Community projects receive nearly $71,000 in funding

Explore Lincoln City has awarded $70,908 to six Community Partnership Fund recipients during the 2023/2024 fiscal year.

The grant cycle prioritized applicants with tourism-facing projects that emphasized stewardship, accessibility and diversity, according to a release from Explore Lincoln City.

Since 2009, Explore Lincoln City has delivered $1,300,000 in grants and community partnership funding to support hundreds of projects and events in Lincoln City.

“As the face of tourism in Lincoln City, it is important to Explore Lincoln City that we support our community partners in providing meaningful, innovative experiences and attractions for visitors,” Explore Lincoln City Director Kim Cooper Findling said. “These fund awards amplify the great work being done by many organizations that serve visitors in Lincoln City.”

Project recipients

• Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative received $21,408 to fund a series of events emphasizing stewardship and natural history education around Oregon’s only biosphere region. Family friendly, educational events included Natural Arts and Sciences on Tap, Art on the Beach, a Sand Art Contest and voluntourism on Lincoln City beaches as part of the “Wrack Line” project, and studying climate change. Cascade Head Scenic-Research Area is celebrating the 50th anniversary of helping to ensure a balanced blend of cultural, environmental, scientific and recreational activities with a special event honoring those milestones.

• Foamie Frenzie Surf Competition received $5,000 for a surf competition. This event is built on an inclusive culture with a philosophy of protecting and learning about the ocean and how to preserve it. Funding went toward lodging, permanent event supplies, trophies, web services and film production, to better share this family friendly, educational and fun event.

• Friends of Lincoln City Parks and Recreation received $13,000 to purchase and install Mobi-Mats at two additional Lincoln City beach accesses, bringing the total number of accessible beach areas to four. These six-and-a-half-foot-wide mats are portable, non-slip, and create extended pathways over the sand, making beach access easier.

• Lincoln City Art Festival received $2,000 to support musical performances and improved event signage in the hope that this festival will become an annual event. The festival highlighted a diverse group of over 30 artists from all over Oregon, who come to Lincoln City to share and sell their work.

• Lincoln City Cultural Center received $9,500 to support two events — the 2024 LCC Pride Fest, a family-friendly event for the LGBTQIA+ ally communities, and the second annual Juneteenth Celebration, an annual commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States after the Civil War.

• Siletz Bay Music Festival received $20,000 to support two events: $15,000 was awarded toward September 2023’s grand finale concert designed to celebrate Native American culture and make the festival more approachable and inclusive. An additional $5,000 was awarded toward the February 2024 event “My Words Are My Sword,” a collaboration between poet/actor Darius Wallace, composer Jazzman Dava Singh and Siletz Bay Music Festival founder Maestro Yaacov Bergman. It honored both Black History Month and the legacy of the late maestro.

The 2024-2025 Community Partnership Fund cycle begins July 1 and will repeat the theme of prioritizing projects that emphasize stewardship, accessibility and diversity.

Explore Lincoln City promotes tourism in the Lincoln City area. For more information, visit explorelincolncity.com