Issued by The Oregon Cultural Trust on August 10, 2016:

The Oregon Cultural Trust will award a record 149 grants totaling $2.9 million to Oregon’s cultural nonprofits, a 9 percent increase over last year. The increase is the direct result of another record year of fundraising.

The awards include a total of $714,045 to the Cultural Trust’s five statewide partners (Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Humanities, Oregon Historical Society and the State Historic Preservation Office); $714,045 to 45 county and tribal cultural coalitions – for regranting in their communities; and $1,433,798 in competitive Cultural Development Grants to a record 99 cultural organizations across the state.

The Cultural Development Grants include first-time awards to 45 organizations and the largest grants ever awarded – $40,000 – to eight groups: The Benton County Historical Society; The Dalles-Wasco County Library Foundation; Japanese Garden; Miracle Theatre Group; National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Oregon; Oregon Public Broadcasting; Oregon Shakespeare Festival; and Portland Center Stage. More than half of the grants were awarded to organizations outside of the Portland Metro area.

A full list of grantees by geographic region is here.