Find a Cultural Nonprofit

Lan Su Chinese Garden is one of Portland's greatest treasures and most interesting sites to see while visiting Portland. A result of a collaboration between the cities of Portland and Suzhou, our sister city in China's Jiangsu province that's famous for its beautiful Ming Dynasty gardens, Lan Su was built by Chinese artisans from our Suzhou and is one the most authentic Chinese gardens outside of China. Lan Su is a window into Chinese culture, history and way of thinking.

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With a commitment to creativity, technology and social change, Open Signal makes media production possible for everyone. We provide skills, equipment and inspiration, and we amplify local voices on five cable channels. Launched in January 2017, Open Signal builds upon the legacy of Portland Community Media (PCM), an organization that empowered thousands of Portlanders to access video and television technology during its 35-year history. Open Signal is committed to equity.

PETE (Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble) is an artist cooperative dedicated to creating new theatrical events that reify the relationship between audience and artist. We develop original, ensemble-generated pieces and produce innovative interpretations of classical text. Inspired by a contemporary design aesthetic, inventive storytelling modes, and heightened emotional honesty, we create work that is visceral, raw and revealing.

Portland Festival Symphony has offered free concerts by professional Portland musicians since it was founded in 1981 by Music Director Lajos Balogh, as a gift to the people of Portland who welcomed him after he emigrated from his native Hungary. He wanted to bring classical music to the parks in the European tradition; outdoor and free to all, with special attention to children. Portland Symphony concerts now draw thousands of area residents to experience classical music in the parks.

Founded in 1976 as Portland Folklore Society, PFS was an umbrella folk organization that spun off the Portland Country Dance Community and the Oregon Bluegrass Organization. We have organized a weekend of folk singing, Singtime Frolics, each March for over 30 years; we maintain a comprehensive calendar of folk events, published in our bi-monthly newsletter, Local Lore, and on our website; we produce a monthly concert series from Sept. through May; we sponsor song circles and other events.

The Portland Gay Men’s Chorus aspires to expand, redefine, and perfect the choral art through eclectic performances that honor and uplift the gay community and affirm the worth of all people.

Portland Institute for Contemporary Art acknowledges and advances new developments in contemporary art while fostering the creative explorations of artists and audiences. PICA’s programming supports the experiments of the most vital and provocative artists of our time. Our vision is international, intergenerational, interdisciplinary, and decidedly forward thinking (even when those explorations look back in history). PICA is unique among institutions for working right alongside artists at the increasingly blurry boundaries between forms and at the edge of new ideas. Throughout the year, audiences have myriad opportunities to interact with artists, curators, critics, and cultural visionaries in a direct, in-depth way. From performances to exhibitions to lectures to the annual Time-Based Art Festival, our programs catalyze conversations about contemporary culture.

The Portland Jazz Composers’ Ensemble commissions, performs and celebrates new music by established and emerging local jazz composers through our 12-member jazz chamber orchestra, our sextet, our record label PJCE Records and our podcast, Beyond Category.

The Portland Literacy Council is a nonprofit organization that supports adult literacy programs, tutors, and students in the Portland metropolitan area. PLC activities include publishing an online newsletter, sponsoring an annual literacy conference, delivering local tutor training, and awarding GED scholarships and community grants.

Portland Meet Portland was started to help create a multi-cultural community of inclusion and belonging with refugees and immigrants in our Portland community. We welcome and befriend immigrants and refugees, engaging diverse cultures. We enrich the broader community through mutually beneficial mentoring opportunities and dialogue that promotes cross-cultural learning, enhances professional development, and builds trust.

The Portland Metro Concert Band was formed in 1992. Its 40-some members include amateur musicians as well as some who play professionally. Members represent many fields of endeavor, from medicine to education to computer programming. The band rehearses weekly for ten months of the year and performs several concerts each year for retirement centers, churches, and the public. Formal concerts, free to the public, are at the Horner Performing Arts Center of David Douglas High School.

