RACC Blog

Work for Art concludes tenth anniversary campaign

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On June 30, RACC concluded its tenth annual Work for Art campaign. And while it will take a few more weeks to count and confirm all of this year’s campaign contributions, one thing is certain: the 2015-16 fundraising drive will break all records for participation and revenue.

Ten years ago Work for Art burst onto the scene raising $447,000, but this year organizers expect to clear more than $900,000, with all proceeds benefiting local arts and culture organizations. Workplace giving campaigns remain the program’s largest source of revenue, with more than 2,000 individuals in 75 companies participating this year. In addition, 30 individuals stepped up with leadership contributions of $1,000 more, and Work for Art’s first annual Battle of the Bands competition added $70,000 to the campaign total in May.

Work for Art has also enjoyed significant exposure during its tenth anniversary, including a generous contribution from Portland General Electric. If you attended the Rose Festival Starlight Parade or Grand Floral Parade this year, you may have seen – and heard – the PGE float saluting Work for Art. Musicians from Metropolitan Youth Symphony (one of Work for Art’s 100 funded arts and culture groups) jammed out atop a colorful larger-than-life guitar. PGE employees have been the top donors to Work for Art for four years running.

The 2015-16 campaign total and top companies will be announced at a special event on August 4. Local arts and business leaders will celebrate outgoing campaign chairs, Mike Golub and Dave Lofland, and applaud Work for Art’s program manager, Kathryn Jackson, who departs this month after 10 years with the organization. Over the last 10 years, Work for Art has raised more than $7.1 million for local nonprofit arts organizations.

The 2016-17 campaign will be chaired by Kregg Arntson, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Portland General Electric and the Executive Director of the PGE Foundation.

For more information on Work for Art and the 2016-17 campaign, contact Jeff Hawthorne at jhawthorne@racc.org or call 503.823.5258.

RACC announces final round of General Operating Support grants

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PORTLAND, ORE — The Regional Arts & Culture Council has awarded its final round of General Operating Support grants for the fiscal year ending June 30. RACC distributes these funds three times per year, after organizations submit comprehensive annual reports to RACC.

To qualify for General Operating Support, nonprofit arts organizations must demonstrate artistic excellence and fiscal responsibility, have an annual budget of at least $75,000, and be based in Clackamas, Multnomah or Washington Counties. Additional eligibility criteria are described at https://racc.org/grants/general-operating-support-grants.

A total of $2,933,855 has been distributed this fiscal year as unrestricted support to 48 different arts organizations, including 22 organizations receiving $546,046 this cycle. The arts organizations receiving general operating support in 2015-16 are:

Artist Repertory Theatre, $81,785

Bag & Baggage Productions, $10,000

Blue Sky Gallery, $12,367

*Bodyvox, $33,247

Broadway Rose Theatre Company, $23,000

Cappella Romana, Inc., $14,558

*Chamber Music Northwest, $46,619

*Children’s Healing Art Project, $14,135

*Disjecta Contemporary Art Center, $14,615

*Echo Theater Company, $16,148

*Ethos Music Center, $31,101

Friends of Chamber Music, $19,996

*Hand2Mouth, $8,000

Hollywood Theatre, $45,056

*Imago Theatre, $16,305

*Independent Publishing Resource Center, $11,118

Lakewood Center for the Arts, $21,000

Literary Arts, Inc., $52,929

*Live Wire! Radio, $16,033

Metropolitan Youth Symphony, $20,762

Miracle Theatre Group, $22,125

Northwest Children’s Theatre, $61,495

Northwest Dance Project, $40,216

*NW Documentary Arts & Media, $8,000

Oregon Ballet Theatre, $163,663

*Oregon Children’s Theatre, $83,292

Oregon Symphony Association, $502,394

*PDX Jazz, $18,093

Pendulum Aerial Arts, $8,256

PHAME, $14,383

Playwrite, Inc., $10,581

Portland Art Museum/Northwest Film Center, $608,805

Portland Baroque Orchestra, $30,237

Portland Center Stage, $281,149

*Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, $13,857

*Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, $15,460

*Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, $49,320

Portland Opera, $267,092

*Portland Piano International, $20,065

Portland Youth Philharmonic, $25,030

*Profile Theatre Project, $18,041

The Portland Ballet, $25,376

The Third Angle New Music, $8,000

*Third Rail Repertory Theatre, $30,684

*triangle productions, $13,654

White Bird, $49,585

*Write Around Portland, $14,074

*Young Audiences of Oregon, $54,185

(*) denotes organizations awarded RACC support on June 22. All other organizations received their grant awards earlier this year.

RACC General Operating Support Grants are funded by the City of Portland general fund ($1,054,869) and Arts Education & Access Fund (or “arts tax”) ($1,828,686), plus Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties ($104,300 combined). In addition, RACC will allocate proceeds from its 2015-16 Work for Art campaign to these General Operating Support organizations in the fall.

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The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) provides grants for artists, nonprofit organizations and schools 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 oversees a program 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.