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three cyclists ride on a muddy gravel path in Forest Park
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Forest Park’s trails offer fun all year long.

Visitor Experience Enhancement Grant Recipients

Since launching in January 2023, a total of $385,000 has been awarded to 15 projects across Portland through this grant program.

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FY 2023-24 Grant Awardees

In April 2024, Travel Portland (with additional funding provided by Travel Oregon to support projects in Portland’s central city) awarded a total of $245,000 in grants to ten projects:

  • Artists Repertory Theatre was awarded $25,000 to outfit their new theater space with sound equipment, ticketing equipment, furniture, and concession items to improve the visitor experience.
  • Cycle Portland Bike Tours and Rentals was awarded $25,000 for a fleet of gravel bikes and gravel e-bikes to introduce gravel biking tours and rentals in Forest Park.
  • Friends of Green Loop was awarded $25,000 to invigorate The Bear Block on Green Loop, an underutilized area on the southeast side of the recently built Blumenauer Bridge, converting a private parking lot into a vibrant, active gathering and event space.
  • Literary Arts was awarded $25,000 for the completion of their new headquarters in the Central Eastside, which will feature a bookstore, café, commercial kitchen, classroom space and event space to host artist lectures and workshops.
  • Mike Bennett Art was awarded $20,000 to expand the mini-golf course and café in St. Johns into the adjacent alleyway and parking lot, adding outdoor seating and room for outdoor concerts, vendor markets and shows, along with a food cart, to transform the space into a vibrant, multifunctional area.
  • MusicPortland was awarded $25,000 for infrastructure to support their City Sessions program: a series of nearly 100 carefully curated music performances in public spaces around the city from June through October.
  • Oaks Park Association was awarded $25,000 to transform the Dance Pavilion to preserve the historic asset and extend its useful life, while improving access for patrons with disabilities and increasing event bookings in the space.
  • Oregon Museum of Science and Industry was awarded $25,000 to bring “Exquisite Creatures”, a unique exhibit from an Oregon artist, to the museum.
  • Portland Art Museum was awarded $25,000 for accessibility enhancements to the Rothko Pavilion, the centerpiece of the museum’s campus transformation.
  • Portland Metro Chamber / Downtown Portland Clean & Safe was awarded $25,000 for Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail, which will celebrate the 15th anniversary of LAIKA’s debut film with 30 almost six-foot tall ‘Cat’ sculptures stationed throughout downtown Portland, creating a free art trail for visitors.

Travel Portland received 34 applications for this funding cycle, which were scored based on the following criteria:

  • Likelihood of the project to create new tourism demand and increase overnight stays in the city of Portland
  • Ability to advance the destination in welcoming visitors with diverse backgrounds and varied abilities
  • Positive impact on the visitor experience in Portland
  • Ability to leverage investment by demonstrating other partnerships
  • Readiness of project to commence and be complete within one year of grant disbursement

Visitor Experience Enhancement Grants

Travel Portland grants are intended to enhance the visitor experience in Portland in alignment with Travel Portland’s strategic priorities and build on the region’s unique strengths, contributing to establishing the region as a preferred destination.

Learn more

FY 2024-25 Grant Awardees

In FY 2022-23, Travel Portland awarded a total of $140,000 in grants to five projects through the Visitor Experience Enhancement Grant Program.

visitors peer into the koi pond outside the Teahouse at Lan Su Chinese Garden
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Lan Su Chinese Garden was awarded $35,000 to upgrade their Teahouse, including expanding seating and renovating their kitchen in order to provide full, culturally authentic meals to garden visitors.
Exterior of Milagro Theatre with sign above door
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Miracle Theatre Group was awarded $20,000 to make physical improvements to their space to host more events and convention groups.
Crowd shot of people sitting in a park on blankets and folding chairs.
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Kickstand Comedy, which hosts thousands of Portlanders and visitors at Comedy in the Park every summer, was awarded $40,000 to open a brick-and-mortar space and develop a comedy corridor in partnership with existing venues. 
theater with large screen and several rows of red seats flanked by bright blue walls
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Portland Art Museum was awarded $10,000 to construct a multimedia exhibition and performance space, the Tomorrow Theater, as part of the Portland Art Museum Center for an Untold Tomorrow (PAM CUT).
Mural featuring hand spray painting the phrase "Support Working Artists"
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Portland Street Art Alliance was awarded $35,000 to create a new mural in the Central Eastside Mural District and paint six viaduct columns below the Hawthorne Bridge.

Additional Funding Opportunities

Check Travel Oregon's list of additional funding opportunities.