The Cultural Coalition of Washington County (CCWC) 2024 grant cycle is now open. Nonprofit organizations with arts, heritage and humanities projects based in Washington County are invited to apply for grants to be used during calendar year 2024.

New this year, applications and the grant process will be managed through a new portal, available from the CCWC website (www.ccwashco.org). The new grants management software will make collaborating, saving applications, and filing documentation easier for applicants.

Three levels of Community Cultural Participation Grants are available this year:

• Level 1: up to $1,000 is available for nonprofit arts, humanities or heritage organizations or educational institutions or government agencies with an arts, heritage or humanities mission. IRS 501(c)(3) status is not required for Level 1 grants.
• Level 2: up to $2,000 is available only to nonprofit IRS 501(c)(3) registered organizations, governmental agencies or public schools.
• Level 3: up to $5,000 is available only to 501(c)(3) Washington County Public School Districts or Public School District Foundations.

Applicants can apply for activities or opportunities that address one or more of these five goals:

1. Public Awareness and Participation – Build community through communication, audience development, and engagement.
2. Support Cultural Organizations – Increase capacity, encourage professional development, and support adaptability.
3. Increase Public Art and Performance Opportunities – Foster more impactful art, events, and cultural connections with increased accessibility for all.
4. Support Diverse Cultural and Heritage Activities – Include cultural learning and cultural equity at the heart of our creative community.
5. Increasing Access to Arts Education – Serve school-based arts and cultural opportunities and build arts awareness for youth, while encouraging life-long learning.

A competitive grant application will:

• promote cultural diversity
• develop community and/or cross-cultural partnerships
• provide matching-fund or cost-sharing opportunities
• promote cultural tourism

To see examples, visit the CCWC website for past grantees and for information about the Cultural Plan. Proposals in the Community Cultural Participation Grant Program should be geared toward a specific event, activity, or communication of the organization.

Questions?

For questions about the grant guidelines, organization or grant eligibility, and/or technical assistance with the grant application process, software issues, and status of grant fund distribution, please email grants@ccwashco.org.

For general questions about the CCWC and what we do, email info@ccwashco.org.

About the Cultural Coalition of Washington County:

The Cultural Coalition of Washington County (CCWC) is the re-granting board of the Oregon Cultural Trust in Washington County, Oregon. Monies donated to the Cultural Trust come back to Washington County and are distributed as grants to cultural nonprofits per the Washington County Cultural Plan.

The Oregon Cultural Trust receives its funding from donors who receive a generous state tax credit for giving as long as their contribution to the Trust is matched by equal or greater charitable gifts to any number of Oregon’s 1,600+ nonprofits. Washington County is home to over 100 heritage, humanities and arts nonprofits!

The CCWC was originally established as the Washington County Arts, Heritage and Humanities Coalition by the Washington County Board of Commissioners in 2005 as an all-volunteer advisory body and tasked with administering Oregon Cultural Trust funds for the county and implementing the Washington County Cultural Plan. The coalition name was changed in 2008 to Cultural Coalition of Washington County. Until July 2021, the CCWC was an official advisory board to the Board of County Commissioners. It is now under the fiscal sponsorship of Tualatin Valley Creates. The CCWC is still all-volunteer and works to inform the Board of County Commissioners about the cultural identity, quality of life and economic vitality of Washington County and its arts, heritage and humanities organizations, through the CCWC’s ongoing administration of the Washington County Cultural Plan.

Interested in supporting CCWC’s mission by joining the board? Read more about our current board or fill out the application below!