2022 Annual Report

In 2022, amid division and tension throughout the state, Oregon Humanities continued to bring people together across differences of background and belief by building the conditions for connection, understanding, and collaborative change.

This year, we shared the debut season of The Detour podcast and radio show, along with stories in Oregon Humanities magazine and Beyond the Margins. Through our suite of programs, we welcomed participants back to in-person gatherings in a big way. Audiences gathered at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland for Consider This events, while the Conversation Project held twenty-five in-person discussions throughout the state. We also ran a number of in-person trainings in Oregon and other places, including Guam and Delaware, where groups of community members came together to build skills and confidence in leading challenging conversations. And we’ve built on what we learned about digital connections during COVID, so many programs continue to be available online and in hybrid spaces.

Another way Oregon Humanities works in communities across the state is through grantees and partners. Twenty-two organizations received Public Program Grants, while eight rural libraries benefited from Consider This Mini Grant funding. We ourselves are a grantee as well as a grantor—and we are honored to maintain partnerships with funders including the Oregon Cultural Trust and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In the funding we receive as in so many aspects of our work, everything depends on relationships and partnerships. Along these lines, I’m proud to note that a record number of donors gave to Oregon Humanities in 2022. Over the past several years we’ve seen a steadily increasing number of households engage in this way, and it’s so encouraging to be among a growing community of friends. Our programs and publications simply would not be possible without the support of individuals, foundations, and partners. Thank you. 

As the circle expands, our shared values remain central. Community, equity, and imagination have the power to create, transform, and sustain culture throughout Oregon. Thank you for sharing your stories and listening to ours. Let’s keep the conversation going. 

—Adam Davis, Executive Director

2022 Statement of Activities

Connecting across Divides

Widening the Circle

Sharing Spaces and New Ideas

Donors and Sponsors

Gifts in Honor and Memory

 

2022 Statement of Activities

 

 

 

 

*Total revenue does not include $154,852 in restricted assets from previous years used in 2022

 

Connecting across Divides

For more than fifty years, we’ve offered opportunities for Oregonians to connect across divides. Programs like Dear Stranger and So Much Together strengthen democracy, civic engagement, and community. One in three Conversation Project topics directly addresses bridging some kind of gap in understanding. These ninety-minute conversations, led by trained facilitators and hosted by local organizations all over the state, cover topics such as “Housing and Belonging,” “Working on Our Whiteness,” “Understanding Urban-Rural Divides,” “Relationships for Resilience,” and “Can We Get Along?”

Last year, more than 500 Oregonians entered into challenging discussions through the Conversation Project, and 93 percent of survey respondents said participating led them to listen to beliefs different than their own.

Another 170 people gained skills to facilitate these kinds of reflective conversations with their own communities. Facilitation Trainings take place both online and in person, often in partnership with other organizations. The Clemente Course in the Humanities, Delaware Humanities, Family Preservation Project, Humanities Guåhan, Idaho Humanities Council, Massachusets Humanities, Oregon Health Authority - AmeriCorps VISTA Program, and the Portland Water Bureau all hosted facilitation training sessions through Oregon Humanities in 2022.

If there is a way to reach across differences in belief and experience, 2022 has shown us that conversation is it.

 

Widening the Circle

Inclusion and belonging are central to our work and our vision for Oregon. Oregon Humanities’ publications and media have reached a wider audience than ever this year. Magazine subscriptions rose by over a thousand, landing in more than 13,000 mailboxes. Our grantmaking also impacted a growing number of communities, awarding $149,026 to 29 organizations in 2022. We also awarded a total of $714,000 in emergency relief funding to 59 organizations across the state. Funding for these grants was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the NEH Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) initiative.

Our stories didn’t just reach more people than in previous years—they also reflected a wider range of experiences. In print and online, Oregon Humanities shared writing, photography, and illustrations by more than one hundred Oregonians. We launched the Community Storytelling Fellowship, which commissioned three people to share stories about communities that are underrepresented in Oregon media. One of the inaugural fellows, Jennifer Perrine, said, “I hope people of color who read the pieces will find more people and organizations in their communities with which they want to connect, or that they’ll feel inspired to develop or recommit to their own ways of being with and stewarding the more-than-human world.”

The Detour podcast and radio show, which debuted in December 2021, released 12 episodes last year and was aired on 10 community radio stations, reaching about 30,000 listeners. One of our partner stations, Curry Coast Community Radio, said, “[The Detour is] well-produced and covers interesting topics. As a community station, we like to have topics close to home as much as possible, so we appreciate shows focusing on Oregon and the Northwest.” The show’s first season covered questions about immunity and contagion, love and ambivalence, fiction and place, democracy and extremism, and our responsibilities toward other species.

