Three in C.O. receive state Cultural Trust grants
Statewide cultural organizations will receive a record $2.6 million in grants from the Oregon Cultural Trust in fiscal year 2015-16, up a full 30 percent over last year and surpassing $2 million for the first time. Three of the latest recipients are in Central Oregon.
The dramatic increase in funding results from a record fundraising year and a new distribution formula approved by the Oregon legislature.
The awards include a total of $644,959 to the Cultural Trust’s five statewide partners (Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Humanities, Oregon Historical Society and the State Historic Preservation Office); $644,959 to 45 county and tribal cultural coalitions (who re-grant the funds through local programs); and $1,260,945 to 84 cultural organizations through competitive Cultural Development Grants, more than double the amount awarded last fiscal year. The Cultural Development Grants include first-time awards to 25 organizations and the largest grants ever awarded – $35,000 – to six of the state’s largest cultural nonprofits. The grants are awarded for projects that address access, capacity, creativity and preservation.
“We are extremely grateful to members of the legislature for giving us the flexibility to provide deeper support to the groups who ensure Oregon’s cultural vitality,” said Cultural Trust Executive Director Brian Rogers. “The increased funds will allow them to have an even greater impact on creating the quality of life we Oregonians expect and appreciate.”
The new distribution formula, put in place through the passage of Senate Bill 441, allows the Trust to allocate a larger percentage of the funds it raises to grant making and administration. The Trust raised a record $4.4 million in fiscal year 2014-15, through donor participation in the cultural tax credit, allowing it to allocate $2.6 million to statewide grants.
Cultural Development Grants were awarded to:
Central Oregon
Arts Central, Bend (Capacity): $12,296
Central Oregon Creative Economy Development: To support the creation of an actionable plan to enhance the Central Oregon cultural economy.
Deschutes County Historical Society, Bend (Preservation): $14,164
Winter Comes: Oregon’s Nordic Ski History: To support Deschutes Historical Museum’s exhibit Winter Comes: Oregon’s Nordic Ski History in 2016.
High Desert Museum, Bend (Access): $16,645
Arts for the People: To support an exhibit exploring the history and cultural legacy of the Works Progress Administration
