Eugene—Oregon Folklife Network is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to receive a Grants for Arts Projects award of $45,000. This grant will support Culture Fest 2023 in Southern Oregon, and support access to decolonization trainings by Live Oaks Consulting. This grant is one of 1,251 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the NEA as part of its first round of fiscal year 2023 grants.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects in communities nationwide,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “Projects such as this one with Oregon Folklife Network strengthen arts and cultural ecosystems, provide equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contribute to the health of our communities and our economy.”

“Oregon Folklife Network is thrilled to receive this support,” remarked OFN acting director, Emily West Hartlerode. “NEA funding is critical to our twofold mission—to help communities and Tribes sustain their cultural practices; and to create opportunities for Oregonians to celebrate our state’s many rich cultures.”

Funding will support OFN’s Culture Fest invitational, which awards artist sponsorships to select organizations hiring culture bearers into their public programs. Sponsored organizations also gain access to a toolkit of resources to support their success. NEA funding will improve the toolkit with decolonization trainings to facilitate cross-cultural sensitivity, especially for non-Native people reaching out to hire Indigenous artists. Culture Fest awards are regionally specific, and this year focus on Southern Oregon.

For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.