Our growing community of readers and listeners was reflected in the number of households that supported Oregon Humanities in 2022. Over 500 individuals donated to Oregon Humanities last year, the highest number in recent years. This trend of increased engagement and commitment to sharing our stories is telling. An Oregon that invites diverse perspectives, explores challenging questions, and strives for just communities begins with creating space where all of our stories belong.

 

Sharing Spaces and New Ideas

Our collective patience paid off, and Oregon Humanities returned to in-person activities in a big way this year. In September, we filled the Alberta Rose Theatre with the largest in-person audience since 2020 for “The State of Black Political Power in Oregon” with Bruce Poinsette, Keith Jenkins, Marcus LeGrand, and Joy Alise Davis. Afterward, folks from across the state kept the conversation going online. One participant said, “Thank you for offering this option. The discussion, especially among the Black participants, continued the quality of the panel discussion.” We also saw our largest online turnout for Consider This, when more than 3,000 viewers from around the country showed up virtually for our conversation with Robin Wall Kimmerer in March.

We took it outside in August with two Pedalpalooza rides, including The Civic Love Ride to explore what the National Public Housing Museum (NPHM) describes as “one’s love for society, expressed through a commitment to the common good.” The ride featured five individuals and four organizations who do excellent civic work from a place of love for people, place, and community. About thirty-five cyclists pedaled through Portland together, connecting with one another and considering their relationship to the Civic Love framework at each stop.

Conversing face-to-face brings a third dimension to our interactions and places participants and facilitators on the ground throughout Oregon. Cultivating that connection to distinct locations, communities, and individuals remains central to our work. 

 

Thank You

The following supporters made gifts to Oregon Humanities in 2022.

Crater Lake ($2,500+)

Anonymous
Alicia and Nathan Bay
The Goodman Family
Joan Gray and Harris Hoffman
Mark Holloway and David Kahl
Ronni Lacroute
Gretchen Schuette and Rick Romano
Diana Tomseth
Paul and Lory Utz
Charles and Cherie Walker
Janet Webster
Jackie Willingham

Painted Hills ($1,000+)

Anonymous
Teresa and Jay Bowerman
Truman Collins and Nancy Ives
Adam Davis and Hana Layson
Dale and Lois Derouin
Barbara Duerden
Robert Geddes
Andrew and Sara Guest
Al and Nancy Jubitz
Michael and Susan Kosmala
Linda Nelson
Rita and Ted Powell
Camille Preus
Sally Russell
Jennifer Schuberth and John Urang
Robert Mark Seibert
Loren Smith
Theodore Taylor and Denise Stone
Dan Wieden and Priscilla Bernard Wieden

Columbia River Gorge ($500+)

Anonymous
Justin Chin and Thanh Nguyen
Carol Christen
Adam and Gina Davis
Mark and Ann Edlen
Tom Garnier
Andra Georges and Timothy Shepard
Karen Gernant
Ann Holznagel
Ligaya Humbert
Michael Johnson
Emily Karr and Townsend Hyatt
Lester Newman
Rick and Halle Sadle
John Shipley
Joy Strand and Dan Anderson
Vincent and Patricia Wixon
Merri Souther Wyatt
Gayle Yamasaki

 

All Supporters

$100,000+

National Endowment for the Humanities
Oregon Community Foundation

$50,000+

The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust
Echo Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation
James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation
Oneatta Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation

$25,000+

The Fred W. Fields Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation
The Ford Family Foundation
Ronni Lacroute Fund of the Cornell University Foundation
Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation

$15,000+

The Kinsman Foundation

Roundhouse Foundation

$10,000+

The Carl and Esther Gerstacker Fund of the Midland Area Community Foundation

Susan Hammer Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation

$5,000+

Anonymous
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Jackson Foundation
The Standard

$2,500+

Alicia and Nathan Bay
Mark Holloway and David Kahl
Spark Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation

Paul and Lory Utz
Charles and Cherie Walker
Jackie Willingham

$1,000+
Anonymous
City of Portland "We Are Better Together"
Truman Collins and Nancy Ives
Adam Davis and Hana Layson
Dale and Lois Derouin
Barbara Duerden
Robert Geddes
Andrew Guest
Al and Nancy Jubitz
Michael and Susan Kosmala
The Lyceum Agency

Linda Nelson
Rita and Ted Powell
Camille Preus
Sally Russell
Jennifer Schuberth and John Urang
Robert Mark Seibert
The Loren D. Smith Fund
Theodore Taylor and Denise Stone
The TJ Education Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation
Dan Wieden and Priscilla Bernard Wieden

