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Regional Arts & Culture Council

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RACC provides grants and services for artists, organizations and schools.

10/26/2026

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC), in partnership with the City of Portland’s Parks & Recreation and Office of Arts & Culture, invites artists and artist teams to submit qualifications for a public art opportunity along the Rose City Recreation Trail network. One artist or artist team will be selected to create site-responsive artwork that engages with the landscape, ecology, history, and communities connected to the trail network.

Artwork may take many forms, from a single work or installation to multiple elements experienced along the trails. This opportunity considers the trail network and the landscapes it moves through not simply as locations for artwork, but as living and changing systems. Artists are encouraged to consider how art can invite discovery, reflection, learning, and new relationships between people and place.

Artist commission: $45,000
Application Deadline: Wednesday, November 25, 2026

Learn more and apply at the link in our bio!

10/21/2026

Only one week left to finish your Portland Arts Project Grant application! Submissions are due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, October 28th.

Don't wait until the last minute! Technical difficulties are real, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to submit!

This opportunity is designed by RACC in partnership with the City of Portland’s Office of Arts & Culture, who has contracted with RACC to administer a longstanding program for artists and organizations as part of its Small Grants initiatives.

The PAPG program funds projects spanning all creative disciplines made by Portland-residing artists and organizations.

In total, RACC will distribute $1.2M from City-sourced funding to the dynamic community members that comprise our local creative ecosystem.

Image: Documentation of the annual New Works Festival presented by PAPG FY26 grantee From the Ground UP.

10/01/2026

Portland Arts Projects Grants are due October 28th! Resources are available to help you prepare:

Watch the Info Session! The recorded info session posted on YouTube covers a variety of topics including the differences between the two separate application categories, the criteria our Community Reviewers will use to score applications, advice on writing your application, and more.

Read the Guidelines documents and FAQs on the PAPG page of our website! Your question or situation may already be addressed there.

Prepare a draft! First-time applicants and/or applicants who have not received funding from RACC within the past three years are eligible to request a phone meeting with our team to read a draft of your application before you submit and provide you with feedback. If you would like to access this service, for which a limited number of appointments remain available, you must have a draft ready and request review no later than Friday, October 9, 2026 at 5pm. To prepare for this service, complete your application in the RACC Opportunity Portal, save your draft, and then email [email protected] to request a time.

The Grants Team is available to support you through the process, but capacity becomes more limited as the deadline approaches. We strongly suggest not waiting until the final days of the application window to start or submit your proposal.

Image: performing at 2026, an event funded in part by a FY26 PAPG.
Photo Credit: Annie Evans

09/18/2026

The application period for the North Portland Aquatic Center Exterior Sculpture Series has been extended by one week! The new deadline is 11:59pm on Wednesday, September 30th

In partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) and the Office of Arts & Culture (OoAC) at the City of Portland, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) invites artists/artist teams living and working in the USA to submit qualifications for a series of site-specific exterior sculptural artworks to be located along and within the entry paths and plaza which will surround the soon-to-be newly constructed North Portland Aquatic Center (NPAC) in Portland, Oregon.

There is potential for the sculpture series to be integrated into the proposed landscaped areas, plaza design, and exterior features, to be free-standing, or to be a combination of both. The budget available for the commission comes from the City of Portland’s Percent for Art Program and is $165,000, all inclusive.

For more information including how to apply, visit the link in our bio!

Image: Installation of "Presence Water Shedding" (2023) by Terresa White and Suri Iron at Errol Heights Park

09/17/2026

Looking for the inside scoop on how to write the strongest possible application for this year's Portland Arts Project Grant cycle? Look no further, RACC's expert grants team has just released this year's info session!

This recorded info session will help you to understand the differences between the two separate application categories, introduced this year in compliance with recent changes to City Code regarding the Arts Access Fund eligibility requirements, as well as other eligibility factors, the criteria our Community Reviewers will use to score applications, advice on writing your application, and more!

