The City of Portland's Office of Arts & Culture, in partnership with the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC), has recently doled out a hefty $1.2 million through its Arts & Culture’s Small Grants Program, giving the local creative scene a sizable financial bump. The grants, according to a release from the Office of Arts & Culture, are set to benefit an array of 275 Portland-based artists and arts organizations, tipping the scales towards a more vibrant and diverse arts landscape.
Funding, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, has been awarded to varied arts programs and activities showing potential for community impact, with recipient projects covering the gamut from performing and visual arts to film and literature. Despite the grant being meant for artists and organizations to develop their work, musician Rudy Klobas expressed his gratitude for receiving the grant to support his new album production together with BrandonLee Cierley, by posting, "A huge thanks to the Regional Arts & Culture Council and the Office of Arts & Culture for awarding BrandonLee Cierley and me the Portland Arts Projects grant to support the production of our new album!" Klobas further commented on the significance of the grant for his project.
Chariti Montez, the Director of the Office of Arts & Culture, underscored the partnership's role in fostering the arts sector in Portland. "Creating more space for more artists and arts organizations to explore, hone, and share their work across Portland, from downtown to the city's farthest reaches, is one of the most important arts and culture investments the City can make," Montez remarked, echoing the city's commitment to artistic development.
The RACC's Portland Project Grants initiative is the conduit for the distribution of these funds, emanating from the Arts Access Fund. This fund gets its lifeblood from the Arts Tax—a mandatory annual tax that lightens Portlanders' wallets by $35. Post the mandatory disbursement to schools to employ elementary arts teachers, the leftover cash is pumped into the Office of Arts & Culture’s grantmaking programs, including the small grants' effort under the spotlight here.
