Although the Portland region is becoming increasingly known as a center of creativity, neither the public nor the private sector are investing enough to capitalize on the tremendous opportunity we have before us.
In December, City Council approved my proposal to expand Work for Art with a one-time $250,000 investment .
Work for Art [1], a program of the Regional Arts & Culture Council [2] (RACC), helps us encourage more investment so that we can leverage this creative community into a more innovative, more successful future for the entire Portland metropolitan region.
This increased investment from City Council will help RACC extend the program into dozens of more workplaces in 2008 and beyond, to continue matching individuals’ donations to Work for Art, and to solicit new corporate contributions. Combined, these efforts are designed to help Work for Art grow from a $447,000 campaign in 2007 to a $1 million campaign by 2009.
Past public investments in Work for Art have produced remarkable returns for the local arts community. Last year, a City matching challenge fund of $200,000 resulted in additional gifts of $246,982 from the private sector for a total campaign of $446,982 of new dollars for the local arts community.
100% of all Work for Art proceeds are passed on to local arts organizations through a competitive grants process, and are used by arts organizations to support their activities, including education and outreach programs.
Related Documents
- Fall Budget Monitoring Documents [3]
Community Partners
- Regional Arts & Culture Council [4]
- Northwest Business Committee for the Arts [5]
- Work for Art [6]