 $1.4M awarded through Arts & Culture’s Small Grants Program for 2025-26
 Arts & Culture is pleased to announce that $1,400,000 will be awarded to 322 artists and arts and culture organizations through its Small Grants Program partners in 2025-26. That funding will be granted through programs operated by Arts & Culture’s contracting partners at Friends of IFCC, MusicOregon, and the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC).
“The Small Grants Program is our opportunity to invest in Portland’s arts and culture-makers on an individual-level, as well as provide funding support to creative organizations and businesses,” says Arts & Culture Director Chariti Montez. “We’re proud to help provide funding for our partners’ programs—they’re vital to sustaining Portland’s thriving arts ecosystem.”
In this article, we take a closer look at all three of Arts & Culture’s Small Grants Program grantmaking partners, the programs they manage and distribute Small Grants investments through, the amount of funding provided for each by the City, and the number of artists funded by each for 2025-26.
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City releases market feasibility study examining the future of performing arts venues in Portland 
 The City of Portland’s Future of Large-Scale Performing Arts project team recently announced the completion of its market feasibility study examining the viability of a two Broadway-capable venue approach in downtown Portland. Chicago’s Hunden Partners performed the analysis, which began in July 2025 and concluded in December 2025.
“We know Portlanders care deeply about the future of performing arts, and the entire arts and culture ecosystem, in our city and region. The completion of this study is an important piece of a much larger body of work that will help us revitalize Downtown and amplify Portland as a key destination for performing arts,” said Mayor Keith Wilson.
Key findings and recommendations from the study include:
- Portland’s current entertainment ecosystem lacks market demand for two venues capable of large-scale, “Broadway-style” productions. Comparing Portland to other comparable cities does not justify two venues.
- Hunden does not recommend renovating Keller Auditorium as a large-scale, Broadway-capable venue. The Keller, even following a major renovation, would not be able to meet the recommended number of seats to encourage more attendance or provide needed amenities to support modern Broadway tours.
- Hunden does recommend developing a new, Broadway-capable venue at PSU, which could result in sustained growth and prevent loss of Broadway presence in Portland. PSU’s site is better equipped to accommodate the necessary seating and amenities, maximizing Broadway content and maintaining a theatre-style commercial presence.
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City launches request for information to explore new operating models for Portland’5
 To better understand what operating models exist and what might be possible for Portland’s City-owned performing arts venues, the City of Portland is launching an informal request for information today, January 26, 2026.
Part of the Future of Portland’5 project, this is an opportunity to gather interest and ideas to assist the City in understanding the availability of operators in the marketplace, as well as approaches and solutions to a new operating model for Portland’5 Centers for the Arts venues. Venue operators, nonprofit organizations, performing arts groups, and other individuals and groups within the performing arts venues landscape are invited to express their interest in operating one, some, or all of the Portland’5 venues.
The submission deadline is March 9 at 4 p.m. PT.
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 Submit a design for Portland’s America 250 Poster Contest for a chance at $5,000
 Calling all artists and creatives in Portland: The Office of Arts & Culture, in partnership with Mayor Keith Wilson, invites you to enter the America 250 City Art Poster Contest—celebrating Portland’s history and culture alongside the United States’ 250th anniversary and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Part of a nationwide program launched by the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the City of Portland looks forward to receiving commemorative poster submissions from artists aged 13+ for this Portland-specific opportunity. Submissions should reflect the spirit, pride, and future of Portland, Oregon.
In addition to $5,000, the grand-prize winner will have their work displayed across Portland and accessioned into the City of Portland’s public art collection.
The submission deadline is March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
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Street Books and Portland City Archives collaborate to publish oral history 
Photo courtesy of Street Books
A collaboration between Portland-based nonprofit Street Books and the Portland City Archives culminated recently with the release of a new book. “Keeping the Flame of Love & Creativity Alive: A Collection of Oral Histories” highlights the history of Street Books and serves to document the stories of Portlanders who use its services.
“We always search for ways to include our patrons’ words in our work,” says Street Librarian Diana Rempe. “But of course, we recognize that their voices are rarely included in the machinations of power—in decision-making, policy, and within the city’s history. When the archivists asked us how we would like to partner with them, gathering stories from our patrons seemed like an excellent first step.”
Street Books is a street library that provides community, resources, and advocacy for people living outside or at the margins in Portland—a community whose stories are often left out of the historical record. The organization, of the Office of Arts & Culture’s 79 General Operating Support grantees for 2025-26, cultivates mutual relationships by showing up and meeting people where they are every week, rain or shine.
