Portland’s Arts Funding Model Is No Longer Aligned with Equity, Access, or Public Intent

An Urgent Call for Course Correction from Portland Arts and Culture for Equity (PACE)

Portland’s arts funding challenges are rooted in scarcity. According to SMU DataArts, we rank 17th in the nation for artistic vibrancy but 172nd for government support. Our arts thrive despite—not because of—government funding. 

In New York, SMU reports that 48% of artists make a living on gigs or freelance work, and only 8% are full-time workers. In our smaller arts economy, that gap is likely even wider. The“Big Five” are important employers, but they are not the primary source of income for artists here. Most artists earn through gigs, teaching, and creative side work that keeps this ecosystem alive.

Last year, the Office of Arts and Culture removed equity metrics from the Art Tax grants and distributed funds solely based on budget size. As a result, 45 of 80 groups lost funding, while only the biggest organizations had significant increases.

Smaller orgs regularly employ Portland artists and offer affordable—often free—arts access across our neighborhoods. Prioritizing large institutions with endowments, greater funding, and fewer local artists is funneling money to money and power to power.

The Art Tax supports K through 12 arts education and making arts and culture available to underserved communities. In 2024, that mandate was changed, in practice, without warning or oversight. We met with the Office and multiple committees, yet no corrective action was taken. We are now entering a second year of harm to our communities. 

Portland voters expected the Art Tax to expand access, not diminish it. We ask the City to restore funding for the 45— and to realign arts funding with its original intent: prioritize groups that provide low- or no-cost access, employ local artists, and do deep community work with underserved Portlanders, all without other significant funding.

Our vision is clear: support smaller orgs offering greater access citywide and the artists who make Portland what it is. We need explicit equity and access measures protected from politics, and as costs rise while the Art Tax stays flat, we need change to provide more funding overall. 

There are over 500 arts nonprofits here and most don’t receive city funding.

The arts give us agency, community, and the power to imagine change—that’s why they’re under federal attack, and why we must protect them locally.

We’re asking for a bold vision in support of the arts. Help us keep Portland as vibrant as the artists who live here.


Context

The City of Portland is poised to continue a funding model that has shifted away from the principles of equity, transparency, and accountability that guided arts investments for years. In FY25, Portland eliminated DEIA scoring and tied funding levels solely to organizational budgets. The Office of Arts & Culture has indicated that in FY26, even the language of equity will be removed, with only a flat Base Tier award distributed—regardless of community impact, accessibility, or demographics served.

The Result

  • Over $400,000 diverted from small-to-mid-sized organizations—many BIPOC- and LGBTQ+-led, disability-centered, youth-focused, or community-rooted

  • FY25 cuts represented an average of 4% and as much as 8% of annual budgets for smaller orgs

  • Meanwhile, Portland’s largest orgs saw increases of less than 1% of their budgets

  • Equity metrics used for the past five years—such as board and staff diversity, free public access, and investment in local artists—were dropped

  • FY26 will formalize this departure from the Arts Education & Access Fund’s (Arts Tax) mandate to serve underserved communities

  

Data shows Portland is an outlier

  • Portland gives nearly 7 times more of its total public arts funding to its largest org than any comparable city (LA, Seattle, Denver, etc.)

  • We fund fewer total organizations, despite having over 600 registered nonprofit arts entities

  • This model is both inequitable and inefficient—benefiting a few at the expense of many  

A shift in policy, not resources
This is not simply a question of budget size—it’s a fundamental shift in values. The Arts Tax was passed by voters to expand access, not concentrate resources. Funding should reflect need, public benefit, and reach—not solely organizational budget size.

This is a solvable issue. Other cities—many with fewer resources—have already built stronger, more equitable public funding systems. Portland can do the same.