Salem, Ore. – Today the Oregon Cultural Trust marks its 20^th anniversary by announcing a record-setting $3,254,441 in grant awards to 140 cultural organizations across the state. Made possible

by generous Oregonians who invested a record $5.2 million in the cultural tax credit in 2020, this year’s awards bring the cumulative total of Cultural Trust grants to more than $36 million since its founding in 2001.

The FY2022 awards include a total of $813,610 to the Cultural Trust’s five statewide partners (Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Humanities, Oregon Historical Society and the State Historic Preservation Office); $813,610 to 45 County and Tribal Cultural Coalitions – who award an average of 450 additional awards annually in their communities; and $1,627,220 in competitive Cultural Development Program awards to 90 cultural organizations serving most geographic regions of the state.

“In its first 20 years the Cultural Trust has proven itself as a stable source of funding for Oregon’s arts, heritage and humanities community,” said Niki Price, chair of the Cultural Trust board. “Thanks to the Oregonians who participate in the cultural tax credit we have raised more than $74 million in support of culture statewide. It is gratifying to announce our largest pool of grants ever as we celebrate this important milestone.”

“We estimate we are now approaching 10,000 in total grants awarded since the Cultural Trust was formed,” said Brian Rogers, executive director. “That is a truly remarkable number – and it doesn’t include the 621 awards made last year through the Coronavirus Relief Fund for Cultural Support, nor the upcoming cycle of American Rescue Plan grant awards for cultural organizations made possible by the Oregon Legislature, and administered along with Business Oregon. Our value and commitment to the cultural vitality of the state is clear.”

The FY2022 Cultural Development Program award recipients feature 22 organizations receiving their first-ever Cultural Trust award, 68 percent of which are located outside of Portland. They include:

• Access to culturally relevant celebrations and events involving traditional art, music and dance for Latinx families and the greater community by Comunidad y Herencia Cultural in Springfield;
• An exhibit at the Favell Museum in Klamath Falls by Klamath Modoc artist Ka’ila Farrell-Smith — her first for her Native community. Her art explores the space between the Indigenous & western paradigms; and
• Indexing, cross-referencing, digitization and expanded access to the Harney County Library oral history collection for the community, researchers and genealogists by the Harney County Library Foundation in Burns.

Other grant award highlights include:

• Access to robust, community-led art making and exhibition opportunities for BIPOC artists, cultural workers and residents in East Portland’s Jade District by the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon in Portland;
• Construction of the Arrival Plaza at Astoria Nordic Heritage Park, a cultural attraction for North Coast residents and visitors by the Astoria Scandinavian Heritage Association;
• The installation of a lift for better accessibility to the landmark Carnegie Library building in La Grande by  Eastern Oregon Regional Arts Council, Inc.;

• Funding the Portland Chinatown History Foundation’s first paid executive director to further develop, sustain, strengthen and grow operations, programs and collaborations;
• Expanded access to the performing arts of India through a hybrid model of delivering the in-home experience of live concerts and master classes via social media by Rasika Society for Arts of India in Hillsboro; and
• The preservation of Historic Community Hall by strengthening wall supports and replacing damaged roof trusses by the Willamette Community and Grange Hall Historic Building Foundation in Corvallis.

The 90 Cultural Development grant awards range from $5,000 to $33,728 with an average grant award of $18,087. Fifty-eight percent of the 155 eligible applications were funded.

Cultural Development Program awards fund projects that address access, capacity, creativity and preservation. Applications were reviewed and scored by four peer panels; final award amounts were determined and approved by the Cultural Trust Board of Directors at its Sept. 29 meeting. Overall more than 60 percent of Cultural Trust funding (including awards to County and Tribal Coalitions) is awarded outside of the Portland Metro area.

Cultural Development Grant recipients, organized alphabetically by geographic region (see end of release for region key), are listed below. Note: Organizations marked with an asterisk (*) are first-time Cultural Trust grant recipients.

Central Region

*Cascade School of Music, Bend: $5,000

To support access for Latino community students, via free tuition, to the Cascade School of Music’s Awesome After School Orchestra, a beginners strings class held at Title 1, bilingual, Bear Creek Elementary.

