RACC supports the region’s vital arts and culture community through a variety of grant programs. These grants are made possible through investments from the City of Portland, Multnomah County, Clackamas County, Washington County, Metro, and Work for Art. Funding is awarded through competitive processes that includes dozens of community volunteers serving on peer panels and evaluating each request. Artists and organizations who receive public funding through RACC are required to report on the outcomes of their grant.
RACC accepts grant applications from individual artists, arts organizations, and other non-profit organizations headquartered in our service area – Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties, Oregon.
Learn more about each of our grant programs using the links in the menu to the right.
Posted February 20, 2018
The Professional Development Grant Program assists artists or arts administrators with opportunities that specifically improve their business management development skills and/or brings the artist or the arts organization to another level artistically Proposals in the Professional Development Grant Program cannot be geared toward the creation of a specific art project, but must clearly demonstrate how […]
Posted January 3, 2018
2017-18 RACC Professional Development Grants (Cycle 2) The Professional Development Grant Program assists artists or arts administrators with opportunities that specifically improve their business management development skills and/or brings the artist or the arts organization to another level artistically. The RACC Board of Directors approved these Professional Development Grants on December 13, 2017. Individual recipients: Avantika […]
Posted December 15, 2017
PORTLAND, ORE — The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) has awarded $444,861 in project grants to 43 artists and 45 nonprofit organizations. These grants are funded by a combination of public and private investments, including the City of Portland’s general fund, the city’s Arts Tax, Multnomah County, Clackamas County, Washington County and Metro. Additional […]
Posted October 27, 2017
PORTLAND, ORE — The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) has approved the addition of four nonprofit organizations to its roster of “General Operating Support” organizations that receive annual unrestricted funding from RACC in support of their mission. The four new “GOS” organizations are: August Wilson Red Door Project, $12,000 CoHo Productions, $12,800 Oregon BRAVO […]
Posted September 28, 2017
PORTLAND, ORE — The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is pleased to announce its 2017 Fellows in Literature – Portland writers Samiya Bashir and Rene Denfeld. RACC’s fellowship program honors local artists of high merit. Recipients receive a cash award of $20,000 to sustain or enhance their creative process. Samiya Bashir is a collaborative […]
Posted August 1, 2017
Please note: This post (8/1/17) was updated on October 20, 2017, to correct some award amounts that were originally misreported. A total of $2,430,900 in general operating support was distributed to 51 organizations in fiscal year 2016-17. Additional information about this program is available on the General Operating Support page. The arts organizations which received general […]
Posted July 26, 2017
The Professional Development Grant Program assists artists or arts administrators with opportunities that specifically improve their business management development skills and/or brings the artist or the arts organization to another level artistically. The RACC Board approved these awards on May 24, 2017. (*First time grant recipients) Here are the 2017-18 Professional Development grant awards (cycle […]
Posted July 26, 2017
Arts Equity Grants provide financial support to organizations that are conducting arts and culture projects and programming for communities of color, immigrants, refugees, underserved neighborhoods, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ communities, people experiencing homelessness and houselessness, and other communities that have historically been marginalized. The RACC Board of Directors approved the final 24 grant awards on […]
Posted May 31, 2017
RACC has long offered project grant support to individual artists and organizations in the region, helping to support the creation and presentation of artmaking of all kinds. More than 140 artistic projects were funded last year, ranging from solo dance performances to an audio documentary series exploring gentrification to afterschool Taiko ensemble classes for youth. […]
Posted May 30, 2017
PORTLAND, ORE — The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) has awarded $126,540 in Arts Equity Grants to 24 organizations that are advancing RACC’s goals for equity and inclusion. These grants are funded by City of Portland’s Arts Education & Access Fund, or arts tax, along with support from Multnomah County. Arts Equity Grants provide […]
Posted April 19, 2017
The Capacity Building Initiative will provide financial and capacity building support to arts organizations serving under-represented populations and whose leadership is majority under-represented individuals, so they may define and meet their needs for appropriate and sustainable infrastructure. Three organizations will be selected for this pilot year of the project. Organizations can expect to receive financial […]
Posted February 15, 2017
The Professional Development Grant Program assists artists and representatives of arts organizations with expenses related to specific, unique opportunities that improve their business management skills and/or help advance the careers of the individual artist or the arts administrator. This grant cycle for Professional Development Grants includes the period between July 1, 2017 through December 31, […]
Posted January 26, 2017
PORTLAND, ORE — With funding from Multnomah County and the City of Portland’s voter-approved Arts Education and Access Fund, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) will invest a total of $100,000 in nonprofit organizations that are providing arts and culture programs and services for marginalized communities, including geographically underserved neighborhoods; communities of color, immigrants, […]
Posted December 16, 2016
The RACC Professional Development Grant Program individual artists and arts organizations in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties with activities that improve their business management development skills and/or brings to them to another level artistically. A total of $39,871 was awarded to 29 individuals and 4 organizations. These grants were approved by the RACC Board on […]
Posted December 15, 2016
PORTLAND, ORE — The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) has awarded $733,608 in grants to 92 local artists and 52 nonprofit organizations for artistic projects that will take place in calendar year 2017. This represents a 10% increase over last year thanks to increased funding from Multnomah County, the City of Portland and RACC’s […]
Posted October 31, 2016
PORTLAND, ORE – At its October 26 board meeting, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) board of directors approved to expand by three the number of organizations that receive General Operating Support annually from RACC, awarding grants to My Voice Music ($9,800), Portland Playhouse ($23,000) and The Circus Project ($12,800). A total of 51 arts […]
Posted October 25, 2016
By Heather Morrill, The Giving Tree NW For eight weeks, beginning September 2016, two groups of residents living in affordable housing took part in The Giving Tree’s Art Explorations. These class sessions, brought directly on-site to the community rooms at Alder House Apartments and Station Place Tower, were funded in part by an Arts Equity […]
Posted September 28, 2016
PORTLAND, ORE – Two Portland-based filmmakers have received RACC’s 2016 Fellowship Awards. In addition to being recognized for their artistic excellence and achievements in the media arts, Vanessa Renwick and Brian Lindstrom will each receive a cash grant of $20,000. Vanessa Renwick has been making provocative films in the Portland region for decades. Her work ranges […]
Posted June 30, 2016
To help attract more out-of-town visitors during Portland’s off-peak tourism season (November through March) and extend the reach of Portland’s cultural events, the Regional Arts & Culture Council and Travel Portland provide co-op marketing funds for Portland-area cultural organizations to enhance their existing out-of-region marketing efforts (advertising, public relations,etc.). REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must demonstrate how these […]
Posted June 28, 2016
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 […]