$40M
ESTIMATED VALUE DELIVERED
This Is Where We Are Now
$22M
TO LAUNCH A VESSEL
3 yrs
TO OPERATIONS ONCE FUNDED
Funding Raised to Date from Community Owners: $30K (Updated 4/25/26)
A RENAISSANCE FOR PORTLAND
Let’s bring a positive, fun, and transformative change to our city. Together, we can be proactive and embrace innovative, cost-effective, and proven best practices.
For nine years, Frog Ferry, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has conducted the research, planning, and community engagement — with support from private, philanthropic, and nonprofit partners (many contributing pro bono and low bono) — delivering an estimated $40 million in value.
The project is shovel ready. We have secured permission from the City of Portland to use the two public docks. $22 million will put a vessel into operation within three years of funding. This is a time for leadership, and the community must lead through a Community Ownership Campaign.
What Is Community Ownership?
The public can invest directly in Frog Ferry as an owned and operated community asset. Public investors (“Donors”) are issued Community Ownership Shares to provide capital funding, structured as charitable contributions that are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. You may make your donation a gift. Once you complete your checkout, email susan@frogferry.com with your subscription number and the recipient’s physical address. We’ll send a certificate issued in their name. Please review the Summary Document for full donor information.
Donors may receive non-monetary benefits such as early special ticket sales and complimentary ferry rides. Shares are not a security, investment contract, or financial product — they are a charitable contribution acknowledging your participation in a community capital project supporting the passenger ferry initiative. Share certificates and donation letters will be provided to every contributor.
YOUR OWNERSHIP LEVEL – PICK YOUR STAKE
$300
1 SHARE
Invitation to the Annual Ownership Meeting and a commemorative Frog Ferry owner certificate. Your first step to becoming a Frog Ferry community owner.
$3,000
10 SHARES
$7,500
25 SHARES
Special event privileges for purchasing tickets. All above benefits included.
$15,000+
50+ SHARES
$300,000
1,000 SHARES
Naming on Captain’s Chair. This extraordinary naming honor — an enduring tribute to your vision and leadership in bringing Frog Ferry to life. All above benefits included.
$900,000
3,000 SHARES
Option 2: Be listed as the “Powered by” Sponsor, with your name written on the exterior of the boat.
*Preliminary, subject to change. Benefits are intended to be tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Why Now?
Portland is at a crossroads. With two public dock permits secured and nine years of groundwork laid, Frog Ferry is the most shovel-ready civic transportation project in the region. Every day without a ferry is another day of congestion, emissions, and missed opportunity to reconnect Portland with its rivers. The community must lead — and this is how you do it.
The Frog Ferry route connects Cathedral Park to RiverPlace across the Willamette River, serving commuters and residents with a low-carbon, scenic alternative to car and bus travel. Long term, the service will connect Vancouver, WA to Oregon City and locations beyond. This is a visible symbol of civic renewal — a forward-looking investment grounded in climate leadership, equitable mobility, and river reconnection.
View or download the PowerPoint presentation for full campaign information:
COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP CAMPAIGN
BECOME A FROG
FERRY OWNER
Shares start at just $300. Every contribution is a tax-deductible charitable donation that puts Portland’s ferry one step closer to the water.
You will be redirected to our secure offering platform after acknowledging the donor disclosure.
$15,000
50 SHARES: SEAT NAMEPLATE
- Permanent nameplate on a passenger seat
- Commemorative owner certificate
- Annual “Owners Day” complimentary rides
- Priority event ticket privileges
- Invitation to annual ownership meetings
- Full tax deduction as a charitable gift
Seat nameplates are limited by vessel capacity. Reserve yours before they’re gone.