Sisters Folk Festival, Inc., Sisters: $15,688

To support the 2021 Sisters Folk Festival, a community-wide event that takes place Oct. 1-3 in multiple venues in the rural community of Sisters.

The High Desert Museum, Bend: $12,385

To support the Utopias exhibition, which will create access to meaningful cultural experiences that explore utopian ideas through diverse perspectives, including Afro and Indigenous futurisms, to enhance understanding of Oregon’s cultural heritage.

Women’s Civic Improvement League, Bend: $6,179

To support and ensure KPOV’s signal stability by replacing mission critical equipment called an STL that sends the audio signal from the station to the transmission tower.

Greater Eastern North Region

Arts Council of Pendleton, Pendleton: $12,213

To support delivery of a variety of cultural services in rural Eastern Oregon.

Athena’s Gem, Inc., Athena: $18,341

To support the installation of a 1921 Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ/orchestral unit following four years of volunteer-driven instrument renovation. The Wurlitzer will be a stage centerpiece and the only Wurlitzer in Oregon East of the Cascades.

Greater Eastern South Region

*Harney County Library Foundation, Burns: $6,145

To support the indexing, cross-referencing, digitization and expanded access to the Harney County Library oral history collection for the community, researchers and genealogists.

Portland Metro Region

Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, Portland: $28,262

To support access to robust, community-led art making and exhibition opportunities for BIPOC artists, cultural workers and residents in East Portland’s Jade District by developing a community print studio and exhibition space at the Orchards of 82nd (O82).

*Big Mouth Society, Portland: $30,967

To support the commission, development, recording and performance of a multi-movement composition commemorating the COVID-19 pandemic experience from a socially conscious, historically informed perspective using an innovative collaborative process.

*Black United Fund of Oregon, Portland: $30,264

To support preservation of Portland’s Black heritage through the collection and dissemination of photographs, video footage, artifacts and first-person testimony.

Caldera, Portland: $10,871

To support artist stipends for, and administration of, Caldera’s Artist Residency Program, which annually provides approximately 50 artists with opportunities to build skills, relationships and creative projects at its Arts Center in Central Oregon.

*Centro Cultural del Condado de Washington (Or Centro Cultural), Cornelius: $21,078 Centro aims to pilot an Artist Residency program that invests in the skills, expression and development of up to four Latinx artists through a series of co-created workshops and wrap-around support.

CoHo Productions Ltd, Portland: $15,014

To support increased staff hours and transition to salaried positions necessary for the organization to expand programming and artistic services, carry out a successful capital campaign, securing community arts space and access in a changing Portland.

Confluence, Portland : $13,132

To support the creation of a multi-faceted, multi-media exhibit that features firsthand accounts and personal stories about the culturally significant places and experiences of Indigenous people from the Columbia River system.

Film Action Oregon dba Hollywood Theatre, Portland: $18,294

To support the historic Hollywood Theatre’s lower façade renovation with repair of failing masonry, correction and prevention of water damage, and revitalization of the historic lower façade.

Hand2Mouth, Portland: $9,270

To seek support for the creation and performance of the new play “Your Town,” inspired by Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1938 play “Our Town,” devised and performed by a theater ensemble, the project celebrates the personal narratives of Oregonians.

MetroEast Community Media, Gresham: $19,608

To support the launch of a kitchen studio called MetroFeast in order to produce creative, culturally diverse culinary programming and serve as a community resource for East Portland.

Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Portland: $5,859

To support MYS’ Music Access and Inclusion Program that seeks to erase barriers to instrumental music for low-income youth through free beginning strings lessons, in-school concerts, loaner instruments, coaching and the tuition assistance in MYS programs.

Miracle Theatre Group, Portland: $22,358

To support the production of Marc David Pinate’s play “ANTIGONE AT THE BORDER,” a postcolonial reimagining of the Greek classic regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), immigration policies and practices

Mittleman Jewish Community Center, Portland: $5,000

To support access to Israeli films for audiences across Marion, Deschutes, Benton, Lincoln, Jackson, Multnomah counties and beyond through onsite and virtual film screenings and talkbacks with directors, actors and/or producers.

