The Office of Arts & Culture is pleased to announce that 25 of its General Operating Support grantee organizations are set to receive an additional $170,312 on top of their already announced 2024-25 grant awards. This special, one-time funding opportunity is an effort to alleviate some of the financial burden local arts and culture organizations are facing—particularly due to withdrawn funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and/or reduced funding from the City of Portland so far for fiscal year 2024-25.
“Our arts and culture organizations are navigating a difficult funding landscape, with uncertainty at the local and federal levels,” said Arts & Culture Director Chariti Montez. “We hope that this grant opportunity helps lift some of that burden in Portland.”
A nimble effort meant to get funds into the hands of the organizations that need it most right away, Grants Program Manager for Arts & Culture Jeff Hawthorne notified General Operating Support organizations about the office’s financial hardship grant opportunity on May 30, 2025. In all, 50 out of 80 organizations were eligible to apply and could request up to $10,000 each. The Office of Arts & Culture received a total of 46 applications, requesting a total of $378,000.
The recipients of Arts & Culture’s General Operating Support financial hardship grants include:
| Organization | GOS financial hardship grant award |
|---|---|
| Alberta Abbey Foundation | $10,000 |
| Boom Arts | $8,000 |
| Caldera | $6,400 |
| Cappella Romana | $600 |
| Coho Productions | $10,000 |
| Cymaspace | $4,000 |
| En Taiko | $3,200 |
| My Voice Music | $10,000 |
| New Expressive Works | $4,200 |
| Oregon Contemporary | $8,000 |
| PassinArt: A Theatre Company | $10,000 |
| PlayWrite | $6,000 |
| Polaris Dance Theatre | $8,000 |
| Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble | $8,000 |
| Portland Institute for Contemporary Art | $8,000 |
| Portland Jazz Festival | $2,112 |
| Portland Playhouse | $10,000 |
| Portland Street Art Alliance | $10,000 |
| Profile Theatre | $8,000 |
| Shaking the Tree Theatre | $6,000 |
| Street Books | $6,000 |
| Theatre Diaspora | $2,400 |
| Third Angle New Music | $6,000 |
| Third Rail Repertory Theatre | $5,400 |
| Write Around Portland | $10,000 |
Which organizations were eligible to apply?
Arts & Culture’s General Operating Support financial hardship grants were open to:
- Arts organizations that receive General Operating Support, whose total fiscal year 2024-25 grant was less than their fiscal year 2023-24 grant and/or
- Arts organizations that receive General Operating Support, whose 2024-25 or 2023-24 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts was withdrawn or reduced without sufficient notice to adapt programing
How were applications evaluated?
Applications were reviewed by City of Portland staff and scored using criteria that designated points for each group’s supporting documentation that illustrated:
- Reasonable and realistic fiscal year 2024-25 budget projections
- How additional City support would help mitigate current financial hardship
- The organization’s ability to sustain operations with reduced public funding in fiscal year 2025-26
- Ample opportunities for Portlanders to participate in the organization’s offerings
After all proposals were scored, Arts & Culture awarded $170,312 to 25 organizations. Groups with the highest-scoring applications received their full funding request, while others received partial funding.
How did Arts & Culture source funds for these awards?
Arts & Culture’s General Operating Support financial hardship grant funds were sourced through the City of Portland’s General Fund. More specifically, these funds had been earmarked for Arts & Culture contractual agreements and administrative needs in fiscal year 2024-25, both of which were under-spent compared to original budget projections during the fiscal year that ends on July 1, 2025.