The PGE Foundation announces creative expression grants

Portland, Ore. – The PGE Foundation, the corporate foundation of Portland General Electric (PGE), announces its creative expression grant awards to 27 arts and culture organizations totaling $250,000. The grants provide arts access and integrated learning opportunities for youth and focus on three impact areas: sequential arts learning, creative youth development and the integration of arts into K-12 curriculum. The PGE Foundation recognizes the power of creative experiences to educate youth, elevate diverse voices and help everyone gain a deeper understanding of the world around us. "We may be moving beyond the pandemic, but youth and families continue to navigate serious issues impacting our society such as racism, homelessness and climate change,” said Kregg Arntson, executive director of the PGE Foundation. “Arts and culture organizations provide creative experiences and human connection that are so critical to helping students learn and work through their thoughts and feelings toward healing and hope for the future.” This year, more than a third of PGE Foundation grant dollars support culturally specific organizations serving Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Three Indigenous arts and culture organizations — Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, Confluence Project, and Siletz Tribal Arts and Heritage Society — are receiving $53,500 in grants, supporting their work connecting students and the broader community with the history, art, and culture of Oregon’s Indigenous peoples. “Art illuminates our humanity, celebrates our cultures, and is a dynamic force to bring about transformative change, healing, and understanding,” said Lulani Arquette, president and CEO of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. “Our work embodies this every day in collaboration with Native Hawaiian, American Indian and Alaska Native artists and culture bearers. Thank you to the PGE Foundation for their support of our vital work.” For more than 20 years, the PGE Foundation has invested in arts and culture programs that foster creative educational environments so students can develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, creativity and social-emotional strengths. PGE Foundation 2021 creative expression grant recipients include: Artists Repertory Theatre Arts Council of Pendleton Beaverton Arts Foundation (Patricia Reser Center for the Arts) Caldera CETI (A Creative and Emergent Technology Institute) Confluence Literary Arts, Inc. Metropolitan Youth Symphony Miracle Theatre Group Native Arts and Culture Foundation (Center for Native Arts and Cultures) Oregon Ballet Theatre Oregon Bravo Youth Orchestras Oregon Children's Theatre Oregon East Symphony Portland Art Museum and Northwest Film Center Portland Center Stage Portland Opera Association, Inc. Portland Playhouse Portland Youth Philharmonic Regional Arts & Culture Council Salem Art Association Siletz Tribal Arts & Heritage Society Five Oaks Museum (Formerly Washington County Museum) World Stage Theatre WorldOregon Write Around Portland Young Audiences of Oregon and SW Washington (The Right Brain Initiative) See more details on PGE Foundation 2021 creative expression grants .