In collaboration with its grantmaking partners at the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC), the City of Portland’s Office of Arts & Culture recently awarded $1.2 million in arts funding to 275 Portland-based artists and arts and culture organizations. Of these recipients, 185 awardees are individual artists and 90 are arts and culture organizations. From performing to visual arts, to film and literature, art forms from every medium are represented among selected grantees.
“A huge thanks to the Regional Arts & Culture Council and the Office of Arts & Culture for awarding BrandonLee Cierley and me the Portland Arts Projects grant to support the production of our new album! This is a deeply personal project for both of us, and it means so much to have [their] support to help bring it to life this year,” said musician Rudy Klobas via Instagram (@posymusic).
RACC’s Portland Project Grants, funded by Arts & Culture’s Small Grants Program, are a new funding initiative that supports innovative artistic projects in the city of Portland. The program invites applications from Portland-based artists and organizations seeking to advance their work through programming, presentations, events, or artistic development that engages and benefits the public. Grants between $1,000 and $5,000 were awarded by RACC to support arts programs and activities that show community impact.
“The City of Portland’s Office of Arts & Culture is so proud to partner with RACC to provide funding for the new Portland Arts Projects Grants. Creating more space for more artists and arts organizations to explore, hone, and share their work across Portland, from downtown to the city’s farthest reaches, is one of the most important arts and culture investments the City can make,” said Office of Arts & Culture Director Chariti Montez.
Of the $1.2 million leveraged to support Arts & Culture's Small Grants Program through RACC's Portland Project Grant this year, $350,000 comes from the Arts Access Fund. The Arts Access Fund is powered by the Arts Tax, an annual income tax of $35 per Portlander. That fund provides money based on student population to Portland’s six school districts. Schools use those dollars to hire elementary school arts teachers, and after disbursements to schools are completed, remaining Arts Access Fund dollars are distributed as part of the Office of Arts & Culture’s Small Grants Program and General Operating Support grantmaking programs. The rest of 2025's Small Grant Program funding is provided by the City's General Fund.