$500+

Justin Chin and Thanh Nguyen
Carol Christen
Adam and Gina Davis
Mark and Ann Edlen
Tom Garnier
Karen Gernant
Ann Holznagel
Ligaya Humbert
Michael Johnson
Emily Karr and Townsend Hyatt

Lester Newman
Oregon Fund of Oregon Community Foundation
Rick and Halle Sadle
The Timothy C Shepard and Andra Georges Philanthropy Fund
John Shipley
Joy Strand and Dan Anderson
Vincent and Patricia Wixon
Merri Souther Wyatt
Gayle Yamasaki

$250+

Anonymous (3)
Mariah Acton
Carole Alexander
Sona Andrews
Susan Brody and Allen Johnson
Rex Burkholder and Lydia Rich
Janet and Leonard Calvert
Gretchen Cole
Erin Dysart
Arthur and Margianne Erickson
Daniel Grant
Lyn Hennion and Alex Bellen
Kelly Jones
Jennifer Langston
Kate Lasky
Erika Leaf
Dale Luciano

Gary Maffei and Marcus Lintner
Dahnesh Medora
Kerani Mitchell
Paulann Petersen
Laura Rice and Karim Hamdy
Josh Schlesinger
Arthur Schmidt
Edward Schmidt
Anna Sortun
Roger Straus
Mary Szybist and Jerry Harp
Thomas Treger and Ruth Rabinovich
Annie Walsh
Jo Ann Weaver and Roland Atkinson
Mitch Wolgamott
Kim and Brian Young

$100+

Anonymous (10)
Neilson Abeel
Gary and Carla Albright
Michael Andrews
Ana Arellano
Robert Arellano
William and Melody Ashworth
Gay Baker
Ronda Bard
Claire Barr Wilson
Lois Barry
Scott and Kathleen Bauska
Douglas Beers and Leslie Taylor
Marti Belluschi
Betty and Ted Bezzerides
Martin and Linda Birnbaum
Louise Bishop and James Earl
Keiren Bond
Dominique Brillanceau
Kyle Brown and Aili Schreiner
Joel Butler
Laurie and Andrew Caesar
Jane Carlsen
James Berry and Kim Carlson
Javier Cervantes
Nils and Anette Christoffersen
Liz Cole
Ann and Harold Collins
Shirley Cooper
Charlotte and David Corkran
Geri Cullers
Judy Davis
Austin Deakins
John and Margaret DeLacy
Terry Dickey and Wanda Chin
Roderick Dolan
Edward Doyle
Barbara Dudley
Sidney Eaton
Raymond and Maura Egan
Thomas Fawkes
Rebecca Fisher
Judy and Robert Fisher
Carolyn Frasier
Melody Ghormley and Kyle Kroker
Kuri Gill
Deborah Glass
Sally Godard
Roxanne Goebel
Barbara Grant
Nancy Gronowski
Debra Gwartney
CM Hall
Jamey Hampton
Ulrich Hardt and Karen Johnson
Mary Harris
Bill and Barbara Harris
Kathryn Hathaway
John Hawkins
Richard Hay
Michael Hetrick
Judy Hilsenteger
Greg Holmes
Steve and Kris Hudson
Bette and Dean Husted
Linda Hutchins and John Montague
Robina Ingram-Rich
Mitsuhiko Iwasaki
Kyle Jansson and Carol Harding
Pam Jensen
Christopher Johnson
David Johnson
Mark Kajitani
Claire Kellogg and Bruce Betzer
Janet Kelly

Nancy and Thomas Kelly
Margaret and Jim Kelter
George Kenagy
Lee Klingler and Jo Zettler
Carolyn Kohn
Carolyn Kulog
Betty LaDuke
Charlene Larsen
Tanya Lasswell
Sylvia Lee
Richard Lewis and Meg Larson
Donna Loveland
Jodi and Arthur Lovett
James Luby
Melissa Madenski
Sharon Maier-Kennelly
Deborah Maria
Mary Markland and Brian Wooton
Joanne and Frank McNamara
Heidi and Dylan McNamee
Margaret Mesirow
Ez Meza
Linda Monk
Gail Mueller
Martin Muller
Shirley and Milton Nelson
Michael and Joyce Nesson
Julie Nittler
Jennifer Nye
Jennifer O'Donnell
George and Deborah Olsen
Allan and Madeline Olson
Nancy Orcutt
TIffani Penson
Russ Pierson
Willie Poinsette
Joan Rawlings-Boyd
Mary Rechner
Robert Reed
Richard Rees
Marguerite and Rodney Roberson
Jen and Timothy Roberts
Linda Robinson
Renée Roman Nose
Susan Rust
Mary Elizabeth Sargent and William Watson
Robert Scales
Mary Anne Spradlin
Lynn St. Georges
Teresa Stover
Jennifer Parrish Taylor
Terrel and Bonnie Templeman
Linda and James Thomas
Lianne Thompson and Ralph Wyatt
Joan and Dan Thorndike
Clifford and Jo Anne Trow
Susan Uravich and Richard Dolgonas
Judy Van Zile
Deanne Vandevert
Celia Wagner
Ben Waterhouse and Deanna Oothoudt
Maxeen Wegner
Dave Weich
Jeremy Weikel
Patricia West and William Cummings
Louis Wheatley
Kyenne Williams
Martin and Carolyn Winch
Kathleen Worley
Carolyn Wright
Wes Yamamoto
Stephen Young and Jane Fellows
Jessica Zdeb and Tim Ledlie

