The MCCC’s Community Cultural Participation Grant Program (CCP) supports community based cultural events, programs, and organizations with grants up to $3000.

Applicants can be nonprofit organizations, cultural or neighborhood associations, artist collectives/ensembles, and groups with a declared public purpose. Individuals are ineligible. If you are an individual artist/cultural worker working within a larger organization or ensemble, the organization may apply for a project you are a part of. IRS 501(c)3 status is not required to apply, however an EIN from a Multnomah County incorporated entity is required.

MCCC concentrates its grantmaking on creative communities and projects that can most benefit from MCCC funding. We value investments in projects, artists, and organizations that prioritize communities that have historically been neglected by or excluded from institutional funding for arts and culture. Such communities may include but are not limited to Black and Indigenous people, communities of color and otherwise racialized communities, LGBTQIA2S+, immigrants and refugees, people living with disabilities, people living with low incomes, people who are currently or formerly incarcerated, people experiencing houselessness, those living in rural communities, and others.

MCCC considers annual budget size when making awards and prioritizes supporting smaller organizations/groups. Of the organizations funded through MCCC’s CCP Grant in 2025, 73% had an annual operating budget of less than $500k. For more information about our past funding please visit our 2025 Grantees page. 

• Review the full grant guidelines and application questions:

  1. 2026 MCCC CCP Grant Guidelines (also included below)

  2. 2026 MCCC CCP Application Questions

• Starting on October 1, access the online application at racc.smapply.org/prog/mccc. Applicants must complete and electronically submit an online application by November 9, 2025, at 11:59pm PST. 

  • MCCC hosts the CCP grant application on the RACC Opportunity Portal, managed by the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) via Survey Monkey Apply.

  • If you have not used Survey Monkey in the past, you will need to create an account to begin your application. We suggest creating an account that is accessible to multiple members of your organization. If you have used Survey Monkey previously, your existing account can be used for this application.

• (Optional) Attend the virtual Grant Info Session on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 12:00-1:00pm PST, hosted by MCCC board members via Zoom. Participation is completely optional and will not impact the selection process. The info session is a casual opportunity to learn about the grant program and the application, and to address questions in real time. No registration needed. Join us via this Zoom link.

  • A recording of the info session will be available on the MCCC website after October 8. 

• Any other questions? Please reach out early: Our board is volunteer-led and do not always have capacity to respond to last-minute/urgent requests.  info@multcoculturalcoalition.org. 

ELIGIBILITY  

To be eligible for an MCCC grant, applicants must:  

1. Demonstrate in your application that your work aligns with one or more MCCC CCP grant goals (see GRANT GOALS above). 

2. Propose activities taking place within calendar year 2026 (between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2026). 

3. Be headquartered within Multnomah County. The legal address shown on your W-9 form must be in Multnomah County.  

4. Serve or provide benefit to people in Multnomah County.  

5. Be an organization or group (individuals are ineligible) with a proposal that demonstrates potential for broad community impact. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, Limited Liability Companies (LLC), and other incorporated groups with a declared common purpose consistent with the goals of this grant program.

   • 501(c)3 status is not required to apply, however an EIN from a Multnomah County incorporated entity is required.

   • If your organization uses a fiscal sponsor, your application must include fiscal sponsor contact information and a signed contract or memorandum of  understanding from your fiscal sponsor. Fiscal sponsors must:  

     • Be headquartered within Multnomah County.  

     • Be informed of the application to MCCC’s grant program.  

     • Provide an EIN and W-9 form.  

     • Sign a grant agreement accepting responsibility for project oversight.  

     • Receive, distribute and manage the grant funds, if awarded.

6. Provide MCCC with a W-9 form and Employer Identification Number (EIN). This is necessary to help MCCC ensure that awards will be granted in the name of an organization. Individuals are not eligible to apply.

7. Be seeking funding for a maximum of the second consecutive year. After this period, you must skip one year before becoming eligible to apply again. For example, an organization funded in both 2024 and 2025 would need to wait until the 2027 grant cycle to be considered for funding again.

8. Submit previously due final reports by January 20, 2026 (if awarded in 2025). 

Please note that we tend not to fund programs that take place at schools or private organizations unless they are open to and broadly advertised to the public. That said, programs that work with specific populations who are unable to access public arts and culture opportunities (such as people who are incarcerated) are eligible.  

If you’d like to learn more about our past grantees and the types of projects we tend to support, or find resources to help with grant application, please visit our Resources Page.

1. MCCC staff and board will review applications to determine basic eligibility. Applicants will be notified if they are ineligible.  

2. Panels made up of MCCC board members and community members (artists, culture bearers, community organization staff, etc.) will review applications. Panels will determine which applications should receive funding and forward their recommendations to the MCCC board for approval. A current list of MCCC board members can be found on our website.  

