Deschutes Cultural Coalition awards $22,600 to 14 organizations

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Deschutes Cultural Coalition of the Oregon Cultural Trust announced awards to 14 local organizations, totaling $22,600 in funding. Requests for funding far exceeded the available amount to award, with a total of $32,700, making the grant process very competitive.

This year, grantees had the extra challenge of developing programing in the midst of the pandemic. Almost all organizations have pivoted to some level of online streaming or other COVID-safe activities.

“During COVID the arts had to pivot to virtual, seriously curtail offerings, hibernate, or die,” says Cate O’Hagan, co-chair of the Deschutes Cultural Coalition. “We are dedicated solely to the support of arts and culture in Deschutes County. We do hope our support helps, and we encourage you to help also.  The arts need your support.”

“By comparison to other areas of the country and in fact the state, the arts in Central Oregon are, in the best of times, substantially underfunded,” continues O’Hagan. “Yet our cultural entities and artists squeeze more performance out of every dollar at a rate far above the national average (according to Americans for the Arts).”

Below is a detailed list of grant awards:

BendFilm, Inc.

The 2021 BendFilm-ScaleHouse-World Muse IndieWomxn Film Festival (IWFF)         

$1,750

Cascade School of Music

Cascade School of Music’s Crescendo Bendo Student Showcase    

$1,000

COCC Foundation – The Nancy R. Chandler Visiting Scholar Program of the COCC Foundation

2021 Season of Nonviolence

$ 2,100

COSA, Inc.   

Live-streamed Winter Concert          

$  2,500

High Desert Chamber Music

HDCM Technology Support 

$  1,500

High Desert Mural Festival

Equality & Justice Mural

$ 1,000

High Desert Museum           

Little Wonders           

$1,750

Scalehouse    

Scalehouse Gallery: Crow's Shadow Exhibition       

$ 1,000

Silent Echo Theater Company        

Live Theater in a Covid19 Atmosphere          

$ 2,500

Sisters Folk Festival Inc.

2021 Close To Home Concerts         

$ 2,000

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show / SSJ Inc        

Virtual Show Component      

$ 1,500

Sunriver Music Festival      

Sunriver Music Festival Adds Live Streaming and Recordings to the 44th Season      

$ 2,000

World Muse  

MUSE UnConference            

$2,000

ABOUT DESCHUTES CULTURAL COALITION: The Deschutes Cultural Coalition (DCC) is one of 45 County and Tribal Coalitions of the Oregon Cultural Trust.  Since 2003, the DCC has been regranting funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust to nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Deschutes County. 

In addition, the DCC also developed the region’s first and only cultural tourism program and map, called Cultural Byways, in partnership with the cultural coalitions of Jefferson and Crook counties and Warm Springs.   The volunteers who serve on the Deschutes Cultural Coalition represent the various cultural areas supported by the trust:  arts, humanities, history, heritage and preservation. 

The Oregon Cultural Trust is a statewide program established in 2001 by the Oregon Legislature to protect cultural Oregon by encouraging Oregonians to invest in a permanent fund, now over 20 million and growing, that provides annual grants to cultural organizations.  To stimulate donations the Oregon Cultural Trust offers donors a 100% tax credit. 

For more information go to the Deschutes Cultural Coalition website:  http://www.deschutesculturalcoalition.org.