The Oregon Cultural Trust Is Turning Ten!

October 8, 2012 marks the 10th anniversary of Oregon’s cultural tax credit and the Cultural Trust’s 10th birthday. That’s fitting, because October is a time of cultural celebrations -- National Arts & Humanities Month, National Archives Month, Archaeology Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and many, many others. 

An innovative public-private fundraising and grant making program, the Oregon Cultural Trust relies on donations to create the funds for its annual grant cycle.  Last fiscal year, the Trust gave $1.47 million in statewide grants benefiting 57 cultural nonprofits, over 40 county and tribal coalitions, and five state cultural partners.

Annual Cultural Trust funds for the 36 county and six tribal cultural coalitions are funneled by those coalitions to the arts, heritage and humanities work of countless community non-profits, many of whom fill the educational gaps left by diminished school funding for arts programs.

In addition, the Cultural Trust supports the post of poet laureate in Oregon, enabling our Poet Laureate Paulann Petersen to travel to all corners of Oregon – from Ione to Christmas Valley and everywhere in between – giving readings and workshops in schools, libraries, senior homes, public gatherings and hosting or MC-ing cultural events.

By partnering with the Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Heritage Commission, State Historic Preservation Office, Oregon Humanities and Oregon Historical Society, Oregon Cultural Trust provides funding and infrastructure help for such programs at Poetry Out Loud, Arts in Education, The Conversation Project, Endangered Places program, and many more worthy projects.

Our grants are made possible entirely by donors who gave to the Trust and to any number of Oregon’s 1,300 cultural non-profits to earn Oregon’s unique cultural tax credit. The cultural tax credit makes Trust gifts free and gives donors the power to create grants that benefit the cultural non-profits they already value. 

Your donations enable the Trust to provide arts mentoring to underserved students from age 11 through high school; they keep small-town libraries open; they bring contemporary music to young audiences; they bolster educational radio and TV programming; they save historically significant buildings, boats and cemeteries, they offer access to early childhood literacy, to dance, theater and visual arts; they help the tourism and film industries stay afloat, employing people and contributing to our economy. It is our sincere hope that you find this work worthy and choose to support the Oregon Cultural Trust by giving a donation today.