Support System

Through the strength of the Windermere Foundation, a group of Portland-area offices combines forces to make a big impact.

BY HALEY SHAPLEY

WHEN REALTY TRUST GROUP MERGED WITH Windermere Stellar to become Windermere Realty Trust in late 2017, they gained more than just market share. They also bolstered their ability to give back.

“With my prior company, there was definite interest in supporting nonprofits, but we weren’t big enough to have a foundation,” says Todd Prendergast, founding partner of Realty Trust Group and now president and co-owner of Windermere Realty Trust. “So it was way more one-off and circumstantial as opposed to having the structure of the Windermere Foundation and having the mechanism to raise funds in our communities.”

The new group wasted no time in making a difference. Shortly after the merger, Windermere Realty Trust was recognized by the Portland Business Journal in 2018 as the Corporate Philanthropy Award winner in the Large Company Category—an honor they received again in 2020.

“The Foundation is a huge differentiator in the kind of company we are, and yet it’s not one you’re going to beat your chest about,” Prendergast says. “It’s not a brag; it’s more about the culture.”

Windermere Realty Trust has 14 offices: nine in the core Portland area (including Lake Oswego), three in the Vancouver, Washington area, and two on Oregon’s North Coast (Cannon Beach and Gearhart). One representative from each office forms the Windermere Foundation committee, which meets every other month to review the 60-some grant applications they receive annually. Each approved grant is for an average of $3,000, and nonprofits can reapply after 18 months for a new round of funding.

The causes they support run the gamut, from the established Boys & Girls Clubs to the newer William Temple House, which provides low- and no-cost mental health counseling, social services, and spiritual care to individuals and families. Prendergast says they try to fill the gaps for a variety of needs—including education, food security, and clothing—and they like to support the construction of buildings and other infrastructure because it has a long-lasting effect.

On the subject of long-lasting, the Windermere offices in this area have been involved with New Avenues for Youth, a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of youth homelessness, from its beginnings in 1997. Since 2004, they’ve provided $400,000 to the organization to help young people transition away from living on the streets.

It’s just one example of the good that can be done when a group of community-minded people who want to give back have the support and infrastructure to do exactly that.

Learn more about the Windermere Foundation at windermerefoundation.com.