3. Panelists with a conflict of interest will not be permitted to offer an opinion or score on the application in question.  

4. Panels will review applications using the criteria listed below.  

5. MCCC will make grants up to $3,000 based on panel recommendations and funding available. Funding will be distributed by check through the mail.  

6. Applicants will be notified of the status of their application by email on or before January 30, 2026. Notification and information on award status can only be given  after the grants process is complete. Please do not contact the MCCC about award status until after receiving official notification. 

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:  

1. Eligibility: The proposal meets eligibility requirements.  

2. Feasibility: The application demonstrates clear planning and the ability to carry out  the proposal. The applicant organization has the appropriate experience, qualifications, and/or community connections to successfully accomplish the work being proposed and serve its community.  

3. MCCC Goals: The project advances one or more MCCC grant goals to:  

   1. Make culture accessible and affordable to Multnomah County residents.  

   2. Promote cultural diversity.  

   3. Encourage new cultural activities.  

   4. Foster partnerships and collaborations which support the above.  

4. Equity: The project is led by and/or benefiting communities that have historically been neglected by or excluded from institutional funding for arts and culture. These communities may include but are not limited to Black and Indigenous people, communities of color and otherwise racialized communities, LGBTQIA2S+, immigrants and refugees, people living with disabilities, people  living with low incomes, people who are currently or formerly incarcerated, people experiencing houselessness, those living in rural communities, and others.  

5. Accessibility: The application shows clear planning and consideration for how to make events and projects broadly accessible and affordable including ticket price, venue location, venue ADA  compliance, ASL or other language translation, partnerships, outreach, etc.  

6. Impact: The application addresses impact for the communities served, exemplifying that the project/organization is grounded in its community with direct involvement from its constituents. A specific community need is being met by this proposal.

7. Use of Funds / Budget Narrative: The budget narrative reflects the proposed activities and clearly outlines how CCP funds will be spent to support the proposal. We understand that the CCP grant may be only a small contribution to the overall project/program budget.  

8. Support: MCCC prioritizes grantmaking for creative communities and projects that stand to gain the most from our support. We especially seek to assist smaller organizations and groups that may benefit significantly from our funding. For the 2026 grant cycle, MCCC aims to award funding such that 75% of grantees have annual operating budgets under $500k, with at least 25% of overall funded organizations having budgets under $100k.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• A full project budget attachment using a formal budget spreadsheet/template is NOT required.

• A profit and loss statement from the most recently completed fiscal year (or your organization’s annual operating budget) is required. This helps MCCC panelists to understand your organization’s overall capacity and access to resources. 

• The grant panel will consider the diversity in applicants (cultural, geographic, discipline) and organization size (prioritizing smaller organizations) in the final award process.  

Applications funded by MCCC usually share the following qualities:  

• The application demonstrates an ability to carry out the proposal by providing a clear, detailed project description of the work you want to do, the timeline, and who will participate.

• The project has a component that is accessible to the public. Projects taking place in schools or private spaces are not competitive unless the activities are for the public and include plans for outreach/marketing. 

• The application provides demographic information about the audience, staff, board and other participants in the project and organization.  

• Applications that propose to support or connect with specific cultural communities show engagement of those communities in decision-making and program development, and established relationships/partnerships with those communities.  

• Applications make it clear that project activities will take place in Multnomah County and benefit Multnomah County residents.  

• The budget narrative clearly describes reasonable and necessary expenses that will be covered (fully or partially) by CCP funds to execute or support the proposed activities. Budget Narrative examples provided here.

1. Funding given through this grant must be used between January 1, 2026 and December 31, 2026.  

2. Awardees must submit a Final Report in order to be considered in compliance with grant guidelines. This report will be available via MCCC’s online grant system and will be required within 20 days after the grant funds have been spent or by January 20, 2027 at the latest.  

3. It is the responsibility of the grant applicant to notify MCCC by email and in advance if possible of any major changes to the funded project or organization.  

4. Grant recipients must acknowledge the MCCC and the Oregon Cultural Trust in all marketing for the funded project. 

MCCC is inviting arts, culture, and community champions to serve as panelists for the 2026 Community Cultural Participation Grant Program (CCP) application review panels. The Coalition provides grants to support community-based cultural events, programs, and organizations throughout Multnomah County.

If you are a resident of Multnomah County with a passion for the local arts and culture scene, please express your interest by completing a brief Panelist Interest Form with three questions by October 24, 2025.

Volunteer community panelists will receive guidance for grant reviews and scoring, the opportunity to score 40-70 applications, meet others in the arts and culture sector, and receive a monetary stipend.

Please find more information about panelist selection and requirements on the Panelist Interest Form.