About Stronghold Fund
An impact fund of the Wild Salmon Center that supports high-impact, partner-based initiatives to preserve extraordinary wild salmon, steelhead, and trout rivers across the North Pacific.
Focus Areas
wild salmon conservationsteelhead conservationtrout conservationwatershed protectionhabitat policycoalition and partnership buildingconservation sciencepreventive conservation to avoid long-term damage
Who They Fund
general public / voterslocal communities near wilderness areasoutdoor recreation stakeholders (e.g., hikers, conservation volunteers)
Funding Style
About Stronghold Fund
The Stronghold Fund operates as a spend-down impact fund of the Wild Salmon Center, built to move targeted grants quickly for wild salmon, steelhead, and trout stronghold watersheds across the North Pacific. Its recent largest grant was $4,027,000 to Wild Salmon Center in 2025 for public education and outreach to generate support for wilderness and land protection, showing that the fund backs both conservation work and the communications needed to sustain it. The 2024 and 2023 grants to the same recipient for the same purpose point to a clear multi-year pattern rather than isolated awards. The fund’s stated approach emphasizes partner-based initiatives, preemptive conservation, and science-grounded campaigns, with seed and strategic support used for time-sensitive opportunities. Leadership is listed under David Finkel, and the foundation does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The Stronghold Fund is tied to preservation of extraordinary wild salmon, steelhead, and trout rivers, and its grantmaking is framed around protecting stronghold watersheds before long-term damage takes hold.
What Stronghold Fund Funds
A central theme in The Stronghold Fund’s work is public education and outreach linked to land protection. In 2025, it gave $4,027,000 to Wild Salmon Center for public education and outreach to generate support for wilderness and land protection. The same purpose appears in its 2024 grant of $1,479,000 and 2023 grant of $954,000 to the same organization, showing consistent support for communications tied to conservation goals. The fund also centers stronghold watershed protection, with a stated focus on wild salmon conservation, steelhead conservation, and trout conservation across the North Pacific. Its program descriptions emphasize coalition-based efforts, partner-based conservation initiatives, and preemptive interventions, suggesting that it favors campaigns that can move quickly around urgent habitat threats. Seed funding is part of the model as well, especially for new initiatives.
How Stronghold Fund Gives
Typical awards are large: the 25th percentile is $1,216,500, the median is $1,479,000, and the 75th percentile is $2,753,000. The recent record shows repeated grants to the same recipient across 2023, 2024, and 2025, which points to recurring support rather than one-off awards. The Stronghold Fund is structured as an impact fund and a spend-down resource managed by Wild Salmon Center. It is designed for targeted, partner-based, science-grounded grants and seed funding. One of its active grant programs accepts unsolicited proposals, while another does not.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4M
Total Assets
$23.2M
Total Revenue
$9.6M
Total Expenses
$4.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $1.2M and $2.8M, with a median of $1.5M.
25th Percentile
$1.2M
Median
$1.5M
75th Percentile
$2.8M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in OR.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
DAVID FINKEL
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