RACC announces first wave of Arts Education and Access Fund investments

44 local arts organizations will receive grants immediately
 
PORTLAND, ORE – The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) today announced it has awarded 44 grants totaling $150,072 to local arts organizations. The announcement comes on the heels of the first round of payments from the City of Portland’s Arts Education and Access Fund (AEAF). In addition to $200,000 directed to RACC, local school districts received a total of $3.3 million from the AEAF to fund arts specialists.
 
“All of us at RACC are eager to help arts organizations provide more public access to the arts,” said Eloise Damrosch, executive director of RACC. “The 44 grant recipients announced today, plus the investment plan for the remainder of the $200,000 will help do just that by supporting arts organizations across the region and with a broad range of programs and constituents.”
 
In addition to $150,072 being distributed immediately, the remaining funds have been allocated as follows:

  • $26,000 will be invested in nonprofit organizations that do not already receive RACC General Operating Support but are working with underserved communities through the arts, including communities of color, the Disabled community, and LGBTQ communities. An RFP will be available online at www.racc.org/accessstarting February 5, 2014. The deadline to apply is March 14 and decisions will be announced in May.
  • $13,000 will fund arts education coordination expenses incurred by RACC during the 2013-14 school year, including 6 hours of professional development training for 26 arts specialists in Portland. This allocation also supports the City of Portland’s participation in “Any Given Child,” an arts education partnership with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.
  • RACC has up to one year to invest the remainder of the AEAF funds ($10,928) with a number of other obligations to fulfill, including a grants cycle for schools and other arts education programs.

 
RACC expects a second (and larger) allocation from the Revenue Bureau in April, but the specific amount will depend on the collection of tax payments that are now overdue. Ultimately, as compliance rates improve, RACC expects to receive annual disbursements of approximately $3 million from the AEAF.
 
These investments are consistent with all legal requirements and intents as set forth in the city code and RACC’scontract with the City of Portland. Specifically:
 

“First, funds shall be used by RACC to fund grants to support non-profit Portland arts organizations that demonstrate artistic excellence, provide service to the community, show administrative and fiscal competence and provide a wide range of high-quality arts programs to the public.” RACC has awarded $150,072 to the followingGeneral Operating Support organizations:

 
Artist Repertory Theatre, $5,700
Blue Sky Gallery, $1,134
Bodyvox, $1,882
Cappella Romana, Inc., $1,071
Chamber Music Northwest, $5,305
Children’s Healing Art Project, $1,008
Do Jump! Extremely Physical Theatre, $2,185
Ethos Music Center, $1,449
Friends of Chamber Music, $1,512
Hollywood Theatre, $1,197
Imago Theatre, $2,235
Independent Publishing Resource Center, $882
Literary Arts, Inc., $4,016
Live Wire!, $1,008
Metropolitan Youth Symphony, $2,586
Miracle Theatre Group, $2,273
Northwest Children’s Theatre, $2,486
Northwest Dance Project, $1,134
NW Documentary Arts & Media, $882
Oregon Ballet Theatre, $8,656
Oregon Children’s Theatre, $5,518
Oregon Repertory Singers, $2,240
Oregon Symphony Association, $16,761
PHAME, $882
Playwrite, Inc., $1,386
Portland Art Museum, $22,138
Portland Baroque Orchestra, $1,639
Portland Center Stage, $9,134
Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra,$1,008
Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, $1,033
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, $2,113
Portland Opera, $15,293
Portland Piano International, $1,008
Portland Taiko, $3,227
Portland Youth Philharmonic, $2,202
Profile Theatre Project, $1,787
Tears of Joy Theatre, $2,129
The Portland Ballet, $1,197
Third Angle New Music Ensemble, $882
Third Rail Repertory Theatre, $1,008
White Bird, $4,755
Wordstock, Inc., $1,008
Write Around Portland, $1,304
Young Audiences of Oregon, $1,819
 

  • “No less than 5% of the funds RACC receives from the Arts Education and Access Fund shall be used by RACC to fund grants and programs to schools and non-profit organizations that will give access to high-quality arts experiences to K-12 students and for grants and programs directed to communities who are underserved by local arts providers.” (5% of RACC’s $200,000 allocation is $10,000; RACC meets this minimum requirement with its investment of $26,000.)
  • RACC shall “coordinate between School Districts and arts organizations to ensure high quality arts education for Portland students; and facilitate the access of Portland students to the programs supported by the Arts Education and Access Fund.” These arts education coordination costs are capped at “a maximum of 3% of Net Revenues.” (Net Revenues to date are approximately $7,550,000, and 3% of Net Revenues equals $226,500. RACC’s investment of $13,000 is 0.17 percent of Net Revenues, well below the 3% cap.)

 
For more information on RACC’s role in investing Arts Education and Access Funds, visit www.racc.org/AEAF.