud to partner with members of the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative and the BottleDrop Fund Committee to support organizations operating in the spirit of Oregon’s iconic Bottle Bill,” said Michael Oreste, senior program officer at Oregon Community Foundation. “This year’s annual grantmaking reached communities across the entire state of Oregon and helped reduce litter, protect the environment, promote environmental education and strengthen public-private partnerships.”
Recipients by Region
Oregon Coast
Elakha Alliance, a nonprofit based in Siletz, received funding to enhance their coastal community outreach, public education and youth education programs and activities needed to successfully restore a healthy population of sea otters to their historic range on the Oregon Coast.
“The Elakha Alliance is working with Tribes, agencies, scientists, coastal communities, conservation organizations and the public to return sea otters to the Oregon Coast and restore the resilience and productivity of our marine environment,” said Jane Bacchieri, executive director for Elakha Alliance. “Building relationships, sharing information and providing opportunities for diverse perspectives to be considered is critical to our success. We are grateful to the BottleDrop Fund for supporting our outreach and collaborative efforts.”
North Coast Watershed Association, a nonprofit based in Astoria, received funding to support their work to educate and integrate local people in the process of restoration by identifying, mapping and removing invasive species and replacing them with native plants. The work occurs through a series of public events along the Warrenton Riverfront Trail with community partners, including the city of Warrenton and the Chinook Indian Nation.
“Warrenton’s Skipanon River Watershed contains one of Oregon’s most unique and endangered ecosystems, Sitka spruce swamps. These ecosystems act as vital, mass carbon sinks and provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife. Over 95% of these swamps have been lost,” said Graham Klag, executive director of North Coast Watershed Association. “Our BottleDrop grant will provide NCWA with crucial funding to help us work with our local watershed community to eradicate invasive species from these important ecosystems, while also educating our community’s future watershed stewards on how to best restore and enhance them.”
Spruce Up Warrenton, a nonprofit based in Warrenton, received funding to support their revitalization, beautification and environmental stewardship projects in downtown Warrenton that improve environmental health and strengthen community pride.
Central Oregon
Friends of the Children – Central Oregon, a nonprofit based in Bend, received funding to aid their environmental education and hands-on agriculture program that engages underrepresented youth in grades K-8, enabling youth to gain practical experience in sustainable farming, soil health, water conservation, composting, pollination, biodiversity and responsible food systems.
“This gift goes directly to support our environmental education programming. Connecting children impacted by significant trauma to gardening and farm-based learning builds their confidence, improves their emotional regulation and sparks curiosity about nature and food systems,” said Rachel Cardwell, executive director for Friends of the Children – Central Oregon. “With this investment, we are expanding to include bee pollination education with a local partner, helping youth understand biodiversity and ecosystem health.”
Heart of Oregon Corps, a nonprofit based in Bend, received funding to support their Stewardship program to engage local youth in paid job skills training and hands-on projects that empower them to transform their lives and their community by reducing waste, improving recycling and completing conservation work that keeps Central Oregon lands beautiful and thriving.
“This grant supports a powerful intersection of workforce development, environmental stewardship and community education,” said Patrick Orr, program director for Heart of Oregon. “Through our partnership with Deschutes County Solid Waste, young people are gaining hands-on experience improving recycling practices and reducing landfill waste – building career pathways while strengthening sustainability across Central Oregon.”
Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, a nonprofit based in Bend, received funding to enhance their education program, The UpStream Project, to educate 500 elementary students from rural schools in Sunriver and La Pine about the critical importance of protecting their home watershed for fish, wildlife, themselves and future generations.
“Our education program is committed to educate and engage local students in hands-on watershed education and environmental conservation,” said Kolleen Miller, education and development director at Upper Deschutes Watershed Council. “With support from the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative, we will engage 500 new elementary students in streamside learning activities to help them learn about ways they can become lifelong stewards.”
Northeast Oregon
Wallowa Resources, a nonprofit based in Enterprise, received funding to expand hands-on training, mentoring and logistical support for the Wallowa Mountain Institute’s HAWK program’s summer internship cohort, deepening student impact through ecological restoration, stewardship and natural resource career pathways.
“Investing in natural resource workforce development is really an investment in rural communities. Wallowa Resources’ HAWK internship program is meeting this growing need by paying high school youth to do real projects alongside local natural resource professionals, while earning college credit and gaining career skills,” said Emily Bratcher, youth education manager for Wallowa Resources. “Our HAWK interns are exposed to work in forestry, fisheries biology, fire mitigation, rangeland management, noxious weed control and more over the course of this hands-on summer program. This kind of early, supported workforce experience builds confidence, opens doors to education and job opportunities and strengthens the future of our local stewardship economy.”
Portland Metro
AntFarm Youth & Family Services, a nonprofit based in Sandy, received funding to expand their Planet365 sustainability initiative by adding two new collection trailers and two new recycling processing locations in Estacada and Molalla. This will increase access for rural residents while creating more hands-on service-learning opportunities for youth, reducing waste and protecting Oregon’s public lands.
