Portland Jazz Festival Incorporated
Where Jazz Lives
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
PDX Jazz provides access to arts performances and education for residents and visitors in the community of Greater Portland, Oregon. Our specialty is the art-form of jazz, America's indigenous music, and we focus on ensuring Diversity, Equity and Inclusion among under-served and under-represented populations.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Programming and Education Initiatives
PDX Jazz, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, is the largest organization presenting jazz performances and associated education programming in the Pacific Northwest. Grown out of the African American tradition, jazz is uniquely American in its origin. We present a two-week citywide jazz festival each February celebrating Black History Month, flanked by seasonal programming.
PDX Jazz fills the gap of reduced funding, and in many instances no funding for arts education. A priority of PDX Jazz’s mission is to provide educational outreach to under-served and under-represented students in the greater Portland area and surrounding communities, with a focus on Title 1A funded schools. Our education programs extend across the entire student body, emphasizing an interdisciplinary appreciation of jazz and its African American roots from a historical, sociological, and cultural perspective.
Where we work
External reviews

Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
PDX Jazz drives evolution of the jazz art-form, providing a stage for the progression of jazz, a transitioning audience, and the musician's creating it during modern times. Grown out of the African American tradition, jazz is uniquely American in its origin and PDX Jazz celebrates its African American roots from a historical, sociological, and cultural perspective.
VISION: PDX Jazz serves as a beacon in the field of music, courageously advancing the jazz art form.
VALUES:
Integrity
Honesty, Trust, Communication, Transparency, Respect
Community
Accessibility, Inclusivity, Connectivity, Equity
Innovation
Creativity, Adaptation, Flexibility, Learning, Transformation
Diversity
Empathy, Kindness, Consideration
Professionalism
Excellence, Quality, Merit
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Goal: Optimize Finances Sustaining Organizational Mission. “Earned, Philanthropic Investment Revenue”
Goal: Cultivate, Engage & Retain Constituency. “Patrons, Staff, Board, Membership/Donors, Grantors, Sponsors, Volunteers, Public Agencies, Business & Industry Partners”
Goal: Exemplify Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. “Share Differing Perspectives of Jazz. Create an environment in which any individual will feel welcomed, respected, supported and valued to fully participate in PDX Jazz Artistic and Educational Programming”
Goal: Build and Position Brand. “Strengthen Awareness of PDX Jazz Programming Across All Community Demographics and Cultures”
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
PDX Jazz, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, is the largest organization presenting jazz performances and associated education programming in the Pacific Northwest. Our diverse staff and Board of Directors provide the organization with deep experience in the arts and nonprofit management. Our relationships across the community allow PDX Jazz to achieve greater community impact through multiple community partnerships.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In recent year's PDX Jazz has bolstered our operating reserve to ensure financial sustainability during challenging economic times. We have also re-imagined our artistic programming, invested in digital technologies, and launched an array of free education initiatives to engage, new, diverse, and under-served audiences.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Portland Jazz Festival Incorporated
Board of directorsas of 11/10/2021
Laura Golino de Lovato
Executive Director, Northwest Pilot Project
Term: 2019 - 2021
Gwendolyn Turner
Regional Head - Equity, Inclusion, Diversity and Talent Engagement, Kaiser Permanente
Terry MacDonald
CPA and Attorney
Martin Mueller
Dean of The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music (Retired)
Walt Henry
Director, The Standard
Cynthia Plank
Band Director, Beaumont Middle School - PPS
Gary Randles
Sr. Director, Cushman & Wakefield
Ashley Villarama
West Division Operations Manager | U.S. Bank Wealth Management
Atif Zaman
M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, School of Medicine Senior Associate Dean for Clinical and Faculty Affairs, Office of the Dean, School of Medicine
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 11/09/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.