Placemaking Grant Opportunities

Open Grants

Metro Community Placemaking Grant

Metro will accept applications for the 2027 cycle of Community Placemaking grants August 14 through October 2. 

Up to $450,000 will be awarded in grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000. These grants support community-led, equity-centered arts and culture efforts that strengthen people's connections to each other and places they care about. Get started by looking at last year's recipients to see the kinds of efforts supported.

Information sessions will be held in August and September. Check their website in late July for the exact dates and for the updated application handbook .

Learn More

Grants to Keep on Your Radar

The grants listed below are offered on a rolling basis. Check the webpages below regularly for the latest application deadlines and funding opportunities, or contact the grant provider directly for the most up-to-date information.

Local and Regional Level Grants

District 1 East Coalition Community Small Grants

The District 1 East Coalition Community Small Grants Program will award up to $40,000 to nonprofit organizations and community groups with grants ranging from $1,000 to $4,000. The average grant award is approximately $2,000. Regardless of size, all applications must meet eligibility criteria and goals. 

East Portland Action Plan Grants

This competitive grant program allocates funds to organizations and groups working on accomplishing East Portland Action Plan items. Each year the Grants Committee awards General, Civic Engagement, and Community Support Fund Grants.

The East Portland Action Plan (EPAP) is charged with providing leadership and guidance to public agencies on how to strategically address community-identified issues and allocate resources to improve livability for neighborhoods in East Portland. The Action Plan was designed by and for the community to: Improve the quality of life for East Portland residents, foster strong community connections, increase the area's regional significance, and enhance equity and prevent displacement.

District 2 NE Coalition of Neighbors Community Small Grants 

Since 2006, NECN and the Office of Civic and Community Life have partnered to provide grants to neighborhood and community organizations working to make North and Northeast Portland a stronger, more inclusive community. They have funded dozens of innovative and community strengthening projects that have collectively improved the quality of life in the NE Portland area and brought its residents closer together.

District 3 SE Uplift Grant Program

The purpose of the Community Small Grants program is to fund projects that build community and increase civic engagement. Some examples include: street murals, mutual aid gardens, placemaking projects, focus groups, community conversations, radio programs, and more.

District 4 Coalition Grants Programs

D4C administers two grant programs: the Community Small Grants program and the capitol improvement grant Northwest Neighborhoods Parks & Recreation Fund.

Office of Violence Prevention: Safer Portland Grant

Safer Portland Grant is open to organizations located in the states of Oregon and Washington, providing services within the City of Portland and Multnomah County. Eligible applicants include grassroots contractors and community-based organizations.

Awesome Portland Grants

Awesome Portland funds art, culture, community, environmental, animal welfare & human rights projects. Projects must be in the Portland metro region. The group mostly fund projects run by individuals or small groups who don't have access to traditional funding mechanisms. Awesome Portland looks for innovative, fun, and/or unusual projects.

The Regional Arts & Culture Council Grants

The Regional Arts & Culture Council partners with private, nonprofit, and government entities to advance and boost artist services and creative communities across our region through grant programs and partnerships.

Prosper Portland Community Livability Grant

The Community Livability Grant (CLG) provides grants to community-based organizations for projects that promote healthy, complete, and resilient neighborhoods and respond to and respect the diversity of its residents. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, neighborhood and business associations, and neighborhood groups. Property owners may also be eligible.

Prosper Portland Vibrant Districts Grant

The Vibrant Districts Grant provides grants to community-based nonprofit business district organizations. Grants can be used to implement projects or events that increase district vibrancy, enhance visibility and promotion of the district, support staffing or operational improvements.

Multnomah County Cultural Coalition (MCCC) Community Cultural Participation (CCP) Grant

The MCCC's Community Cultural Participation Grant Program (CCP) supports community based cultural events, programs, and organizations with grants up to $3000.

Applicants can be nonprofit organizations, cultural or neighborhood associations, artist collectives/ensembles, and groups with a declared public purpose. Individuals are ineligible. If you are an individual artist/cultural worker working within a larger organization or ensemble, the organization may apply for a project you are a part of. IRS 501(c)3 status is not required to apply, however an EIN from a Multnomah County incorporated entity is required.

East Multnomah Soil and Watershed District: Small Projects And Community Events (SPACE) Grants

The Small Projects and Community Events (SPACE) Grant program from the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District provides monthly grants of up to $2,500 to support community-led conservation projects and events. Funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis for initiatives such as habitat restoration, tree planting, community and school gardens, environmental education, free nature events, water quality improvements, and projects that reduce polluted runoff to local rivers and streams.

State Level Grants

Oregon Community Foundation Community Grants Program

OCF Community Grants Program, with strong donor support, invests in community livability and vitality by listening and responding to the people closest to the problems we're working to address. Oregon Community Foundation Grants traditionally have two cycles each year, one in the spring and one in the fall.

The Oregon Arts Commission Grants

The Oregon Arts Commission makes strategic investments in the state's culture through nine grant programs for arts organizations and individual artists. This includes the The Arts Build Communities (ABC) program which provides matching support to arts and other community-based organizations for projects that address a local community problem, issue or need through an arts-based solution.

National Level Grants

National Endowment for the Arts: Our Town Grant

Our Town grants support creative placemaking projects that integrate arts, culture, and design in efforts to advance local economic, physical, and other community-desired outcomes. Projects must be place-specific (such as a community, neighborhood, or cultural district) and should focus on community priorities.

To apply, select the Design & Our Town discipline within the Grants for Arts Projects  program.

Bloomberg Philanthropies: Asphalt Art Initiative

The Asphalt Art Initiative grant program is designed to fund visual art on roadways, pedestrian spaces, and public infrastructure in cities with the following primary goals: Improving street and pedestrian safety, revitalizing and activating underutilized public space, and Promoting collaboration and civic engagement in local communities

Project for Public Spaces Placemaking Grants

Project for Public Spaces' Community Placemaking Grants enable US-based nonprofits and government agencies to address this inequality of access by working directly with local stakeholders to transform public spaces or co-create new ones. They do this by providing direct funding, technical assistance, and capacity building facilitated by Project for Public Spaces.