(Imlay Elementary School students study plant and animal habitats through stop motion animation with Right Brain teaching artist David Loitz | Photo by Juanita Martus
The PGE Foundation, the corporate foundation of Portland General Electric, announces its creative expression grant awards to 27 arts and culture organizations totaling more than $250,000. The grants focus on three impact areas: sequential arts learning, creative youth development and arts integration.
“Creative experiences are critical to a well-rounded education because they help students build the socio-emotional skills they need to navigate the ever-changing world of work,” said Kregg Arntson, executive director of the PGE Foundation. “We know students who have creative experiences are more inclined to actively engage in classroom discussions, offer their own thoughts and appreciate the ideas of others.”
The PGE Foundation made a four-year commitment totaling $100,000 to the Regional Arts and Culture Council’s The Right Brain Initiative to help change the way kids learn, bringing discovery, collaboration and creativity into the classroom. The program improves educational outcomes for K-8 students by teaching them to be more adaptable, creative, critical thinkers and problem solvers. This year alone, nearly 29,000 students in 70 Portland metro schools in eight different school districts were part of The Right Brain Initiative. The program also engages the entire community in creating long-term, lasting school system change. The PGE Foundation has been a proud supporter of The Right Brain Initiative since the beginning.
“The PGE Foundation’s continued investment in The Right Brain Initiative has helped us in more than tripling our reach over our ten-year history and allowed us to be innovative along the way in finding the best approach to serving students and their teachers,” said Marna Stalcup, director of Arts Education at the Regional Arts & Culture Council.
For more than 20 years, the PGE Foundation has supported long-established arts and culture organizations, but is also intentional about partnering with newer organizations, culturally-specific organizations and programs serving rural communities, Central Oregon’s Cascade School of Music programs for students.
Click here for the complete list of the 2019 creative expression grants.
Portland General Electric • pgefoundation.org