In its first 20 years, the Oregon Cultural Trust has awarded $1,737,728 to arts, heritage and humanities nonprofits in Deschutes County (see link). We’d like to see that number grow in 2022.
The cultural donation tax credit is available to any Oregonian who donates to one or more of 1,500+ cultural nonprofits and makes a matching gift to the Oregon Cultural Trust. At tax time, the amount of the Trust donation comes back to them — dollar for dollar. And the state sets those funds aside for Cultural Trust grant awards the following year. It’s a win-win.
2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the Cultural Trust. Since its founding, the Trust has raised — through the cultural tax credit — more than $74 million for culture statewide. It has distributed nearly 10,000 grant awards totaling more than $34 million and its permanent fund now exceeds $33 million. In addition, the Cultural Trust network of County Cultural Coalitions enabled the distribution of more than $25 million in Coronavirus Relief Fund for Cultural Support awards to 621 organizations struggling to survive the pandemic. The Cultural Trust is unique to Oregon.
“The Cultural Trust is a vehicle for Oregonians to make each other’s lives more beautiful, more profound and more interconnected,” says Ethan Gans-Morse of Anima Mundi Productions in Phoenix, Oregon, the recipient of four Trust awards totaling $91,736 since 2019.
All Oregonians have the power to divert a portion of their state tax dollars to fund arts and culture. Consider donating generously to the cultural nonprofits that matter to you and/or are still struggling to recover from losses suffered during the pandemic. Donations must be made by December 31 for this tax year.
Click this link for interviews that highlight the impact the Trust is having on nonprofits in Oregon, along with some footage of kids who have benefited from the Trust’s support of the music box program at Eugene’s The Shedd Institute. There is also an interview with Jimmie Herrod, a recent contestant on America’s Got Talent who benefited from arts programs here in the Pacific Northwest.
Click this link to download the Deschutes County Trust Grant history.
oregonartscommission.org • culturaltrust.org • oregon4biz.com
