Oregon Humanities

What Oregon Humanities does

Oregon Humanities is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 93-0716419) that serves as Oregon's designated state humanities council affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the organization operates a portfolio of civic-dialogue and humanities programs including the Conversation Project (facilitated community discussions hosted by partner organizations), Consider This (onstage public conversations formerly known as Think & Drink, rebranded in 2020), Dear Stranger (a postal letter-exchange project), Humanity in Perspective (free for-credit college-level humanities courses), the Beyond 250 initiative centered on democratic discourse, and a fellowships program. It also publishes a tri-annual Oregon Humanities magazine distributed free to Oregon residents and produces two podcasts—The Detour (monthly, hosted by Executive Director Adam Davis) and This Place (weekly)—distributed across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and Amazon Music.

The organization distributes grants to community partners across the state, disbursing approximately $100,000-$115,000 annually to 13-18 nonprofits plus dedicated streams for rural libraries ($49,999 in 2025 to 15 libraries; $24,690 in 2026 to 11 libraries), and $717,000 in COVID-19 emergency grants in 2021 through American Rescue Plan Act pass-through funding. Its customer base comprises general Oregon residents, public libraries, community nonprofits, cultural institutions, and partner venues spanning both urban centers (Portland, Salem, Eugene) and rural communities. Operationally, Oregon Humanities runs a small staff team of roughly 11-50 employees with named leadership including Executive Director Adam Davis (PhD, University of Chicago, in role since 2013), Program Director Jennifer Alkezweeny, Development Director Julia Soto, and Communications Director Ben Waterhouse.

The revenue model is nonprofit and multi-stream: federal pass-through grants from the NEH and ARPA, individual and institutional donations, nominal event ticket revenue ($15 standard, $5 for Oregon Trail Card holders), and limited fee-based custom facilitation training. The go-to-market approach is event-driven and community-led, relying on in-person programming in venues statewide, a free magazine, podcasts, email/newsletter distribution, social media, and a partner network of libraries and nonprofits that host and amplify programming. Technology plays no differentiated role in the platform; delivery is fundamentally human-facilitated.

Name

Oregon Humanities

Legal name

Oregon Humanities

Website

https://oregonhumanities.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Oregon Humanities is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit and Oregon's state humanities council, founded in 1971 and based in Portland. It serves Oregon residents, libraries, and nonprofits through community dialogue programs, a tri-annual magazine, two podcasts, facilitation training, and grantmaking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement and Humanities Programs

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural, Arts & Humanities Community Education (Museums/Arts Councils) (EDAAAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Language Conversation & Exchange Groups (EDAAAFAO), Audio Learning Content (Podcasts, Audiobooks, Listening Programs) (EDAGALAM)

Keywords

• Community dialogue programs
• Humanities programming
• Public conversation events
• Humanities grants funding
• Civic engagement initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grants and Funding: Oregon Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), federal relief programs like the American Rescue Plan Act, and distributes grants to community organizations. EIN: 93-0716419.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals and organizations to support its programs and operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Oregon Humanities is a nonprofit state humanities council that runs facilitated community conversation programs (Conversation Project, Consider This, Dear Stranger, Beyond 250), free college-level humanities courses (Humanity in Perspective), reflective facilitation training, and awards grants to Oregon libraries and nonprofits. It also publishes the Oregon Humanities magazine and produces The Detour and This Place podcasts.

Product overview

Oregon Humanities is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of humanities programs centered on community dialogue and civic engagement. Its core offerings include Conversation Project (facilitated community discussions), Consider This (public onstage conversations with thought leaders), Dear Stranger (letter-exchange project), Humanity in Perspective (free college-level humanities courses), and Beyond 250 (democracy-focused initiative). The organization produces media including The Detour podcast, This Place podcast, and Oregon Humanities Magazine (a tri-annual publication). Additional offerings include Facilitation Training, Grants Program, and Fellowships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Oregon Humanities Magazine: The organization's quarterly magazine featuring stories about the experiences, ideas, and beliefs of Oregonians.
• The Detour
• HIP