View the info session recording at the link in our bio!

The Portland Arts Project Grant program, designed by RACC in partnership with the City of Portland’s Office of Arts & Culture City of Portland, Office of Arts & Culture, funds projects spanning all creative disciplines made by Portland-residing artists and organizations. Proposals may be submitted for a variety of endeavors–including programming, presentations, events, artistic development, and the creation of artworks–that include opportunities for the public to engage with their activities.

PAPG applications will be accepted online via RACC’s Opportunity Portal from September 1 to October 28, 2026, with award announcements made no later than March 31, 2027.

Image: performing at the Barn Owl Stage at Shady Pines Festival 2026, hosted by FY26 PAPG grantee . Photo Credit:

09/09/2026

Applications are due in two weeks, by 11:59pm on Wednesday, September 23rd!

In partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) and the Office of Arts & Culture (OoAC) at the City of Portland, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) invites artists/artist teams living and working in the USA to submit qualifications for a series of site-specific integrated and/or free-standing exterior sculptural artworks to be located along and within the entry paths and plaza which will surround the soon-to-be newly constructed North Portland Aquatic Center (NPAC) in Portland, Oregon.

Through the engagement process, community members have expressed aspirations for the artwork to:
• Create a welcoming and inviting place for all; celebrating diversity, equity, and inclusion; inspiring hope and empowerment; providing joy and celebration; and integrating the art into the facility design.
• Invoke a sense of hope, healing, joy, vitality, and playfulness.
• Honor the past while also creating space to explore greater possibilities for the future.
• Celebrate the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the local geography of the area such as the confluence of two rivers and other bodies of water, trees and greenery, flora and fauna, wildlife, and broader ecology.

Visit the link in our bio to learn more and apply!

09/02/2026

09/02 Join for a workshop presented by marketing expert Beverly Brooks Amplified Marketing PR to learn about how authentic branding can grow your creative business

09/03 Explore adornment as identity at the latest exhibition from the Collective, "Loose Threads & Raw Edges," a celebration of the GMS artists’ love of color, texture, and responsiveness to material

09/03 Catch the opening of Grady Grady Zerse's exhibition "Caught in a Memory," which centers around the mind-body connection and the synesthetic link into our memories and our inner world.

09/05 Celebrate the opening of Rooted in the Land, a duo exhibition including PAPG grantee Celeste Noche Celeste Noche’s Bye and Bye, a photo memoir documenting the homes her mother has lived in across the Philippines and the San Francisco Bay Area, tracing her migration and ongoing displacement.

09/8, 09/10, 09/13 Attend the second year of the We Are Everywhere Art and Film Festival We Are Everywhere Fest PDX. Three events celebrating artists, filmmakers, performers, and the incredible PNW community.

09/10 Attend Event 38 of the C O N S T E L L A T I O N series. This installment of this free series will feature readings from Dimple Bangalore, Matan Gold, and RJ Equality Ingram.

09/12 presents new music composed by Kennedy Verrett | Composer Ted Laderas and Jazel Morfin-Montoya at Performance Works NorthWest

09/14 See what's new at Women In Film PDX's Educate/Incubate final showcase, the culmination of a year-long career advancement and mentorship program for 10 women and nonbinary filmmakers.

09/25 is back with a new show, "Hide & Cheek: A LEWDicrous Masquerade," where every performer is hiding... something... while revealing everything else!

Tuesdays 09/29-10/20 Hang out with a bunch of songwriters, talk shop, get out of your head, write some songs, and meet some new people at second story studios's Bridge Club Songwriting Workshop! Don't wait to sign up, there's only a few spots left!

