Native Arts + Cultures Foundation (NACF)

Mission

The Native Arts + Cultures Foundation advances equity and cultural knowledge, focusing on the power of arts and collaboration to strengthen Native communities and promote positive social change with American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples in the United States.

Bottom Line for Portland

Support a renewed creative economy for all people in Portland, and beyond. The lands now known as Portland have known Native arts and cultures since time immemorial. NACF is a national leader in supporting creative economic development from the ground up for more than a decade.  

We help Native artists by providing direct financial support, professional development, and marketing and promotional support, while creating opportunities for all our neighbors to engage with this incredible work at the Center for Native Arts + Cultures in Portland, OR. 

Quote

“We were a hair away from losing everything—our language, our culture, who we are. So, teaching songs and dance to our communities is taking these things back. It creates resiliency. It’s showing them how to build cultural armor in this Western world. We had a community member once tell us that they have had a song in their heart for so long, and it took this opportunity for them to speak it.”

-Anonymous NACF Awardee

Partner(s)

We are partnering with Coldstream to provide matching funds totaling $2,500. Every dollar donated up to $2,500 will be matched 1:1 due to their generosity. 

Thanks to a gift from Keens Garage all donations made between November 1st and November 11th will be matched up to $1,000.

This year NACF is proud to be working with our fellow nonprofit partners: Underscore Native News, Portland Street Art Alliance, National Indian Child Welfare Association(NICWA), and Portland Center Stage

Above Image: Street Mural Artwork by Jacob Meders (Mechoopda/Maidu) + Toma Villa (Yakama)
Painted by Community on June 21, 2025, and located at the Center for Native Arts + Cultures: 800 SE 10th Ave. in Portland, OR
Photographs of street mural painting by Robert Franklin (Diné [Navajo Nation]), NACF.
Photograph of completed street mural from above by Alden Elias.