City of Hillsboro, OR

10/21/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/21/2026 08:32

Arts & Culture Endowment Awards $40,000 to Hillsboro Arts Organizations

The Hillsboro Arts & Culture Endowment is awarding $40,000 to 16 Hillsboro-based cultural arts organizations this year, providing $2,500 to each organization - more than double last year's individual awards of $1,152.

This year's awards bring the endowment's total support for local arts organizations to $137,409 since 2015.

Organizations receiving 2026 funds from the Arts Endowment include:

  • Bag&Baggage Productions
  • Cultural and Arts Center of OBV
  • Golden Road Arts
  • Hillsboro Artists' Regional Theatre (HART)
  • Children's Healing Art Project
  • Hillsboro Symphony Orchestra
  • Influence Music Hall / Tualatin Valley Artists
  • Light Opera of Portland
  • Native Performing Art Network
  • Oregon Chorale
  • Rasika
  • STAGES Performing Arts Youth Academy
  • The Immigrant Story
  • The Young Artists Club
  • Westside Community & Youth Orchestra
  • Westside Quilters Guild

Recognizing the People Behind the Arts

Alongside its funding awards, the endowment committee recognizes a Volunteer for the Arts and a Business Supporter of the Arts each year. Selected through community nominations, this year's honorees will be recognized at the October 20 City Council meeting. These honors celebrate service and contributions to the arts and do not include a cash award.

Volunteer for the Arts: William Crawford

For more than 15 years, William Crawford has been a quiet force behind the success of HART Theatre and our regional arts community. While William serves as HART's Director of Operations, he volunteers countless additional hours as a master set builder, lighting designer, mentor, and problem-solver.

Since 2009, he has contributed to virtually every HART production, building extraordinary sets and repeatedly stepping in to rescue productions facing seemingly impossible challenges. Directors have said, "He's given me the best sets of my life."

William's work often happens without an audience or applause, but it makes the work of countless other artists possible. His extraordinary generosity, artistry, and dedication represent the very best of arts volunteerism.

Business Supporter of the Arts: Columbia Bank of Hillsboro

Columbia Bank of Hillsboro is being recognized for its ongoing support of the Children's Healing Art Project (CHAP).

Each month, a team of 10 to 15 bank staff members volunteer at the CHAP studio, helping prepare for programs and events and assisting with other tasks that support CHAP's work in the community.

City of Hillsboro, OR published this content on October 21, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 21, 2026 at 14:32 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]