Northwest Folklife (nwfolklife.org), founded in 1972, is an independent, nonprofit organization that

promotes the cultural heritage of Pacific Northwest communities including Oregon, Washington,

Idaho, Alaska, Montana and British Columbia. Supported through individual donations, grants and

sponsorships, it is the most visible advocate of the traditional arts in the Northwest region.

We create opportunities for individuals and communities of the Pacific Northwest to celebrate, share

and sustain the vitality of folk, ethnic and traditional arts is achieved through education and other

public programs, most notably through the annual production of the free Northwest Folklife Festival,

a signature event in the Pacific Northwest.

We are committed to community participation in folk arts. The majority of the programs are not

performance/audience environments, but rather interactive events where every visitor has the

opportunity to participate.

We believe:

cultural heritage and its continued growth and development.

observe them.

people share aspects of their culture, opportunities are created to dissolve

misunderstandings, break down stereotypes and increase respect for one another.

these communities to develop public presentations of their culture.