Milagro Receives Grants Totaling $47,090

In November & December 2014, Miracle Theatre Group aka Milagro, the Northwest's premier Latino arts and culture organization, was awarded six grants and two sponsorships, totaling $47,090 for creative community engagement efforts, fundraising, programming & general operating support for Milagro's 31st & 32nd seasons.

On December 11, 2014, the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition (MCCC) awarded Milagro a $2,000 Community Cultural Participation grant to support three of its annual community engagement programs that celebrate the Latino community and support the artistic community: Posada Milagro, a free family holiday festival featuring local artists & performers who share Latino American traditions through performance, workshops, storytelling & food; Mujeres, honoring International Women's Day with a late-night bilingual performance; and Latino Artists eXchange/Intercambio de Artistas Latinos (LAX/IdeAL), which offers professional development, skills-building, and networking among artists of many disciplines. MCCC's mission is to foster a community that is opportunity-rich in cultural offerings, increasing the likelihood of cultural par­ticipation among the broadest possible spectrum of county residents. For more information, visit http://multcoculturalcoalition.org/cultural-plans/

On December 10, 2014, Oregon Arts Commission (OAC) awarded Milagro $6,000 through its Arts Build Communities program to support Milagro's touring & arts education program, and in particular a bilingual arts residency in Umatilla-Morrow County. Milagro artists will hold workshops during the 3-day residency that will engage 400 students at Hermiston High School, 900 community members overall. The program will culminate in a public performance of Milagro's touring play, Searching for Aztlán. The residency will be a collaboration between the Morrow County School District, the Desert Arts Council, and the Hermiston Hispanic Advisory Committee. Arts Build Communities grants support the arts in local communities and the involvement of the arts and artists in community development. For more information, visit http://www.oregonartscommission.org/grants/arts-build-communities.

On December 2, 2014, the Community Giving Program of Umpqua Bank awarded $3,000 to Milagro to support a bilingual arts education residency at Phoenix High School in Jackson County, Oregon. A new bilingual play, Searching for Aztlán, will accompany the residency, engaging 300+ students and over 200 additional community members in activities that inspire participants to be more accepting of diversity and look for opportunities to engage in community efforts that embrace all people's differences. For more information, visit https://www.umpquabank.com/umpqua-life/community-giving/

On November 26, 2014, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded Milagro a grant of $10,000 to support the development of a new play, which will be adapted from the novel Into the Beautiful North by Mexican American novelist Luis Alberto Urrea, in which a young Mexican woman vows to go on a mission to the U.S. to bring back seven men-including her father-to defend her town against the drug-dealing bandidos. Art Works grants support the creation of art, lifelong learning in the arts, and enhancement of the livability of communities through the arts. The NEA received 1,474 eligible applications under the Art Works category, requesting more than $75 million in funding. Of those applications, 919 are recommended for grants for a total of $26.6 million. For more information, visit www.arts.gov.

On November 24, 2014, the Bloomfield Family Foundation awarded Milagro a grant of $5,000 to support the touring & arts education programs' 2014-15 productions and summer arts camps for children. Since the early 2000s, the Bloomfields have run the Bloomfield Family Foundation, which supports artistic and intellectual pursuits in communities that are not traditionally well served, plus innovation in education and breakthroughs in medical research, especially neurological research. For more information, visit http://501c3lookup.org/bloomfield_family_foundation/.

On November 14, 2014, the Fred W. Fields Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) awarded a grant of $20,000 to fund one year of capacity building for Milagro's touring & arts education programming. This is the second year of Milagro's 3-year plan to expand its arts education programs, including the hiring and integration of an Associate Artistic Director to both helm the touring program and also train Milagro's artist-educators. OCF was established by William Swindells in 1973, as a permanent endowment for community improvement efforts throughout the state. Donors pool their funds under shared management and tailor their individual gifts to their own giving objectives. The Foundation has more than $1.4 billion under management through 1,700 charitable funds. For more information, visit www.oregoncf.org.

Finally, on November 4, 2014, two wonderful local organizations sponsored Milagro's 2014 Dia de los Muertos fundraiser and dinner, ¡Viva Milagro! Portland Guadalajara Sister City Organization (PGSCA) sponsored ¡Viva Milagro! for $750, and Grady Britton sponsored the event for $340.

PGSCA, a 501(c)3 organization founded in 1983, is working on international grassroots and community initiatives that benefit both Portland, Oregon and Guadalajara, Mexico, through arts and culture, humanitarian assistance, youth and education, and economic development and sustainability, while fostering cross-cultural understanding between the two cities. For more information, visit http://www.pgsca.com/about.

Grady Britton is a creative agency for advertising, digital marketing, and PR. They are experts in food & beverage, tourism, manufacturing, and healthcare marketing. For more information, visit http://gradybritton.com/about/.

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