*Music Workshop, Portland: $17,307

To support access to free, multicultural music education resources for Oregon K-8 music teachers and their students, regardless of location, race, income level or culture.

*1 World Chorus, Lake Oswego: $17,999

To support the development of a strategic plan that will guide 1 World Chorus operational and program growth for the next three years, allowing an increase to the number of young Oregonians served to 8,000 by 2024.

Open Signal, Portland: $33,423

To support the creation of anti-racist structures at Open Signal through the development of shared leadership and culturally responsive, human-centered financial systems.

Oregon Arts Watch, Portland: $21,210

To support “Warm Springs: Then and Now,” an expansive series of portraits and stories that will document tribal members of the Warm Springs Reservation and be paired with historical photographs taken nearly 30 years ago.

Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Portland: $12,143

To support the implementation of a digital strategy that ensures that OJMCHE moves forward digitally and with intention to guarantee longevity, strength and relevance.

Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, Portland: $5,000

To support the restoration and reconstruction of the 1924 historic Brooklyn Turntable 100′ diameter turntable in the railyard of the museum.

Oregon Symphony, Portland: $15,301

To support training and strategy sessions that align Board governance policies with the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Portland5 Centers for the Arts Foundation, Portland: $23,149

To remove barriers and provide access to world-class lectures and culturally relevant performing-arts programming as a commitment to celebrate diversity and broaden access to the performing arts for people of all means, cultures and ethnicities.

Portland Actors Conservatory, Portland: $8,280

To support the Studio Program, a Zoom-based educational curriculum offering a wide range of theatre education opportunities for learners at all levels, serving 500 adults per year.

Portland Art Museum, Portland: $26,285

To support ongoing and new partnership work between The Numberz.fm radio station and PAM that centers BIPOC communities and amplifies artist voices and works through in-person, radio broadcast, podcasts and other virtual programming.

Portland Baroque Orchestra, Portland: $28,371

To support the creation and distribution of four digital Grand Productions, led by Portland Baroque Orchestra’s four incoming Artistic Advisors as the cornerstone of its 2021/22 hybrid season.

Portland Center Stage at The Armory, Portland: $30,756

To support the 2022 JAW (Just Add Water) New Play Festival.

Portland Chamber Orchestra, Portland: $12,113

To support the premiere of a new work exploring the geologic and human history of Celilo Falls, portraying the experience of the Native Americans who lost their cultural home when The Dalles Dam flooded the Falls in 1957.

Portland Chinatown History Foundation, Portland: $33,728

To support the salary for the organization’s first paid Executive Director to further develop, sustain, strengthen and grow operations, programs and collaborations to better serve the Portland Chinatown, Asian American community and all Oregonians.

Portland Classical Chinese Garden, Portland: $26,119

To support the launch of a planned giving program to increase income security for Lan Su Chinese Garden. As the garden is central to its mission, so is a strong financial plan for its preservation.

*Portland Columbia Symphony, Portland: $5,000

To support the development of a chamber music concert series that presents PCSO- and other locally based chamber ensembles — to invest deeper in local musicians and increase earned revenues at PCSO.

Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble, Portland: $7,080

To support the creation and production of an original performance work, WWF The Ring Cycle. PETE will examine the culture of dominance with this take on Wagner through humor, burlesque and, of course, wrestling.

*Portland Indigenous Marketplace, Portland: $29,798

To support the needed growth in response to direct feedback from the people served through the small grassroots, community-based and community-led organization.

Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland: $20,187

To support access-centered improvements to the design and delivery of the 2021 edition of the Time-Based Art Festival.

Portland Jazz Festival, Inc. dba PDX Jazz, Portland: $33,237

To support the production and presentation of the 2022 PDX Jazz Festival, an event that will revitalize the careers of local and national musicians, as well as Portland’s shuttered music venues and the local hospitality economy.

Portland Playhouse, Portland: $29,203

To support “BELLA: AN AMERICAN TALL TALE.”

