About Oregon Council for the Humanities
Oregon Humanities connects people and communities through conversation, storytelling, and participatory programs to inspire understanding and collaborative change.
Focus Areas
Humanities programmingPublic conversations and civic dialogueCommunity storytelling and mediaLibrary programmingFellowships for storytellers and youthTraining and facilitation
Who They Fund
library patronsgeneral public/community memberslocal public institutions (libraries/cultural organizations)
Funding Style
emergency/federal relief fundingprogram-specific support
About Oregon Council for the Humanities
A defining feature of Oregon Council for the Humanities is its support for the Fields Artist Fellowship, a $150,000 fellowship for Oregon-based artists and culture bearers working on community issues through creativity and cultural expression. That award sits alongside a broader portfolio of public humanities funding that includes fellowship support for young adults, public program grants, library events, and community storytelling work. Across the available grant data, the foundation’s support reaches museums, theaters, cultural centers, tribes, and media organizations, with grant sizes that can range from small project awards to large fellowship commitments. One recent pattern is its federal-relief-style support for public humanities organizations, including multiple $20,000 and $17,500 awards tied to SHARP Federal Relief. The foundation also backs programs that invite public participation rather than purely institutional work, such as community dialogue, storytelling, and events built around humanities questions. Leadership is listed with Adam Davis, and the organization’s grantmaking is restricted to Oregon recipients in the data provided.
What Oregon Council for the Humanities Funds
Public humanities programming is a core area of support. Oregon Council for the Humanities gave $10,000 to Comunidad Y Herencia Cultural for public programming in 2024, and its Public Program Grants are designed for humanities programs and events across Oregon that explore challenging questions and connected communities. Library programming is another clear lane: Mini Grants for Libraries support Oregon libraries as they create humanities events around a yearly theme. Fellowship support also appears in two forms. The Humanities Action Fellowship provides honoraria, project support, and mentoring for young adults aged 18–25, while the Community Storytelling Fellowship supports Oregonians from communities underrepresented in Oregon media as they create true stories in journalism, creative nonfiction, or multimedia. The Fields Artist Fellowship adds a separate pathway for artists and culture bearers working on community issues through creative practice.
How Oregon Council for the Humanities Gives
Grant size data point to a mid-sized, project-based funder: p25 is $7,500, median is $10,000, and p75 is $15,000. The recent grants list also shows a cluster of $20,000, $17,500, and $15,000 awards, which is consistent with a mix of program and relief-style support. In the provided records, recipients appear in more than one year: Comunidad Y Herencia Cultural received awards in both 2023 and 2024. The foundation is listed as a regular funder, funds organizations rather than individuals, and makes no program-related investments. Several active programs accept unsolicited applications, including Public Program Grants, Humanities Action Fellowship, Mini Grants for Libraries, Fields Artist Fellowship, and Community Storytelling Fellowship.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$92K
Total Assets
$4.3M
Total Revenue
$2.3M
Total Expenses
$2.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $8K and $15K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$15K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
ADAM DAVIS
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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