Portland Metro Pipe Band is Oregon’s only Grade 2 competitive pipe band. Formed in 2006, the band is led by Pipe Major Mark Tomasetti and Drum Sergeant Andrew Finley. Portland Metro Pipe Band has twice competed at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, played with legendary Irish band The Chieftains and is a regular prize winner at competitions throughout the Pacific Northwest, Canada and Scotland. The band is available for hire at your corporate event or private party.

Portland Opera exists to inspire, challenge, and uplift our audiences by creating productions of high artistic quality that celebrate the beauty and breadth of opera. Programs include mainstage opera and musical theatre productions, educational outreach tour, Resident Artist program for young opera singers, adult education classes and lectures, recitals and public performances, and radio broadcasts.

The Portland Parks Foundation mobilizes financial and popular support to ensure a thriving and accessible parks system for a healthy Portland.

Since 1978, Portland Piano International has revealed excellence in piano performance on the Oregon stage. With its annual SOLO series world-class musicians take on the challenge of two different programs of music within 24 hours. Other programs include the Summer Festival, the Rising Star series, the Commissioning Project of works by Oregon composers, the Tholen Fellows Project for rural piano teachers, the Beyond The Score master classes and The Clearing, a contemporary music festival.

Portland Playhouse (PPH) 's mission is to create a space where people of ALL social, economic, racial, sexual and political backgrounds can come together to celebrate the complexity of the human experience. Our vision is a world awakened by the wonder of theatre. We employ 75-125 theatre professionals, with a volunteer staff of 175. Together, we present 4 full productions per year, reaching 10,000+ audience members and serve 8-12 schools via after school programs and in-school residencies.

PRP.fm is a nonprofit community music station that plays a local artist every 15 minutes. An independent noncommercial cultural hub, we broadcast in the heart of Portland at 99.1 FM, and stream our curated blend of rock/folk/blues/jazz 24/7 worldwide. Along with a fresh music mix, PRP.fm offers morning headlines, and special coverage for nonprofits and small businesses. Founded by experienced radio professionals, PRP mentors millennials to create an unusual intergenerational media project.

Portland Revels celebrates the seasons through song, dance, story and ritual of the past and present, creating community across generations and cultures. Revels is a one of a kind experience, a little bit classical, a little bit historical, and a little bit farcical. It harkens back the old days of community and family, when a night out meant singing around the fireplace. Enjoy exploring some Revels traditions and history!

Visionary city leaders started the Portland Rose Festival in 1907 to put the Rose City on the map and brand it “the summer capital of the world.” Little did they know that more than a hundred summers later the Rose Festival would be world-famous – both for its remarkable, award-winning events (including three parades, an urban fair and waterfront concerts) and as a leader in celebrating community values like volunteerism, patriotism and environmentalism.

Portland State University (PSU) is Oregon’s most diverse university and a national leader in environmental sustainability and community partnerships. PSU offers over 200 degrees and opportunities to work with organizations on real-world projects. Its mission is to be a leading public urban university. The PSU Foundation will manage grant funds if awarded. The Foundation is a non-profit tasked with the responsibility of raising and administering the thousands of private gifts donated annually

Portland Story Theater builds community, promotes understanding, and fosters radical empathy by giving voice to the real, true stories of ordinary people. Our vision is to advance, inspire and expand our community narrative, one story at a time – and in doing so, preserve and promote the ancient art of storytelling in a way that enriches modern life, allowing and encouraging people to be vulnerable and present in ways that are crucial to the full expression of our humanity.

Stories help us make meaning of our lives and our world. They make us laugh, think, and teach us how to be human. For over 30 years, the Portland Storytellers’ Guild has preserved the ancient tradition of oral storytelling in the modern world by creating a space where teller and listener sit together, and recreate the stories of our common humanity. Stories come to life when they are nurtured by being told, heard and savored. We invite you experience this magic. See our website for events.

The Portland Storytellers’ Guild exists to support the community of storytellers by advocating for their recognition, encouraging their development and passing on our cultural traditions, roots and identities though the timelessness of stories.

Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Portland, Oregon. Since 2012, Portland Street Art Alliance has managed over 95 commissioned and publicly-funded projects. We’re a network of artists, academics, and professionals working to facilitate art projects in the city. We document public art history, assist emerging artists with career development, offer internships, facilitate educational forums, host interpretive tours, and provide online platforms for community-building. PSAA advocates for artists by working with the City and stakeholders to develop more equitable and inclusive policies and programs. Our mission is to advance street art culture by empowering artists to activate the spaces where we live, work, and play.

Since 1945, Portland Symphonic Choir has presented great choral masterworks in the Pacific Northwest. Singers of this largely volunteer ensemble come from all over the Portland Metro area and from all walks of life. Under the baton of Artistic Director Steven Zopfi since 2003, the Choir has achieved a reputation of excellence and dedication through creating powerful, accessible choral experiences for all kinds of music enthusiasts— from the experienced musician to the brand new listener.

Girlchoir has been delighting and inspiring audiences regionally and internationally for 28 years. Under the unique leadership of Co‐Conductors Roberta Q. Jackson and Debra R. Burgess, the award-winning PSG has taken its place among the finest Girlchoirs in the world, winning the Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming in 2005 and again in 2015 honoring its commissioning and innovative programming. Girlchoir is inclusive, collaborative, innovative and global, giving girls and youn

Our Mission Statement is "Through innovation and artistic excellence in taiko, we affirm Asian American pride, inspire audiences, build community, and educate about out culture and heritage." PT is a 501(c)3 non-profit, formed in 1994, that blends the tradition of Japanese taiko drumming with a sense of Asian American identity, creativity, and empowerment. PT performs throughout the Pacific Northwest, offers classes and workshops, and conducts team-building workshops.

As a group we want to promote the diffusion of the Argentine Tango to the larger Portland urban area. In order to achieve our goal, we want to help improve the organization structure that currently sustains the Portland Tango Community. We believe in helping people improve their dance by facilitating the visit of very good teachers, helping the local teachers and providing financial support to students that might be in need. We also want to improve the communication tools that we already have.

Portland Waldorf School was founded by a dedicated community of teachers and parents in 1982. In three decades, the school has grown to serve students in the greater Portland metro area from their first parent-child class through 12th Grade graduation. The developmentally based curriculum integrates fine and applied arts with study in math, science, history, language arts, geography, German, Spanish, and movement, with an emphasis on critical thinking, problem solving skills, and creativity.

Willamette Light Brigade's (WLB) mission is to heighten the civic awareness of residents and visitors to the significance of the river in the life of the community. Currently, WLB carries out its mission by adding architectural lights to each bridge across the Willamette River in Portland and by holding the annual Portland Winter Light Festival.

It is the purpose of the Portland Youth Philharmonic Association to maintain the finest possible youth orchestras in order to inspire and educate young people through performing symphonic music and to provide a cultural asset for the community. PYP has two symphony orchestras, a chamber orchestra, a wind ensemble, and a string orchestra. Members range in age from 7 to 23, are accepted and seated solely according to ability, and come from 100 schools throughout Oregon and southwest Washington.

The mission of Portland'5 Centers for the Arts Foundation is to secure funds for culturally relevant education programming and venue capital projects as part of Portland’5 Centers for the Arts’ commitment to ensure access to the performing arts for people of all means, cultures, abilities, and ethnicities.

The Prairie Mountain Folk School is a non-profit center for traditional skills in Joseph, Oregon. Our mission is to preserve heritage trades and foster community through experiential learning and the teaching of traditional crafts. We’re passionate about the power of craft, both for building individual ability, and for knitting a strong regional community.

Pride of Portland Chorus is an internationally competitive women's a cappella chorus joyfully committed to musical excellence through vocal education, performance, and competition primarily in the barbershop style. Our 110+ voice chorus consists of women from both Oregon and Washington. We range in age from 13-85. And we sing jazz blues, gospel, show, pop and patriotic songs.