Portland Radio Project, Portland: $25,675

To support an outreach and hiring process enabling PRP to search for and hire a new leadership team. PRP’s future as a shared community resource, a leader in the movement toward media equity, depends on recruiting fresh, fairly compensated leadership.

Portland State University Foundation, Portland: $18,119

To support the To Survive on this Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults exhibition that engages with portraits and narratives of a pioneering generation in the LGBTQ+ community.

*Portland Street Art Alliance, Portland: $31,707

To support capacity building through hiring a project manager. PSAA grew an astounding 81 percent in 2020; and are operating at max capacity with more service requests coming in from artists, property owners and governmental agencies.

Portland Youth Philharmonic Association, Portland: $12,113

To support Portland Youth Philharmonic’s chamber orchestra, Camerata PYP, in partnership with Portland Piano International/SOLO (PPI) to present regional tour concerts in three Oregon cities, including Portland.

Profile Theatre Project, Portland: $5,759

To support the expansion of the Community Profile program to maintain additional cohorts and serve more participants from vulnerable populations in the return to live programming.

Rasika Society for Arts of India, Hillsboro: $8,887

To expand access of the performing arts of India through a hybrid model of delivering the in-home experience of live concerts and master classes via social media to remote and rural areas of Oregon in collaboration with rural presenters.

Restore Oregon, Portland: $ 27,512

To support development of a statewide Legacy Business Initiative, the first in the U.S. It will diversify types of resources preserved in Oregon and preserve businesses 20+ years old, honoring their impact on our heritage (priority given if BIPOC-owned).

Shaking the Tree Theatre, Portland: $8,274

To support the live productions of “Family” by Celine Song (Feb. 19 – March 19, 2022) and “Kill Move Paradise” by James Ijames (April 23 – May 21, 2022).

The Circus Project, Portland: $31,707

To support the second phase of The Circus Project’s year-round, open air circus arts training and performance venue, which will double its capacity to serve the community through training and performance opportunities.

*The Immigrant Story, Hillsboro: $11,197

To support the first full year of The Immigrant Story’s podcast “Many Roads to Here,” that shares the stories of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers living in Oregon, in an effort to contribute to national conversations about migration and identity.

The Red Door Project, Portland: $30,756

To support the development of two new monologues for The Evolve Experience (Evolve), an innovative arts-based program that uses storytelling to bridge differences and helps participants build strategies for systemic change.

The Shadow Project, Portland: $20,106

To support access to literature for children in special education through a program that equips them with caring mentors and assistive reading technology that makes books come alive.

Third Angle New Music Ensemble, Portland: $15,081

To support a performance- and education-based, season-long community collaboration between Third Angle (3A), Portland Community College and the Bodecker Foundation centered around PCC’s stunning 32-speaker Meyer Sound Unity Gain System.

*Tualatin Hills Park Foundation, Hillsboro: $18,085

To support the transformation of shared public spaces into visual demonstrations of solidarity for racial and social justice through murals and to create opportunities for BIPOC artists and students to explore their voices through art, showcasing their work.

Vanport Placemarking Project, Portland: $ 31,451

To support creation of signage to represent diverse cultural heritage and provide an accurate portrayal of past history. To support continued work on an augmented reality app and website offering resources for historical educational information.

Willamette Light Brigade, Portland: $18,052

To support curatorial expansion into a new festival model for the Portland Winter Light Festival.

Write Around Portland, Portland: $8,757

To support access to the literary arts during the COVID-19 pandemic for writers living on low incomes and without home computer/internet access through high-quality and accessible creative writing workshops and publications.

Young Audiences of Oregon, Portland: $30,866

To support Young Audience of Oregon and SW Washington’s suite of responsive professional development activities for teaching artists and classroom educators in order to increase young peoples’ (K-12) access to the arts

*ZENAZEZZA INC, Portland: $17,732

To support the artist project season “Yang Fudong from Dawn Breaking to The Nightman Cometh” to include an exhibition and events at the Hallock & McMillan, and to engage Chinese organizations and communities at a time of recurrent anti-Asian sentiment.

