TL;DR (generated · confidence: high)

The Office of Arts & Culture manages Portland's arts investments through multiple funding sources (Arts Tax Fund, General Fund, Percent for Art Fund) with a 2026-27 proposed budget of $10.6M. Key responsibilities include K-5 arts education, public art management, the Portland Monuments Project, and the Portland Oregon Sign trademark program. Major change: Metro is withdrawing from Portland'5 Centers for the Arts management, with the City transitioning operations by July 1, 2027.

Key points (each cites a PDF page):

Total program budget: $10.6M in 2026-27 vs. $10.7M in 2025-26 (slight decline of $78K) (p. 315 ↗)
External revenues decreased from $3.97M (2025-26) to $3.63M (2026-27); General Fund revenues dropped from $4.36M to $3.58M (p. 315 ↗)
Program expenses: $8.98M external materials/services, $1.10M personnel, $206K internal materials/services (p. 315 ↗)
Metro will withdraw from Portland'5 Centers for the Arts management effective July 1, 2027; City is leading transition including staffing technical committees (p. 316 ↗)
Portland Oregon Sign Program acquired in FY25-26; improvements underway include streamlined applications, fee schedule alignment with other cities, and cost recovery (p. 316 ↗)
Office is updating General Operating Support grantmaking program to align with Citywide Outgoing Grants Policy (p. 316 ↗)
Core equity commitment: ensure high-quality arts education for all K-5 students in Portland public schools and arts access for underserved K-12 students (p. 316 ↗)

Amounts: $10,572,379 (2026-27 total) · $10,650,676 (2025-26 total) · $3,626,326 (external revenues) · $6,946,053 (internal revenues) · $8,979,320 (external materials/services) · $1,099,700 (personnel) · $3,577,345 (general fund) · $3,368,708 (arts education fund) · Programs: Office of Arts & Culture · Arts Access Fund (Arts Tax) · Percent for Art Fund · Portland Monuments Project · Portland Oregon Sign Program · Portland'5 Centers for the Arts · Parties: City of Portland · Office of Community and Economic Development · Metro · Portland school districts

Special Appropriations-City Arts Program

Source: PDF pp. 315-316 ↗ · raw: 315 · 316

Breadcrumb: Service Area Summaries > Community & Economic Development > Office of Community and Econ Development > Special Appropriations-City Arts Program

City of Portland Fiscal Year 2026-27 Proposed Budget Community & Economic Development > Office of Community and Econ Development > Office of Arts & Culture Office of Arts & Culture Budget Revenues by Fund 2023-24 Actuals 2024-25 Actuals 2025-26 Revised Budget 2026-27 Proposed External Revenues $0 $0 $3,965,118 $3,626,326 Arts Education & Access $0 $0 $3,292,804 $3,626,326 Fund Grants Fund $0 $0 $672,314 $0 Internal Revenues $0 $0 $6,685,558 $6,946,053 Arts Education & Access $0 $0 $2,321,170 $3,368,708 Fund General Fund $0 $0 $4,364,388 $3,577,345 Grand Total $0 $0 $10,650,676 $10,572,379 Program Expenses by Major Object Program expenses only include personnel, internal materials and services, external materials and services, and capital. 2023-24 Actuals 2024-25 Actuals 2025-26 Revised Budget 2026-27 Proposed External Materials and $0 $0 $9,319,658 $8,979,320 Services Internal Materials and $0 $0 $84,144 $205,879 Services Personnel $0 $0 $1,221,254 $1,099,700 Grand Total $0 $0 $10,625,056 $10,284,899 Program Description and Goals The Office of Arts & Culture celebrates and supports Portland's creative economy by expanding opportunities for Portlanders to participate in creative experiences of all kinds. This is achieved through management of the City's arts-related investments, including from the Arts Access Fund (fueled by the Arts Tax), the General Fund, and the Percent for Art Fund. The Office of Arts & Culture's bodies of work or responsibilities include arts access and education (including certified arts teachers 315

City of Portland Fiscal Year 2026-27 Proposed Budget in K-5 schools across Portland), cultural planning efforts, arts activations and events, grants for artists and nonprofit arts organizations, administrative oversight of City-owned performing arts venues, management of the City's public art collection, leading the Portland Monuments Project, and trademark and licensing of the iconic Portland Oregon (White Stag) Sign. Arts & Culture goals include:

Support downtown revitalization, creating an active, vibrant, and welcoming central city through arts and culture activations.
Provide support for individual artists and arts organizations that in turn provide arts experiences for Portlanders, contributing to economic vitality and community connectedness.
Work with school districts to ensure the provision of a high-quality arts education and provide expanded access to the arts for K-12 students and underserved communities.
Develop, maintain, and promote public art throughout the city, contributing to experiences that enrich the social, physical, and cultural environment of Portland and promote dialogue among people of all ages and backgrounds. Services Art easements; arts education coordination; arts programming; cultural planning; event sponsorship; grantmaking; licensing (Portland Oregon Sign); public art acquisitions, commissions, deaccessioning, exhibitions, collection management, maintenance, and conservation; performing arts venue management. Equity Impacts Equity is a core value of the City of Portland, and the Office of Arts & Culture demonstrates this commitment through a focus on ensuring a high-quality arts education for all K-5 students in public schools in Portland and by providing access to the arts for K-12 students and underserved Portlanders. Additionally, Arts & Culture prioritizes purchasing artworks from artists underrepresented in the public art collection and increasing access to public art by placing work in geographically underserved communities. Changes to Program The Office of Arts & Culture took on the Portland Oregon Sign Program in FY25-26. Arts & Culture will continue implementing process improvements for the iconic sign, including streamlined applications and licenses, bringing the fee schedule into alignment with other cities, community education, trademark compliance, and cost recovery. Also in FY25-26, Metro announced its intention to withdraw from Portland'5 Centers for the Arts management, transitioning operations of the City-owned performing arts venues to the City by July 1, 2027. The Office of Arts & Culture is leading the Portland'5 transition, including staffing the technical Steering Committee and the Mayor's Ex Officio table, and exploring operating models for the venues. Finally, the Office of Arts & Culture is updating its General Operating Support grantmaking program, bringing it into alignment with Citywide Outgoing Grants Policy. 316

Parent: Office of Community and Econ Development · PDF: pp. 315-316 ↗