Our mission is to produce a season of plays devoted to a single playwright, engaging with our community to explore that writer's vision and influence on theatre and the world at large. We provide an opportunity for audience members to experience the work of our featured writer in a way that no other theatre in our area provides. We do this through large-scale professional productions, In Dialogue Series readings and supplemental programming, and our vibrant and growing education programs.

Community power through arts education and interaction, support, and advocacy; promoting art and health through training and educational opportunities via masterclasses, outreach, and performances

Founded in 2003, Q Center provides a safe space to support and celebrate LGBTQIA+ diversity, equity, visibility, and community building. A convener and community hub, Q Center connects LGBTQIA+ community members and organizations with resources that foster mutual recognition, belonging, and resiliency. Q Center is a 501c 3 non-profit which offers multi-generational programs and services in four core areas: Arts & Culture; Education & Training; Health & Wellness and Advocacy.

Quintessence was formed in 2001. In its first six seasons, we paired a classic Shakespearean play with an original play by the Artistic Director, Connor Kerns, because we find working with different kinds of language and ideas very fruitful. We are project-based and put the word at the center of all our work.

For over 10 years, the popular Eugene-based theater company has been reinvigorating a vintage artform that’s also new—radio storytelling. If you like podcasts, you’ll love Radio Redux, which takes the style of live storytelling done so well on the radio in the 1930s and ’40s and elevates it to a modern artform. Radio Redux’s success—capacity audiences, rave reviews, dynamic acting—proves that something old can be not only new again, but also extremely popular and engaging. The critically acclaimed Eugene theater company is a national leader in the rare realm of radio storytelling that relies on vocal acting, live sound effects and musical snippets to invoke vivid pictures in the listener’s mind, where the most effective storytelling takes place. ​Radio Redux’s uncommon approach fires up the imaginations of its avid followers by infusing classic stories with an inventive yet authentic stage presence.

Working toward the vision that all children have the right to read and succeed, Reading Results partners with schools serving low-income students to provide a proven reading intervention program. Reading by third grade is crucial to a child’s future educational development. Falling behind creates challenges that negatively impact a child’s education and self-esteem for years to come. Reading Results is committed to helping struggling learners get on the path toward academic success and a brighter future.

Based in Newport, Oregon - Red Octopus Theatre Company has been offering the central coast the best in comedy, drama, classics, musicals, and original works since 1976. Performances take place at the Newport Performing Arts Center, as do our workshops and our annual 24 Hour Theatre events.

Created in 1983 as an all-volunteer nonprofit. 501(c)(3) status obtained in 1988. Continuously operating as created. RCCA Mission Statement: Presenting quality live entertainment to Central Oregon Audiences. RCCA's Guiding Principles are: Continuing to offer a variety of performances to subscribers at an affordable cost since 1984; Providing enrichment to Redmond area students through our Outreach Program; Encouraging talented and motivated youth through our music scholarships;

Reed College is an institution of higher education in the liberal arts devoted to the intrinsic value of intellectual pursuit and governed by the highest standards of scholarly practice, critical thought, and creativity. The undergraduate curriculum includes a yearlong humanities course, broad distribution requirements, and a senior thesis. A 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and small conference-style classes allow faculty members to truly mentor students.

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) strives to enrich the lives of the 1.8 million residents in the Portland, Oregon metro region including Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties through arts and culture. We provide grants and technical assistance; manage a widely-celebrated public art collection for Multnomah County; organize networking events, forums, and workshops; and conduct annual workplace giving with more than 50 companies and agencies through the Arts Impact Fund.