Mid-Valley Region

Chehalem Center Association, Newberg: $15,299

To support cultural programming promoting racial equity and increasing access for traditionally underserved artists and community members through conversation series, youth arts workshops, art exhibits, artist talks and music, theatre, dance and spoken word.

Salem Art Association, Salem: $5,918

To support access to arts and cultural experiences for 800 underserved 4th-grade students attending some of the most challenged Title I schools in Marion County by providing free field trips to the Bush Barn Art Center and the Bush House Museum.

*The Friends of The Bungalow Theatre, Woodburn: $24,962

To support the restoration of the Woodburn Museum and Bungalow Theatre to be usable, safe and functional for the public, while preserving its historical assets and providing a space for participation in the arts.

The Gordon House Conservancy, Silverton: $13,325

To support stabilizing the sagging 20-foot beam in the living room of the Gordon House to preserve the integrity of the structure and protect the ability of the GHC to educate the public about the only house in Oregon designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

*Yamhill Enrichment Society, McMinnville: $22,882

To support a planning process so the Yamhill Enrichment Society can expand the JOY music program by adding another grade at Edwards Elementary in Newberg, and also starting JOY at another Newberg elementary school.

North Central Region

*Performing Arts Initiative, Hood River: $15,624

To support financial growth and stability requirements as the PAI progresses into the performance venue’s designing stage, necessitating expertise in development strategy and donor cultivation.

North Coast Region

Astoria Scandinavian Heritage Association, Astoria: $8,729

To support construction of the Arrival Plaza at Astoria Nordic Heritage Park, a cultural attraction for North Coast residents and visitors. The Plaza meets a need in the city’s master plan for more gathering space.

Northeast Region

Eastern Oregon Regional Arts Council, Inc., La Grande: $24,440

To make the joy and power of the arts accessible to all residents and visitors, regardless of ability, by installing a lift in the landmark Carnegie Library building Art Center East leases from the City of La Grande

*Friends of The Historic Union Community Hall, Union: $25,458

To support the electrical modernization of the Catherine Creek Community Center to ensure safe use for cultural programming.

South Central Region

*Favell Museum, Klamath Falls: $25,652

To host an exhibit by Klamath Modoc artist Ka’ila Farrell-Smith, her first for her Native community. Her art explores the space between the Indigenous and western paradigms. Educational programing will facilitate understanding of contemporary tribal culture.

PLAYA, Summer Lake: $27,064

To support construction of The Open Space, the first flexible multi-purpose event and exhibition space on PLAYA’s campus.

Ross Ragland Theater, Klamath Falls: $20,128

To support the Ross Ragland Theater’s video and livestream capacity for a complete professional production package to be permanently installed in the theater integrated into its existing sound system for video and livestreaming stage performances.

Southern Region

Anima Mundi Productions, Phoenix: $18,357

To support the commissioning and performance of new works by Pacific Northwest-based composers of color and a series of community outreach events to connect young people in marginalized communities with these performances via BIPOC-led organizations.

*McKee Bridge Historical Society, Jacksonville: $8,146

To support a mandatory structural inspection to keep 104-yr-old covered McKee Bridge open to the public, including research to confirm that its engineering is unique and design/production of interpretive materials to educate the public.

Rogue Valley Chorale Association , Medford: $10,643

To support organizational awareness and the generation of a comprehensive strategic plan to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the Rogue Valley Chorale Association.

Southern Oregon University, Ashland: $30,154

To support the restoration of Native American access to First Foods and other cultural plants of significance in Southwestern Oregon through the Indigenous Gardens Network.

Southern Oregon University Foundation, Ashland: $31,620

To support All My Relations, a program providing access for Native American families to Indigenous cultural arts, heritage and history through bi-weekly virtual Longhouse nights that are planned and facilitated by Native American instructors and artists.

South Valley/Mid Coast Region

Albany Regional Museum, Philomath: $8,561

To support the creation of an Albany Pioneering Women Interactive Physical and Virtual Tour in Linn County, highlighting women who have made a significant historic impact on the region, nation and the advancement of women with their achievements.