“Plant 365, here at AntFarm, is where cans and bottles go to live their second-best life (the first was holding soda),” said Shannon Grandy, outdoor programs manager for AntFarm Youth & Family Services. “With help from community-supported trailers around Sandy and the Mt. Hood corridor, youth roll up their sleeves to sort recyclables, fill trailers and turn empties into opportunity. Along the way, they pick up teamwork, time management, organizational skills and a solid understanding of why recycling actually matters. What starts as clinks and clatters of cans ends up fueling youth events, community connections and early chances for young people to step into volunteering or work – all while helping the planet, one bottle at a time.”
Willamette Riverkeeper, a nonprofit based in Portland, received funding to increase their capacity to engage diverse communities – rural, urban, Tribal, underserved, and river-dependent residents – in their hands-on stewardship through their River Guardians program. The funding will go toward replacing and purchasing new essential river cleanup and monitoring gear to expand safe river cleanup and pollution-tracking efforts.
“Trash in our river is not just a visual problem – it threatens water quality, wildlife and the health of communities who depend on the Willamette every day,” said Michelle Emmons, co-executive director and upper Willamette riverkeeper for Willamette Riverkeeper. “When people come together to remove pollution and monitor what’s entering the water, they’re protecting drinking water, public access and future generations. What starts as litter often becomes a pathway for toxic chemicals into the water we all share. River Guardians empowers communities to interrupt that pathway, protect public health and hold the line for clean water before small problems become lasting contamination.”
Southwest Oregon
Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, a nonprofit based in Ashland, received funding to strengthen their ability to offer accessible place-based education, expand community participation and maintain a consistent stewardship presence in the Monument through their Hike & Learn programs, Summer Interpretive Rangers program and volunteer stewardship activities that ensure education, youth engagement and hands-on conservation remain available to the southern Oregon community.
“This BottleDrop Fund support allows Friends of the Cascades-Siskiyou National Monument to connect people directly with the land through hands-on stewardship, interpretive ranger programs and community education,” said Daniel Collay, executive director for Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. “This work builds long-term care for the Monument’s waters, wildlife and landscapes by helping people understand their role in protecting this place. We are grateful for this investment in on-the-ground conservation and public engagement.”
Illinois Valley Community Development Organization, a nonprofit based in Cave Junction, received funding to strengthen and sustain their Cans for Kids program, which collects redeemable beverage containers at a community donation station and donates all proceeds to local youth groups.
“After eight wonderful years at our original location, the Cans for Kids donation station will be moving. This award from the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative will ensure there are no interruptions to the program and will allow us to grow support for youth programs throughout the Illinois Valley,” said Lindsey B. Jones, executive director for Illinois Valley Community Development Organization. “Cans for Kids has been a lifeline for our community – helping fund travel to national conferences, art program supplies and critical equipment upgrades for local sports teams. This investment is essential to keeping youth programs in the Illinois Valley strong and thriving.”
Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, a nonprofit based in Ashland, received funding to support their education and engagement efforts through their Rogue River Keeper program to protect and restore waterways and aquatic ecosystems through volunteer river and stream litter cleanups, invasive plant control events and educational events about impacts to water quality, benefits of functional riparian habitats and floodplains and viewing spawning salmon.
“The funds from the BottleDrop Fund will allow Rogue Riverkeeper, the local advocate protecting water quality in the Rogue River basin, to clean up aquatic trash and remove invasive plants in the Rogue River and its tributaries like Bear Creek, protecting drinking water sources and habitat for native fish like salmon,” said Frances Oyung, program manager for Rogue Riverkeeper.
Lomakatsi Restoration Project, a nonprofit based in Ashland, received funding to extend their Indian Youth Service Corps training module centered on stewardship with the U.S. Forest Service Mt. Hood National Forest, where youth will receive hands-on training for ecosystem restoration, allowing participants to gain experience in a variety of conservation activities while engaging with tribal elders, cultural practitioners, scientists and technical forestry staff.
“Lomakatsi Restoration Project is delighted to receive this award to support our Inter-tribal Indian Youth Service Corps on Mt. Hood National Forest,” said Belinda Brown, tribal partnerships director for Lomakatsi Restoration Project. “The crew will be creating forest resiliency through ecological fuels treatment while also enhancing oak habitat and First Foods.”
About the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative
The Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative is the industry steward of Oregon’s nationally recognized beverage container redemption system and the operator of the BottleDrop network. On behalf of the beverage industry, OBRC helps Oregonians conveniently redeem and recycle more than 2 billion containers every year, dramatically reducing litter in Oregon’s special places and boosting the state’s recycling outcomes. To learn more, visit BottleDrop.com or OBRC.com.
About Oregon Community Foundation
Since 1973, Oregon Community Foundation has worked to improve the lives of all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy. Each year, OCF distributes more than $200 million in grants and scholarships in every county in Oregon in partnership with donors and volunteers. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations can work with OCF to create charitable funds to support causes important to them. To learn more, visit oregoncf.org.