The Inland Northwest Musicians were among 79 small nonprofit organizations to receive recent grants from the Oregon Arts Commission.

The commission’s Small Operating Grants are designed to support arts organizations with budgets under $150,000. For the Hermiston-based orchestra and chorale, the $1,230 grant award literally puts gas in the tank, said Carrie Kikel in a press release from the arts commission. The ensembles travel across Eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington to perform free concerts.

“This grant program was developed to increase the arts commission’s support of Oregon’s small arts providers,” said Anne Taylor, commission vice chair. “These organizations frequently represent the only arts presenter for remote and underserved regions of the state.”

The Oregon Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as money from the Oregon Cultural Trust.

For more information about the grant program, contact Brian Wagner at 503-428-1981, brian.wagner@oregon.gov or visit www.oregonartscommission.org.