*Comunidad y Herencia Cultural, Springfield: $21,506

To support access to culturally relevant celebrations and events involving traditional art, music and dance for Latinx families and the greater community by organizing and contracting with traditional artists throughout the state of Oregon.

Corvallis Multicultural Literacy Center, Corvallis: $5,040

To support implementation of a comprehensive strategic plan, to foster development in staff/board expertise and to refine the center’s diversified and robust hybrid programming through strategies of collaboration, strengthening structures and retention.

Cottage Theatre, Cottage Grove: $15,451

To support a new Community Engagement Manager position at Cottage Theatre to grow educational offerings, recruit and support volunteers, develop Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility practices, and increase community outreach.

Eugene Symphony Association, Inc., Eugene: $16,977

To support the expansion of Eugene Symphony Association’s Private Lesson Program, which provides access to individual music instruction for low-income Eugene/Springfield students in grades 6-12 in partnership with the Eugene-Springfield NAACP.

Journalistic Learning Initiative, Eugene: $12,569

To support academic success and belonging for Black middle and high school students through statewide expansion of JLI’s Black Student Magazine, piloted in Lane County.

Lane Arts Council, Eugene: $13,371

To support cultural programming during the 2022 summer ArtWalks and Visual Arts Week, key components of the Cultural Currents initiative, a City-wide arts placemaking project providing in-person cultural engagement opportunities for Eugene, Oregon.

*McKenzie River Discovery Center, Walterville: $5,000

To support public safety, historic building preservation and interpretive signage resources to provide education and community programming and wildfire recovery support out of the historic Old McKenzie Fish Hatchery Park.

Oregon Coast Youth Symphony Festival Association, Newport: $7,634

To support the expansion of the High School Composers’ Symposium from six to 20 students. The Symposium is a unique opportunity for HS students to submit an original composition, receive instruction from professional composers and have the work performed.

Oregon Folklife Network, Eugene: $29,398

To give coastal cultural organizations and artists the same access to CultureFest as offered to others around the state, showcasing diverse cultural practices and engaging the public in Oregon’s evolving traditions.

Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Otis: $21,305

To support cultural access for Sitka’s Youth Arts Program, providing hands-on arts education integrated into public school curriculum, and arts enrichment at a six-week summer camp to serve 500 Tillamook County K-8 students.

*Willamette Community and Grange Hall Historic Building Foundation, Corvallis: $12,285

To support the preservation of Historic Community Hall by strengthening wall supports at eight critical points and replace damaged roof trusses with lighter, stronger engineered trusses, new soffits, fascia and roofing.

Willamette Jazz Society, Eugene: $ 16,820

To support a position of Venue Operations Manager whose duties will include recruiting and supervising volunteers and event managers, serving as liaison between the Board and volunteers.

*First time grant recipient

Region key:

Central (Jefferson, Deschutes and Crook Counties)

Greater Eastern South (Grant, Harney and Malheur)

Portland Metro (Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas Counties)

Mid-Valley (Yamhill, Polk and Marion Counties)

North Coast (Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook Counties)

Northeast (Wallowa, Union and Baker Counties)

South Central (Klamath and Lake Counties)

South Coast (Douglas, Coos and Curry Counties)

South Valley/Mid-Coast (Lincoln, Benton, Linn and Lane Counties)

Southern (Josephine and Jackson Counties)

 

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Created in 2001 by the Oregon Legislature, the Oregon Cultural Trust was established as an ongoing funding engine for arts and culture across the state. Funding comes through the cultural tax credit, which empowers Oregonians to direct more of the taxes they pay to supporting arts and culture. Oregon is the only state in the country that gives its citizens this choice. Sixty percent of the money goes directly to cultural nonprofits in the form of grants. The remaining 40 percent helps grow a permanent fund for culture. It’s described by the Oregonian as “A way to make paying state taxes satisfying.” Oregonians directed a record $5.2M of their state taxes to fund arts and culture in 2020. The Trust’s three grant programs fund five Statewide Partners, 45 County and Tribal Coalitions and qualified cultural nonprofits through competitive Cultural Development grants. Learn more at CulturalTrust.org.