 

$0 to $99+

Anonymous (12)
William A.  Albee
Jennifer Alkezweeny
Alys Allwardt
John Almaguer and Alma Alvarez
Carol Andersen
Linda and Eugene Appel
Dori Appel and Perry Prince
Delfino Arellano
Alec Arellano
Kristy Athens and Mike Midlo
Kari Baher
Larry and Renee Ballinger
JoAnn Barbour
Sheila Barnes
David Barringer
Reva Basch
Scott Bauska
Patricia Beverley
Kathleen Birch
Jay Bloom
Michelle Boss Barba and Salwan Searty
Sandra and Steven Brown
H M Brown
Doug and Liz Capps
Monica Card
Nancy Carlin
Eleanor Carlson
Anne and Keith Chambers
Jennifer Cleary
Trena Cleland
Gail Cochran
Leigh Coffey
Cora Lucile Collier
Lanny and Barbara Collins
Lois Colton
Mary Ann Constans
Robert Davis
Ruth Denny
Margaret and Steve Doman
Thomas and Nancy Doulis
Susan Doyle and Roger Blair
Rose Driessen
Justin Dune
Lawrence Dunlap
Erica Dunn and Philip Harris
Julie Durkheimer
Kristen Eberlin and Evan Bowers
Bryan Edgington and Tara Knierim
Ken and Ann Edwards
Betsy and James Elliott
Priscilla and Melvin Ellis
Mark Erlander
Jolene Estimo
Elizabeth Farrell
Margot Fetz
Bob Fields
Raissa Fleming
Barbara Foltz
Karen and Stuart Foster
Ruth Frankel
Christopher Free
Cosette Freeman
Maralee and Robin Gerke
Sarah Gill
Janet Goetze
Patricia Gordon
Gregory Graham
Mary and Richard Grant
Donna Gregerson
Michael Griggs
Robin Guariglia
Chris Hagerbaumer
James Hamrick
Ezma Hanschka
Victoria Hart
Peter Hatcher and Harriet Stosur
Christine Haug-Chin and Gary Chin
Andrea Heid
Ashley Henry
Roland and Cathy Henson
Ann and Mark Hollyfield
Richard and Deanna Iltis
Lawson Inada
Roger Irvin
Harriet Isom
Nancy Jamieson
Doug and Antonia Jenkins
Kimberly Jensen
Perry Johnson and Carol Elwood
Karen Johnson
Rick and Ann Kaiser
Edward and Debra Kaye
Antoinette Kennedy
Amy King
David King
Jerry Kleffner
Rachel and Marc Klippenstein
Elinor Langer
Gloria Lee
Susan and Max Leek
Philip Lewin and Sherrie Barr
Joyce and Stanley Loeb
Sue Lopez
Ingrid Louiselle
Wes Mahan
Martha Maharg
William and Mary Mainwaring

