Vanport Mosaic
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
A MEMORY ACTIVISM PLATFORM TO AMPLIFY, HONOR, AND PRESERVE SILENCED HISTORIES, THROUGH ORAL HISTORY, TOURS, EXHIBITS, PRESENTATIONS, AND THE ANNUAL VANPORT MOSAIC FESTIVAL.
- Income
- $220,712
- Spending
- $397,649
- Spent on programs
- 73%
- Reserves
- 1.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 61%
- Employees
- 2
- Volunteers
- 20
- Highest pay
- $103,725, director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 45 out of 100. Higher than 16% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 80% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 26% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1573% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 14 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Fair: 65 out of 100. Higher than 60% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).
Independent board
25 of 254 of 5 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $44,497 spent. COMING HOME: VANPORT MOSAIC WAS HONORED TO BE ONE OF ONLY 14 ORGANIZATIONS NATIONWIDE SELECTED TO ANCHOR THE NATIONAL CULTURAL WEEK OF ACTION ON RACE & DEMOCRACY. HELD SEPTEMBER 28 OCTOBER 13, 2024, COMING HOME BROUGHT TOGETHER HUNDREDS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ARTISTS, AND HISTORIANS TO EXPLORE THEMES OF RESILIENCE, DISPLACEMENT, AND CULTURAL MEMORY. DIRECTED BY CHISAO HATA, THE EVENT HONORED THE DIVERSE COMMUNITIES THAT SHAPED OLD TOWN WHILE CONFRONTING ONGOING ERASURE. THROUGH EXHIBITS, WALKING TOURS, PERFORMANCES, AND COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS, THIS INITIATIVE HIGHLIGHTED THE RICH HISTORY OF ONE OF PORTLAND'S MOST CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT NEIGHBORHOODS VANPORT MOSAIC WAS ALSO HONORED AT THE PORTLAND MONUMENTS SYMPOSIUM BY CONVERGENCE 45, RECEIVING AN AWARD FOR OUR MONUMENT & MEMORY WORK THAT UPLIFTS LOVE, JUSTICE, AND CONNECTION TO PLACE.
- $31,470 spent. THE 9TH VANPORT MOSAIC FESTIVAL: THE 9TH ANNUAL VANPORT MOSAIC FESTIVAL GATHERED COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ARTISTS, AND HISTORIANS FOR TWO WEEKS OF PERFORMANCES, EXHIBITS, ORAL HISTORY SCREENINGS, AND WALKING TOURS HONORING VANPORT'S LEGACY OF RESILIENCE. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED THE ANNUAL REUNION FOR VANPORT RESIDENTS AND FLOOD SURVIVORS, THE MALCOLM X DAY: BLACK PANTHER PARTY LEGACY TOUR, AND THE CITY OF PORTLAND'S VANPORT DAY OF REMEMBRANCE PROCLAMATION. THE FESTIVAL ALSO FEATURED THE PORTLAND ASSEMBLY PROJECT, AN ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE BY CHISAO HATA, AND THE PREMIERE OF PRECIPICE: RE-MEMBERING, FORGETTING, AND CLAIMING HOME, A SOLO PLAY BY DAMARIS WEBB. EVENTS LIKE LOST CITY, LIVING MEMORIES ORAL HISTORY SCREENING AND AN AFTERNOON FOR ROOTING AND RE-STORYING AT DELTA PARK CREATED SPACE FOR REFLECTION ON DISPLACEMENT AND MEMORY ACTIVISM.
- $5,000 spent. ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE PROGRAM: WE HOSTED FOUR SOLD-OUT PUBLIC BLACK PANTHER PARTY LEGACY WALKING TOURS AND TWO PRIVATE TOURS, ENGAGING NEARLY 450 PARTICIPANTS. OUR BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAMMING INCLUDED PERFORMANCES, PANELS, A COMMUNITY SOLIDARITY DINNER AND EXHIBITS, DRAWING OVER 300 ATTENDEES. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY, WE PREMIERED WALKING THROUGH PORTLAND WITH A PANTHER: THE LIFE OF MR. KENT FORD, ALL POWER!, A FILMED PERFORMANCE WRITTEN BY DON WILSON GLENN, DIRECTED BY DAMARIS WEBB, AND FEATURING LA'TEVIN ALEXANDER, FILMED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF NORA COLLIE.
- $208,391 spent. ORAL HISTORY: WE EXPANDED OUR ORAL HISTORY ARCHIVE, ADDING 15 NEW INTERVIEWS TO OUR COLLECTION OF OVER 100 FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF VANPORT AND ALBINA. THIS WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY OUR NEWLY HIRED FULL-TIME PROGRAM MANAGER AND HISTORIAN, GRETA SMITH, INCREASING OUR CAPACITY TO DOCUMENT AND PRESERVE COMMUNITY STORIES. TO ACTIVATE THIS LIVING ARCHIVE, WE DEVELOPED PLACING MEMORIES, A NEW INITIATIVE USING IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING TO CONNECT COMMUNITIES WITH SILENCED HISTORIES. LAUNCHING IN 2025, THE FIRST PHASE WILL FEATURE SELF-GUIDED AUDIO WALKS IN ALBINA AND VANPORT, COMBINING ORAL HISTORIES, ARCHIVAL MATERIALS, AND SITE-SPECIFIC NARRATIVES TO BRING THESE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS TO LIFE.EXHIBITS: OUR TRAVELING EXHIBITS WERE DISPLAYED AT OSU, UO, OLD TOWN, THE EXPO CENTER, AND ALBERTA HOUSE. WE ALSO DEVELOPED THE JOURNEY OF JACKIE WINTERS: FROM VANPORT TO THE CAPITOL, A TRAVELING EXHIBIT THAT WILL LAUNCH VIRTUALLY IN SPRING 2025 AND BE DISPLAYED AT THE OREGON CAPITOL IN 2026.YOUTH PROGRAM: THE YOUTH ARCHIVIST PROGRAM AT JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL ENGAGED STUDENTS IN 3D SCANNING, DIGITAL MODELING, TILE-MAKING, AND BRONZE CASTING TO DOCUMENT AND PRESERVE THE SCHOOL'S CULTURAL LEGACY. STUDENTS LED ARCHIVAL ACTIVITIES AT THE JEFFERSON CELEBRATION, GUIDING ELDERS AND ALUMNI THROUGH SCANNING YEARBOOKS AND CREATING CERAMIC TILES FOR THE LIVING ARCHIVE. THEIR WORK WAS ALSO FEATURED IN THE POLICING JUSTICE EXHIBITION AT THE PORTLAND INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART. A SHIFT TO A STIPEND-BASED MODEL IMPROVED RETENTION, FOSTERING COMMITMENT AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT. THE PROGRAM CONTINUES TO CONNECT STUDENTS WITH THEIR HISTORY WHILE BUILDING A LASTING COMMUNITY ARCHIVE.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 2015.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
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