Earlier this summer, the PGE Foundation awarded 27 grants to arts and culture organizations providing arts access and integrated learning opportunities for youth. The grants focus on three impact areas: sequential arts learning, creative youth development and the integration of arts into K-12 curriculum.

This year, more than a third of PGE Foundation grant dollars went to support culturally specific organizations serving Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, a Native-led, 501(c)3 philanthropic organization, received grant funding. Dedicated to advancing equity and cultural knowledge, the organization focuses on the power of arts and collaboration to strengthen Native communities and promote positive social change with American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples in the United States.

“It is our honor and privilege to support the NACF,” said Kregg Arntson, executive director of the PGE Foundation. “They, like so many other wonderful arts and culture organizations, are working tirelessly to 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.”

The recent award from PGE Foundation will help support the organization’s programs, including the LIFT – Early Career Support for Native Artists program. Twenty emerging Native artists were selected to receive $10,000 one-year awards to support them in developing and realizing new projects.

“Support for burgeoning artists is critical in developing fresh voices and envisioning the future of our respective Native practices,” said Barbara Mumby-Huerta, vice president of programs and partnerships. “The LIFT program also encourages artists to uplift communities, advance positive social change, point courageously toward environmental sustainability, and foster communal meaning-making.”

In February NACF took ownership of the historic Yale Union building, which will become their new headquarters. The vision for the newly renamed Center for Native Arts and Cultures (CNAC) is to deeply engage and partner with the local community while activating the space with the works of Native artists.

The new center will allow NACF to work with more partners and help strengthen local Native communities while creating a national asset for Native arts and cultures.