Rejoice! is a Portland-based contemporary dance ensemble led by the bold vision and artistic direction of Oluyinka Akinjiola. Inspired by the folklore of the great African diaspora, Rejoice’s performance repertoire boldly weaves stories of adversity and hope, captivating audiences with their outspoken calls for social change. Our contemporary dance shatters convention. Vibrant rhythms and powerful words weave tales of hardship and triumph, giving form and flow to our enduring humanity. Inspired by storied pasts, our journey constantly adapts into something new, provocative, and meaningful. There are decades of complexity in our expressions, yet there is also an abundance of joy and love. Entwined in our passion to dance is a deep purpose to spark change—both in ourselves and everyone we encounter. We see art as our activism; the stage our canvas. Our ensemble a diverse palette of color and personality. We confront themes of injustice and oppression head-on and unapologetically. With intention in every step, gesture, and rhythm, our movements ignite a movement. Audiences immerse in our revelation, leaving wide-eyed and full of hope for the tomorrow that lies ahead. We believe, as Maya Angelou did, that “if we are bold, love strikes away the chains of fear from our souls.” Together, we Rejoice!

Restore Oregon is the only state-wide preservation non-profit dedicated to preserving, re-using, and passing forward the historic places that create livable, sustainable communities.

We work hand in hand with community members to preserve Oregon’s Most Endangered Places, provide educational workshops and tours, and advocate for historic preservation. We can do this, and more, only because people invest in the resources we offer. Give today! 

The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals houses a world-class collection recognized as the finest in the Pacific Northwest and one of the best in the nation. Located just west of Portland, Oregon, in Hillsboro, the Museum showcases not only fine rocks and minerals, but also fossils, meteorites, lapidary art, and gemstones from both the Pacific Northwest and all around the world. The Rice NW Museum is an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

Opened in 2006, the Richard E. Wildish Community Theater is the premiere entertainment destination for the greater Springfield area. The theater features 283 seats in stadium seating and there is truly ‘not a bad seat in the house’. The excellent acoustics and flexible stage showcase the wide array of activity that has become a calling card for the young facility. The Wildish Board of Directors is committed to the mission of offering a professional facility at accessible costs. Four of the area’s most popular arts organizations now call the Wildish their ‘artistic home’. More than twenty other arts and business groups regularly use the Wildish.

Since 1997 our mission has been to provide cultural enhancement to the community through a variety of musical styles in the form of four free-to-the-public, high-quality family concerts that would one would not ordinarily experience without traveling a significant distance and paying a substantial fee. We also provide a youth theater for local youth comprised of a six-week drama camp and two live performances.

Empowering youth to reach their full potential through theatre & storytelling.

The mission of the Rogue Gallery & Art Center is to enliven the individual and enrich the community through inspirational visual art experiences. Founded in 1960 by artists, educators, and local leaders, the Rogue Gallery & Art Center is a non-commercial exhibition venue that also offers high-quality art programs. Exhibits feature established and emerging artists in a variety of styles and media. Art educational opportunities are available for ages.

The Rogue Valley Children's Discovery Museum (dba Kid Time) is a nonprofit children’s discovery museum and early learning center in the heart of downtown Medford. Our focus is on kids 0 to 10 years old. We provide a rich and varied environment (exhibits, programs, preschool) for free-play along with both instructed and monitored activities that engage trained staff members with children and their families.

For over four decades the Rogue Valley Chorale Association has provided Southern Oregon audiences with access to fine choral music. We provide singers, ages eight to over eighty, with singing opportunities. Our repertoire includes a wide range of musical genre including classical, contemporary, Broadway, folk, spirituals and much more. We are pleased to expand the artistic menu of our community to include choral singing so that singers and audience members can celebrate the joy of singing.

MISSION STATEMENT The Rogue Valley Peace Choir is a non-sectarian community choir dedicated to creating peace in our lives, community and world through song. VISION We sing music that inspires us and our listeners to live and act in ways that promote peace, social justice, and responsible stewardship of the earth. We model good communications skills, showing respect and compassion for others. Through our singing, we open our hearts and minds to connect with others in celebration of life.

The Rogue Valley Symphony, led by Music Director Martin Majkut, is the professional orchestra performing in and serving the three major city centers in Southern Oregon: Ashland, Medford, and Grants Pass. In a season, the Rogue Valley Symphony presents five Masterworks programs featuring world renowned soloists performing with the orchestra, three holiday concerts in December, a family Discovery Concert, and an education concert. Four education programs serve school children from K-12th grade.