Fwd: 2026 Summer Free For All Applications Now Open

[Kerns Neighborhood Association]

Update from Southeast Uplift

-Dave

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Matchu Williams <mat...@seuplift.org>
Date: Wed, Dec 3, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Subject: 2026 Summer Free For All Applications Now Open
To: Nanci Champlin <Na...@seuplift.org>
Cc: SE Uplift Staff <seupli...@seuplift.org>

Dear Neighborhood Associations,

We are happy to share that applications are now open for the 2026 Summer Free For All (SFFA) cultural events!

Please submit your application by January 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM to Portland Parks & Recreation. Visit the Summer Free For All Cultural Events website for full details.

Summer Free For All cultural events are a great way to bring fun, highly visible, and well-attended activities to your community. We encourage all neighborhood associations to have at least one high profile event per year at a minimum and the Summer Free For All cultural events are exactly just that. Hundreds of people attended each of the SFFA cultural events last year thanks to community partners and the Portland. Whether it is concerts, movie events, or special events, they are a range of options available that can be customized unique to your community.

If your application is successful, the SFFA team at Portland Parks & Recreation will work closely with you to ensure a successful event. You just need to identify two coordinators to collaborate with the SFFA team.

Important Information for Your Neighborhood Association to Know

• Community Partner Fee
• There is a fee to be a community partner. The exact amount will depend on the type of cultural event you choose to host.

• Insurance Coverage
• All SFFA cultural events are covered under Portland Parks & Recreation’s insurance policy. If your application is selected, no certificate of insurance from Southeast Uplift is required.

• Fiscal Sponsorship
  If your association is not tax-exempt and you plan to apply to grants, fundraise, or receive charitable donations while minimizing tax liability for your organization, please connect with our Fiscal Sponsorship Program to review your options.

Here Are Tips From Recent Successful SFFA Events:

• Discuss with your Board the opportunity to become a Community Partner for the 2026 SFFA.

• Your event must be at a Portland Parks & Recreation location and you will need to identify up to three locations suitable for hundreds of attendees. Your Neighborhood Profile includes a list of official parks in each neighborhood. If your neighborhood doesn't have a park large enough for hundreds of people, consider partnering with an adjacent neighborhood. (For example, last summer, Reed and Creston-Kenilworth partnered to bring a fun musical performance and community activities to Kenilworth Park)
• 
  
• Create a plan to involve your community strategically. For example, you could poll neighbors on their top choices for movies, or the community’s preferred musical performance genres for concerts, ask if people are interesting in helping you put on the event, and invite people to donate).
• 
  
• Recruit volunteers early on and assign them to roles that match their interests and skills.

• Decide if there are local groups you want to invite to tabling at the SFFA event or projects in your community that you want to elevate. This could be a community garden or groups such as Project Red, Bikes for Humanity, etc. Connect early. 

• Make your own table welcoming and engaging. Attract attendees with draws (e.g., free cold water at your summer event, face paintings for youth and families, etc.). Add professional touches (e.g., use a tablecloth, have visible association branding and collateral, newsletter sign-up details, or a QR code to receive donations).

• Have fun!

Please submit your application by January 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM to Portland Parks & Recreation.

Visit the Summer Free For All Cultural Events website for full details.

Best,

Matchu Williams | he/him 

Neighborhood Planning Program Manager 

SE Uplift Neighborhood Coalition 

3534 SE Main St. | Portland, OR 97214
(503) 232-0010 ext. 4 | mat...@seuplift.org

Access Statement: SE Uplift Neighborhood Coalition values meaningful access to all its programs, services, and activities. Our space includes parking onsite and an accessible entrance. Alternative formats of materials and other access needs are welcomed. Please contact me to request accommodation. SE Uplift is on the 14, 15, and 75 bus lines.

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Kerns Neighborhood Association

www.kernspdx.org

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