PORTLAND ARTS & CULTURE

December, 2024

To the Portland Office of Arts & Culture,

We are deeply concerned about Portland's significant reduction in funding for small-to-midsize arts organizations during the same year the city launched the Office of Arts & Culture and ended its contract with the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC). Over half of these organizations (45 of 80) collectively lost at least $414,640 in city support, despite an increase in available funds.

Thank you for meeting with arts organizations in November. We hope the stories shared highlighted the urgent need to reform funding processes. We are hopeful the Office can rebuild trust and partner with us to sustain Portland’s cultural work.

Our small-to-midsize arts organizations, representing diverse disciplines and communities, deliver an impact far greater than our budgets. The sudden funding cuts this fiscal year threaten to cancel programs, eliminate jobs, and limit artists’ opportunities. For many, this poses an existential risk, with closures looming as a real possibility.

We understand the transitional year limited your staff's ability to allocate funding based on community impact, relying instead on budget-based allocations. Drastic changes were made during a transitional period ahead of new city leadership, without clear communication or input from those doing the work. Also, two major awards—the mayor’s $250,000 gift to Portland Center Stage and Commissioner Dan Ryan’s subsidies for P5 rentals—bypassed due process. The P5 rental subsidies program is exclusive and closed. Subsidies should be open to all organizations via a transparent application process, especially as rising costs affect everyone. These actions conflict with the Office’s stated commitment to equity and transparency. Alongside Portland’s creative community, we call on the Office of Arts & Culture to act urgently to address these issues and protect the city’s vibrant arts ecosystem.

1. We urgently request an immediate increase or redistribution of funds to stabilize small and midsize arts organizations.

While the $414,640 cut from smaller organizations may seem modest in the context of the overall budget, it represents a critical portion of our operating support. Over the past five years, Base and Equity Investment awards have been reliable amounts that organizations could budget around. This sudden reduction, after five years of consistent funding, is devastating. Restoring or redistributing these funds can prevent closures, layoffs, and disruptions, ensuring that smaller organizations remain operational. These funds are vital for survival this fiscal year.

The city’s cultural plan, Our Creative Future, prioritizes equity and inclusion in arts funding and serves as a blueprint for the next decade. The document correctly states that “the majority of arts grants now go to a small number of large-budget organizations…smaller-budget organizations face barriers in accessing available resources, yet they often are a direct way to benefit diverse communities.” (pg. 22)

We need clarity on how the Office’s decisions align—or conflict—with this vision. Additionally, we seek an explanation for how a one-time rental award for select organizations was drawn from regular GOS funds instead of funds from the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between Metro and the City of Portland for P5 venue usage.

2. We call for clear, honest, and transparent communication from the Office of Arts & Culture.

The lack of timely information about funding changes has caused unnecessary confusion and fear. Transparency requires early notice about allocation processes and straightforward updates—especially when delivering difficult news. If the city had communicated last spring that funding would be based solely on budgets, we could have addressed concerns before they became critical.

We were assured that transitioning to the Office of Arts & Culture, with a leaner staff than RACC, would free up more funds. However, this has not been the case. Instead of increases, we faced unexpected cuts to Equity Investment Awards—funding that has historically been consistent and vital to serving Portland’s communities. These sudden reductions undermine trust and highlight the need for better communication moving forward.

3. We demand meaningful inclusion in future budgeting through the creation of a Stakeholder Budget Advisory Committee representing diverse organizations across disciplines, sizes, and districts to ensure all voices are included in the planning process. 

We seek genuine dialogue—not just informational meetings or community sharing sessions. It’s clear that while some groups have been engaged by the Office of Arts & Culture, others have been entirely excluded. Under RACC, direct engagement fostered collaboration and understanding, but that connection is now absent, leaving many feeling disconnected and unsafe advocating for basic needs.Equity funding must remain a priority, tied to community impact rather than organizational size. Any changes to funding criteria must be developed collaboratively and communicated well in advance. We should not be penalized for the steady equity work we have been doing in our city and communities.  Abrupt shifts in equity policy, framed as “equality,” betray the foundation we’ve been building and demand a more thoughtful, inclusive approach.

In conclusion, the Office of Arts & Culture’s recent actions will irreparably damage Portland’s vibrant arts community. Our organizations are the heart of the city’s cultural fabric, and we urgently ask for partnership, transparency, and the resources needed to continue serving our communities.

We are eager to work with you to address the funding gap for organizations that experienced significant cuts. Solutions could include redistributing existing funds to reflect historic allocations, utilizing contingency funds, or reallocating other resources. Since funds have not yet been fully distributed, there is still time to act.  We request a response by the end of day on December 20th. Thank you for your attention to these pressing issues.

Sincerely,

Concerned Portland arts and community leaders, artists, and community members

ADD YOUR SIGNATURE HERE 

SIGNATURES VIEWED HERE      (230+ as of December 19, 2024)                         

The following addendum was added in response to the email sent by the Office on December 6th, as this letter was being signed to send to the City on December 9th:

We received your recap of the meeting with notes, however our immediate funding emergency remains unresolved. We are eager to collaborate with the City on problem-solving and are open to any suggestions you may have. Beyond re-allocating funding, there are alternative solutions to mitigate this year’s funding losses and to involve funded organizations in revising the criteria, particularly with a focus on equity. We welcome open discussions and thoughtful problem-solving on these matters.