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 Calling all teaching artists: Apply for Portland’s Teaching Artists Directory
 Creating Together, an Arts Access Fund initiative, connects teaching artists, community arts organizations, and schools in Portland—because we know that a full arts education includes in-school instruction with certified arts teachers, arts integration, and experiences with community arts providers and teaching artists.
One way we’re working to facilitate these connections is through our Teaching Artists Directory, which launched last fall. The winter application for local teaching artists who would like to be included in the directory is open through January 30!
In addition to being published on the Arts & Culture website, the directory is shared with Portland’s six school districts and charter schools—all of which receive disbursements from the Arts Access Fund.
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 Visual Chronicle of Portland artist spotlight: Ivan McClellan
 Though Ivan McClellan is known for his work documenting Black cowboy culture across America, his roots in photography began on the streets of Portland.
From 2015-2019, he carried his camera daily during his two-mile roundtrip walk to work. This routine allowed McClellan to document the city’s evolving social and urban landscapes through candid street photography. The work captures everyday moments—commuters, community gatherings, and the subtle interplay between people and their environment—reflecting the diverse narratives that define Portland’s identity. This image, Feathers (2018), offers an intimate portrayal of the city’s spirit during a period of significant change.
This piece is one of 21 artworks by 11 artists recently acquired for the City of Portland’s Visual Chronicle of Portland, a collection of works on paper that serve as an eclectic view of life in Portland and a record of artists working in the city dating back to 1985. The Collection features 463 works by 270 artists, which are displayed in City-owned spaces throughout Portland. Arts & Culture contracts RACC to curate, manage, and maintain the City of Portland’s public art collection, including the Visual Chronicle of Portland.
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Add it to your calendar 
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Through February 8
A Larger Reality: Ursula K. Le Guin examines important moments and themes in the artist’s life and oeuvre, encompassing a rich variety of media, immersing guests in the ideas, playfulness, and hope that course through Le Guin’s art. |
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February 6-14
This annual event transforms the City of Roses into a city of lights. Designed to bring light to the wintry darkness, this free festival is a favorite tradition that returns every winter with imaginative works combining light and technology to create interactive experiences. |
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February 6-8 & 13-15
Portland Staycation: Winter Edition invites locals to become travelers and to explore, indulge, wander, and warm up to the glow of winter in Downtown and across the Central City. And this year, they’re partnering with the Portland Winter Light Festival! |
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March 5-14
Tickets are on sale now for the 2026 Biamp Portland Jazz Festival featuring St. Vincent, Mavis Staples, Madeleine Peyroux, and more. Be sure to check out festival’s lineup of 20+ free performances and 12+ festival partner events happening across town, too. |
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Grant opportunities and open calls 
- Hallie Ford Fellowship in the Visual Arts from the Ford Family Foundation | $35,000 | Application deadline: TONIGHT, January 26, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT
- Incubator Fund from ITVS | Up to $40,000 | Application deadline: January 30, 2026
- 2026 Grant from the Culture & Animals Foundation | Up to $5,000 | Application deadline: January 31, 2026
- Emerging Voices Fellowship from PEN America | $1,500 | Application deadline: January 31, 2026
- Research & Development Grant from Chicken and Egg Films | $10,000-$20,000 | Application deadline: February 4, 2026
- Career Opportunity Grants from Oregon Arts Commission | $500-$9,000 | Application deadline: February 11, 2026 (for activities taking place May 1, 2026-April 30, 2027
- New Voices Filmmaker Grant | $25,000 | Application deadline: February 12, 2026
- Grants for Art Projects from the National Endowment for the Arts | $10,000-$100,000 | Application deadline: February 12, 2026 or July 9, 2026
- New Voices Filmmaker Grant from Newfest | $25,000 | Application deadline: February 12, 206
- Micro Grants and Special Project Macro Grants from Crafting the Future | $500-$10,000 | Application deadline: February 15, 2026
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What we’re reading 
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Traducción e Interpretación | Biên Dịch và Thông Dịch | अनुवादन तथा व्याख्या
口笔译服务 | Устный и письменный перевод | Turjumaad iyo Fasiraad
Письмовий і усний переклад | Traducere și interpretariat | Chiaku me
Awewen Kapas
Translation and Interpretation: 311
The City of Portland ensures meaningful access and reasonably provides: translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids and services. To request these services, call 311 for Relay Service or TTY: 711. |
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