A composite of works by the 2017 Oregon Book Award winners, supported by a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust.

The application writing is done, now the panelists’ review begins! Close to 200 applications for FY2018 Cultural Development Grants were submitted by the April 21 deadline.

Recruited for their expertise and experience, the volunteer panelists for each of the grant focus areas (Access, Capacity, Creativity and Preservation) are now receiving their respective applications for review. They will have several weeks to read and score the applications before convening to discuss and make recommendations to the Cultural Trust Board for review and action.

Panels are scheduled to meet May 25 (Preservation) as well as June 1 (Access), 8 (Capacity) and 15 (Creativity). Applicants are welcome to attend panel meetings in person or by phone and will be notified of their panel dates and times.

Applications for Capacity grants are significantly up this year, indicating a strong need for additional staff resources and infrastructure support.

Grant awards are expected to be announced in July. Good luck everyone!