Meredith Maislen
Anne and Kevin March
Lynn Marks
Fred and Beth Maurer
Florence McAlary
Terry McClain
Tom and Linda McFadden
Ramycia McGhee
Molly McGuire
Anne McLaughlin
Harold McNaron
Margaret Mead
Kathleen Melhuse and Malcolm Snider
Wendi and Sandy Menashe
Shira Mendes de Leon
Christine Menefee
Al and Peggy Morlang
Ilze Mueller
Chris Murphy
Julianna Nader
Jill and Edward Neuwelt
Annette Newman
Vicki Norcutt
Damon and Margaret Ogle
Linda E. Olds
Thomas Penchoen
Jacqueline Peterson-Loomis
Catherine Phelps
Lillian Pitt
Steve and Shannon Planchon
Sandy Polishuk
Mabel Pool
Jerry and Barb Porter
Kathryn Poulsen Wood
Alexandra Powell Bugden
Gloria and James Predeek
Larry Preston
Richard and Patricia Rankin
Valerie Rapp
Denise Reed
Jim Renner
Deirdre Reynolds
Errol Rich
Jane Rickenbaugh
Carolina Rios
Nancy Rocha
Glenn and Monet Rubin
Victoria Saager
Jane Sage and Tom Olbrich
J. David Santen, Jr.
Rosalie Schmitz
Richard Schmuck
Leslie Schockner
Antonia Scholerman
Robin Scholetzky
Beverly Schumacher
Jerry and Diana Sellers
Patricia Sempowich
Judith Seydel
Gary Sharp
Crystal Shoji
Penelope Short
Christy Slovacek
Valarie Smith and Brian Libby
Marjorie Smith
Julia Martinez Soto
Mardella Stevens
Kimberly Stevens
Jim Stewart
Renee Stringham
Ellen Summerfield
Jessamy Taylor
Debbie Taylor
Audrey Tehan
Ellen Teicher
Ian Templeton
Janine Terrian
Denison Thomas
David and Janet Tilton
Carol Tova Newman
Thomas Turkon
Janice Tysoe
Dorothy Velasco and John Dewenter
Jean and Karl Vercouteren
Pamela Vohnson and David Streight
Alicia von Stamwitz
Kimberly Howard Wade
Gail Waggoner
Mark Wales
Alison Wallis
Tom Ward
Marybeth Webster
Gary and Jodi Weeber
Molly Weinstein
Carolyn Wells
Linda Werner
Julia and Paul Westerberg
Jane White
Mike Wolf
Jon Wood
Christy Wyckoff
Bette and Alan Yenne
Katy and Gary Yoder
Jenny Young Seidemann
Irene Zenev
Martin Zottola
Jan Zuccarini

 

 
 
In-Kind Gifts
Christina deVillier
 

Gifts in Honor and Memory

 
Gifts in Honor

Anonymous in honor of Carol Lindberg
Anonymous in honor of Daniel Grant
Anonymous in honor of Sarah Mirk's brilliant piece on Preschool for All
Anonymous in honor of Debbie Stone
Neilson Abeel in honor of Francesca & Paul Duden
Alec Arellano in honor of Bob Arellano
Ana Arellano in honor of My amazing brother, Chairman Bobby!
Jay Bloom in honor of Adam Davis
Dominique Brillanceau in honor of WriteAroundPortland staff
Kyle Brown and Aili Schreiner in honor of The incredible staff at Oregon Humanities
Mark and Ann Edlen in honor of Daniel Grant
Karen and Stuart Foster in honor of Kathleen D. Davis
CM Hall in honor of Adam Davis
Peter Hatcher and Harriet Stosur in honor of Christopher Zinn
Lyn Hennion and Alex Bellen in honor of Bobby Arellano
Ashley Henry in honor of Adam Davis
Joyce and Stanley Loeb in honor of Antoniette Hatfield
James Luby in honor of Daniel Grant and his service to Oregon Humanities
Gary Maffei and Marcus Lintner in honor of Janet Webster
Wendi and Sandy Menashe in honor of Nadine Menashe, MBA Graduation
Paulann Petersen in honor of The Oregon Poet Laureate Program
Linda Robinson in honor of Robin Kimmerer
Robin Scholetzky in honor of Chuck and Annika Ginsberg
Debbie Taylor in honor of the new direction of the publication
Alicia von Stamwitz in honor of Bob Arellano
Marybeth Webster in honor of South Mountain Friends Meeting
Jane White in honor of Walidah Imarisha
Merri Souther Wyatt in honor of Adam Davis and Jackie Willingham
Irene Zenev in honor of Richard L Brown

 

Gifts in Memory

Mariah Acton in memory of Anita Engiles
Anonymous in memory of Jacqueline Davis
Anonymous in memory of Bonnie Gilchrist
Reva Basch in memory of Jerry Shifman
The Goodman Family in memory of Lila Goodman
Sidney Eaton in memory of Meg S. Patten Eaton
Cosette Freeman in memory of Wilma Daane
Ezma Hanschka in memory of Mark Hanschka
Roland and Cathy Henson in memory of Diane Lewis
Al and Nancy Jubitz in memory of Raymond Guy Jubitz III
Julie Nittler in memory of Roger Nittler
Catherine Phelps in memory of Dean Phelps
Lillian Pitt in memory of Lee Kelly
Victoria Saager in memory of Vera Alice (Waine, Anderson) Zuercher
Richard Schmuck in memory of Lonnie Smith
Mary Anne Spradlin in memory of Hugh Nelson
Thomas Turkon in memory of Helen Segat