Pickathon, the beloved independent music festival renowned for its fully-immersive music and cultural experiences and longtime commitment to sustainability and community, today announced the launch of a $1 million seed funding campaign for Creative Neighborhoods, the non-profit organization that will drive those core values forward over the next 25 years. The capital campaign follows a recent in-depth online survey where Pickathon entrusted its dedicated audience to help guide the roadmap for the festival's future, asking them to choose between preserving the festival's idiosyncratic, community-driven model or adopting a more commercially-focused approach. Pickathon is in need of $1 million to help fund the continuation of Creative Neighborhoods into 2025 and set a path forth to offer its incredible programming for years to come.
In 2024, Creative Neighborhoods engaged 3,000 program participants, which resulted in over $5 million in donated in-kind labor and materials. After the festival, Pickathon redirected more than 70,000 board feet of dimensional lumber to meet the needs of local schools and other community organizations.
Over 1,600 passionate fans provided invaluable feedback to Pickathon's impactful survey; who overwhelmingly expressed their desire for Pickathon to preserve its singular identity and prioritize the pillars that make Pickathon a one-of-a-kind experience, which Paste magazine touted as, "The Best Indie Festival in the Country." We invite you to explore the comprehensive survey results here
"We were absolutely blown away by the responses," says Zale Schoenborn, Founder of Pickathon. "Festivalgoers came together and reaffirmed what makes Pickathon so special, and now we're taking action to ensure those elements thrive. Through collaborative placemaking, we're building future workforces, strengthening our community, and creating a truly unique festival experience."
Established as an official non-profit in advance of the 2024 festival, the backbone of Creative Neighborhoods began as an organic, integral part of Pickathon since the very beginning in 1999 and grew over time through an array of fundamental collaborations. The organization's mission was formalized in 2022, solidifying its commitment to:
●Create Immersive Environments: Collaborate with artists and community partners to build the festival's distinctive stages and installations.
●Mentor Future Generations: Provide year-round, hands-on learning opportunities for emerging creatives, tradespeople, and professionals.
●Generate Enduring Community Impact: Regenerate installation materials back into the community for projects such as building local tiny homes and donating wood to schools throughout Oregon.
In recent years, the economics of producing a world-class festival with consistently rising costs has caused Pickathon to look for new paths of maintaining a sustainable festival model that pays true to its original form. Rooted in ingenuity, education and community, the non-profit arm of Pickathon perseveres by raising an endowment to withstand soaring costs while allowing the festival to remain an experiential music festival for years to come.
Pickathon has independently funded Creative Neighborhoods' operations and donated significant resources to ensure the mission's success, both from the beginning years of the festival and as a stand-alone non-profit. However, since 2022 a funding gap has emerged and Pickathon aims to raise significant capital by the end of March 2025 to secure the future of Creative Neighborhoods. The essential seed funding will be sourced through a variety of channels, including contributions from the Pickathon community, companies, and foundations. The required investment will provide a sustainable path forward for Creative Neighborhoods to flourish as Pickathon enters its next quarter century.
"While funding is critical, it's about investing in Pickathon and empowering our community to help the festival they love continue for future generations," adds Schoenborn. "By supporting Creative Neighborhoods, we can deliver the magical experiences that make Pickathon so special."
