By Norah Dobrot
For Colin Kruse, a soon-to-be senior at Central Catholic High School, sports have been a constant throughout his life. From playing baseball to football to basketball—his main focus today—Colin is familiar with the fees and demands associated with being a student-athlete. In the past few months, you may have spotted him speaking at a Cleveland High School Athletic Booster Club meeting or a gathering of SE Portland Little League coaches or perhaps putting up fliers—all for the PDX Momentum Project, a nonprofit he founded in the fall of 2025.
“We help kids play sports who don’t really have the funds or resources to,” says Colin. The organization, inspired by Colin’s combined love for sports and desire to help more kids in his community access them, aims to provide financial assistance for young athletes in any sport in SE Portland, covering associated costs, such as club team dues and equipment. “I’ve always had opportunities with sports,” he explains. “So I just thought that hopefully I could help other people get one step closer to [accessing] sports.”
Since last fall, the PDX Momentum Project has provided over $1,000 in total to multiple local athletes. “We’re proud of the amount of money that we have awarded…to eight or nine athletes,” explains Karen Kruse, Board chair of the PDX Momentum Project and Colin’s mother. They have received two applications for funding so far, both of which have been approved, and one of which was for an entire team.
The nonprofit is fully volunteer-run: both its four-person Board and five-person youth advisory committee are made up of community volunteers passionate about sports and willing to dedicate time to the Momentum Project’s mission. The nonprofit is funded through donations, as well as from a cut of the proceeds from Colin’s clothing resale business. “We’ve been really lucky in the donation department,” comments Karen. “We got the 501(c)(3) status, we have regular Board meetings, we have that piece down, we got the donations down,” she explains. “Now we just need to crack the code on getting the word out and getting [people to apply], whether it’s coaches, kids applying on behalf of themselves, parents, counselors, literally any adult.”
Any youth athlete in SE Portland—whether they participate in a traditional or non-traditional sport, through school or a club—is eligible to apply for funding. Though it previously only sought athletes from the Cleveland High School cluster, the Board recently voted to expand the scope of eligibility to all of SE Portland.
The application, which can be filled out online, is short and straightforward: “It’s really [just asking] who you are or who’s applying for you—if you are the student-athlete yourself or coach, counselor or parent—what you’re asking for and why,” describes Board member Jess Glick. “The applicant is not being asked to jump through a bunch of hoops to prove that you need something.”
After an application is received, the youth advisory committee, composed of five student-athletes from Cleveland and Central Catholic high schools, including Colin, views it first. “We all review it blindly and separately, and then we talk with each other about if we think it’s good and if we should award what they need,” explains Colin. They see only the written portions of the request for funding—no names or personally identifying information. Then the application is passed to the Board, whose members are all parents of student-athletes, for the final review.
So far, their efforts to spread the word about the PDX Momentum Project have been well-received. “Everybody is like, ‘This is amazing,’ but there’s a difference between the enthusiasm and actually getting people to apply,” explains Karen.
Ultimately, the PDX Momentum Project aims to make their application flexible and accessible. “We would consider anything sports-related , like club dues or shoes or if someone wants to go to a sports camp,” says Karen. Though the application is in English, applicants can fill it out in any language. The application window is open indefinitely, and the organization is excited to receive applications and award funds in the future. “When you apply, it’ll be turned around pretty quick,” adds Colin. “We have a 100 percent [award] rate on all of our applications so far, so it’s not rigorous,” comments treasurer Gabriel Kruse.
For anyone wanting to make a financial contribution to the PDX Momentum Project’s mission, the main thing to know is that “because we have 501(c)(3) status, it would be tax-deductible,” explains Karen. Donations can be made online, or “if people don’t want to do it online, they can always reach out. We can figure out a way to deposit a check,” adds Gabriel.
Karen emphasizes the ease of applying: “The application can be filled out in less than five minutes, and it’ll be received with a lot of love. We have such good intentions. We really want to help the community,” she says. Glick chimes in with similar encouragement to prospective applicants, saying, “We’re not a big corporation; we have this unique thing, we all love sports and want to help kids who might need help playing sports, because we all see the value of how great it is for kids and adults.”
To apply for funding, donate or learn more, visit the PDX Momentum Project online at pdxmomentumproject.org.
Colin Kruse, youth founder of the local nonprofit PDX Momentum Project, stands by his backyard basketball hoop. Photo by Norah Dobrot.