Products and services

• Conversation Project A community conversation program that brings Oregonians together to discuss timely and important issues, beliefs, and experiences through facilitated dialogue events hosted by partner organizations.
• Consider This A series of onstage conversations with writers, civic leaders, activists, and artists held in bars, cafes, pubs, and theaters across Oregon.
• Dear Stranger A letter-exchange project that connects Oregonians through postal mail to share experiences, beliefs, and ideas.
• Humanity in Perspective (HIP) Free, for-credit, college-level humanities courses offered by Oregon Humanities.
• Beyond 250 A yearlong initiative (2026) exploring democracy, freedom, and American identity in observation of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, featuring community conversations across Oregon.
• Facilitation Training Reflective conversation training that prepares individuals to plan and facilitate open-ended discussions in community, workplace, or organizational settings.
• Grants Program Grant funding supporting humanities programs across Oregon, including Public Program Grants, Mini Grants for Libraries, and Responsive Program Grants.
• Fellowships Fellowship opportunities supporting individuals engaged in humanities work and community storytelling.
• Oregon Humanities Magazine A tri-annual print magazine exploring the experiences, ideas, and beliefs of Oregonians, featuring diverse perspectives and challenging questions about the state and its people. Provided free to Oregon residents.
• The Detour Podcast A monthly podcast hosted by Adam Davis featuring conversations with guests exploring tough questions about how people live together.
• This Place Podcast A weekly podcast where Oregonians share stories about places that matter to them.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60 organizations received $717,000 in COVID-19 emergency grants (2021)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tomorrow TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTomorrow Theater in Portland partners with Oregon Humanities to present the Tough Shit conversation series, an onstage event bringing together people with different perspectives on Portland's challenges.
• Jacksonville Branch Library / Jackson County Library ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJackson County Library Services hosts Conversation Project events including What Does It Mean to Be American facilitated by Chisao Hata.
• Studio GO: pdxminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStudio GO: pdx is an event sponsor for the Conversation Project: Are You Doing Community Wrong? event in Portland.
• Willamette UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWillamette University hosts watch parties for Consider This events and partners on civic engagement programming through their Office of Civic Engagement.
• Portland Community CollegecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPCC Southeast Library and Building 5 host Conversation Project and Democracy in Motion events as part of the Beyond 250 initiative.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Illinois Humanities: Illinois Humanities (Illinois Humanities Council) is the NEH-affiliated state humanities council for Illinois, with analogous statewide programs, community conversations, and grantmaking.
• California Humanities: California Humanities is the NEH-affiliated state humanities council for California. Operates analogous programming: community conversations, public grants, magazine and media, with similar nonprofit mission and funding structure.
• Humanities New York: Humanities New York (formerly known as the New York Council for the Humanities) is the NEH-affiliated state council for New York, running statewide humanities programming, grants, and community dialogue initiatives closely comparable to Oregon Humanities.
• Humanities Washington: Humanities Washington is the state humanities council for Washington, with an NEH-affiliated nonprofit structure nearly identical to Oregon Humanities: statewide programs, community conversations, grantmaking, magazine, and cultural programming. Direct structural peer.
• Virginia Humanities: Virginia Humanities (formerly Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) is the NEH-affiliated state council for Virginia, running statewide public humanities programming, grants, fellowships, and media.
• Arizona Humanities: Arizona Humanities is the NEH-affiliated state humanities council for Arizona, operating grants, public programs, and community conversations with a similar mission and operational model.
• Humanities Tennessee: Humanities Tennessee is the NEH-affiliated state humanities council for Tennessee, offering community programming, grants, and dialogue initiatives with directly comparable structure and activities.
• Minnesota Humanities Center: Minnesota Humanities Center is the NEH-affiliated state humanities council for Minnesota, providing statewide programming, community conversations, and grantmaking with strong organizational parallels to Oregon Humanities.
• Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities: Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities is the NEH-affiliated state humanities council for Massachusetts, operating grants, public programming, and community dialogue on civic and cultural topics.

Broad incumbents

• National Humanities Center: The National Humanities Center is a national-level humanities organization supported by the NEH. While not a state council, it operates in the same overarching humanities ecosystem as Oregon Humanities, with fellowship programs and public-facing content that complement state-level council work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/orhumanities
• Facebookfacebook.com/oregon.humanities
• Instagraminstagram.com/oregonhumanities
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oregon-humanities

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oregon Humanities