PORTLAND, ORE — The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) has awarded a total of $2,464,000 to 52 arts organizations throughout the City of Portland thanks to the city’s efforts in collecting several years’ worth of past-due Art Education and Access Fund (AEAF) dollars, often referred to as the “arts tax.” This special one-time allocation of unanticipated arts tax revenue is in addition to the annual general operating support these organizations receive.
This spring, the city’s collection of back-taxes resulted in more than $3 million of unanticipated revenues. RACC’s Grants Review Committee and Executive Committee discussed appropriate allocations, applying an equity framework to city code that regulates how RACC distributes arts tax proceeds. The final amounts were approved by the RACC Board of Directors on June 27. In addition to providing $2,464,000 for General Operating Support organizations, RACC is also allocating:
- $300,000 to RACC’s Project Grant program to fund proposals in the Arts Equity & Access category throughout Fiscal Year 2018-19
- $275,000 to RACC’s Equity Investments program, which provides supplemental funds to General Operating Support organizations for equity programming and organizational development
- $250,000 to RACC’s Capacity Building program for Culturally Specific Organizations
- $100,000 to RACC’s arts education coordination work, including professional development opportunities for arts specialists and a new arts education inventory and mapping project
“We commend the city for collecting millions in overdue arts tax payments, and we are thrilled to be providing this one-time extra boost to a wide variety of arts organizations in our community,” says Jeff Hawthorne, RACC’s Interim Executive Director. “Portland’s vibrant nonprofit arts organizations rely on public and private support to inspire and engage us all, and the arts tax continues making their programs more accessible to everyone.”
Since it was first approved by voters in 2012, the Art Education and Access Fund has generated over $50 million to support arts education and accessible arts and culture programs throughout the city. While collection amounts still fluctuate, the general revenue raise has improved since 2012. An independent citizen oversight committee ensures funding expenditures, progress, and outcomes follow city code. After covering administrative costs and distributing net revenues to public schools to pay for certified art and music teachers, the City of Portland distributes remaining revenue to RACC for arts organization funding.
Allocation amounts
| Artist Repertory Theatre | 64,500 |
| August Wilson Red Door Project | 18,500 |
| Blue Sky Gallery | 14,000 |
| Bodyvox | 64,500 |
| Cappella Romana, Inc. | 18,500 |
| The Circus Project | 42,000 |
| Chamber Music Northwest | 64,500 |
| Children’s Healing Art Project | 18,500 |
| CoHo Productions | 18,500 |
| Disjecta Contemporary Art Center | 18,500 |
| Echo Theater Company | 33,000 |
| Ethos Music Center | 42,000 |
| Friends of Chamber Music | 33,000 |
| Hand 2 Mouth | 14,000 |
| Hollywood Theatre | 64,500 |
| Imago Theatre | 18,500 |
| Independent Publishing Resource Center | 14,000 |
| Literary Arts, Inc. | 64,500 |
| Live Wire! Radio | 33,000 |
| Metropolitan Youth Symphony | 33,000 |
| Miracle Theatre Group | 42,000 |
| My Voice Music | 18,500 |
| Northwest Children’s Theatre | 64,500 |
| Northwest Dance Project | 64,500 |
| NW Documentary Arts & Media | 14,000 |
| Oregon Ballet Theatre | 126,000 |
| Oregon BRAVO Youth Orchestra | 33,000 |
| Oregon Children’s Theatre | 64,500 |
| Oregon Symphony Association | 200,000 |
| PDX Jazz | 42,000 |
| Pendulum Aerial Arts | 14,000 |
| PHAME Academy | 42,000 |
| Playwrite, Inc. | 14,000 |
| Polaris Dance Theatre | 18,500 |
| Portland Art Museum/Northwest Film Center | 200,000 |
| The Portland Ballet | 42,000 |
| Portland Baroque Orchestra | 42,000 |
| Portland Center Stage | 126,000 |
| Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra | 18,500 |
| Portland Gay Men’s Chorus | 33,000 |
| Portland Institute for Contemporary Art | 64,500 |
| Portland Opera | 126,000 |
| Portland Piano International | 33,000 |
| Portland Playhouse | 42,000 |
| Portland Youth Philharmonic | 42,000 |
| Profile Theatre Project | 33,000 |
| Third Angle New Music Ensemble | 14,000 |
| Third Rail Repertory Theatre | 33,000 |
| Triangle Theatre | 18,500 |
| White Bird | 64,500 |
| Write Around Portland | 18,500 |
| Young Audiences of Oregon | 64,500 |
# # #
The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) provides grants for artists, arts organizations, and artistic projects in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties; manages an internationally acclaimed public art program; raises money and awareness for the arts through Work for Art; convenes forums, networking events and other community gatherings; provides workshops and other forms of technical assistance for artists; and works to integrate arts and culture into the standard curriculum in public schools through The Right Brain Initiative. RACC values a diversity of artistic and cultural experiences and is working to build a community in which everyone can participate in culture, creativity, and the arts. For more information visit racc.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jeff Hawthorne, Interim Executive Director: jhawthorne@racc.org | 503.823.5258