Image: FY2026 PAPG grantee .Dance's production "Do You See Me?". Photo by Grace Hankins Productions

09/01/2026

Apply now! RACC is delighted to launch this year’s Portland Arts Project Grant program (PAPG). This opportunity is designed by RACC in partnership with the City of Portland’s Office of Arts & Culture, City of Portland, Office of Arts & Culture, who has contracted with RACC to administer a longstanding program for artists and organizations as part of its Small Grants initiatives. The PAPG program funds projects spanning all creative disciplines made by Portland-residing artists and organizations. Proposals may be submitted for a variety of endeavors–including programming, presentations, events, artistic development, and the creation of artworks–that include opportunities for the public to engage with their activities.

Recent changes to City Code regarding the Arts Access Fund impact eligibility requirements for a variety of grant programs. As such, RACC will accept applications in two separate categories this year to align with distinct funding sources made available by the City. One category is open to a wide range of applicant types, while the other is available to schools and nonprofit organizations specifically seeking funding for projects that serve K-12 students and/or underserved communities as defined by Portland City Council. Further details are available in the guidelines.

PAPG applications will be accepted online via RACC’s Opportunity Portal from September 1 to October 28, 2026 with award announcements made no later than March 31, 2027.

Read the grant guidelines and FAQs at the link in our bio!

Image: Courtesy of PAPG FY26 grantee .FOLD, taken at their grant funded event Union PDX – Festival:26. Photo by Jingzi Zhao Jingzi Zhao

08/21/2026

RACC is delighted to announce the launch of this year’s Portland Arts Project Grant program (PAPG). This opportunity is designed and administered by RACC in partnership with the City of Portland’s Office of Arts & Culture as part of its Small Grants initiatives.

The program funds projects spanning all creative disciplines made by Portland-residing artists and organizations. Proposals may be submitted for a variety of endeavors–including programming, presentations, events, artistic development, and the creation of artworks–that include opportunities for the public to engage with their activities.

In total, RACC will distribute $1.2M from City-sourced funding to the vibrant community members that comprise our local creative ecosystem. Following recent changes to City Code regarding the Arts Access Fund, RACC will accept applications in two separate categories this year to align with distinct funding sources made available by the City. One category is open to a wide range of applicant types, while the other is available for schools and nonprofit organizations with projects that specifically serve K-12 students and/or underserved communities as defined by Portland City Council.

PAPG applications will be accepted online via RACC’s Opportunity Portal from September 1 to October 28, 2026 with award announcements made no later than March 26, 2027. Comprehensive information about all aspects of the program can be found in the guidelines and other materials accessible at the link in our bio.

We look forward to continuing our longstanding partnership with the City to make impactful investments in the arts that uplift both creators and the community at large. Applicants may contact [email protected] for assistance.

Image: PAPG Grantee Homo Superior, an X-Men themed drag show and q***r dance party. Tunde Olaniran pictured. Photo by Ricky Zuniga

08/19/2026

In partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) and the Office of Arts & Culture (OoAC) at the City of Portland, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) invites artists/artist teams living and working in the USA to submit qualifications for a series of site-specific exterior sculptural artworks to be located along and within the entry paths and plaza which will surround the soon-to-be newly constructed North Portland Aquatic Center (NPAC) in Portland, Oregon.

The budget available for the commission comes from the City of Portland’s Percent for Art Program and is $165,000, all inclusive.

Submissions are due by Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 11.59pm PDT.

Communities served by NPAC should be reflected in the new works of art through innovative and original visioning, artistic expression, and creative storytelling. Community engagement and planning work has identified that there is a deep desire for the sculpture series to instill a sense of place and belonging, creating a warm, inviting, and inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome in this new facility, regardless of background, abilities, or lifestyles.

This opportunity is open to artists/artist teams based in the USA and/or those who have experience in, and the ability to, work in the USA. If applying as a team, at least one member must meet the residence eligibility requirement.

The selection panel will be composed of local artists, community members, North/Northeast Portland residents, OoAC representatives, PP&R project team members, and design team members.

To learn more and apply, visit the link in our bio!

Address

411 NW Park Avenue, Ste 101
Portland, OR
97209

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5pm
Friday	8:30am - 5pm

Website

http://www.racc.org/

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