Portland, OR – As the City of Portland faces a significant budget shortfall of nearly $100 million, bureaus have proposed cuts to address the shortfall. In early March, Prosper Portland’s Community Budget Committee voted to cut funding for Venture Portland, a non-profit that is the city’s only support system for its 50 business districts. Venture Portland was told that this decision was due to City Council’s lack of interest in small business. Since 2009, Prosper Portland has provided the majority of funding for Venture Portland. If approved, these cuts would have devastating effects on our ability to retain staff, and provide grants, training, technical assistance, and marketing to Portland’s business districts.
2024 was another banner year for Venture Portland. Our staff provided more than 3,000 hours of training and technical assistance to volunteer-run business district associations (BDAs). Thanks to additional funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, in 2024, the organization awarded a total of $300,000 to business districts city-wide! Member districts were once again able to apply for up to $50,000 per grant, which allowed for some very ambitious projects including this new pedestrian plaza on Hawthorne Boulevard. Venture Portland’s brand-new website launched in August and includes pages for each member district plus district events, resources, and more. We market and promote business districts and small businesses via our Instagram, YouTube channel, podcast, and weekly newsletters. Our Monthly Member Meetups and webinars are a valuable resource for BDA leaders and their members looking for ways to build capacity and collaborate with other districts. All of this work would not be possible without funding from the City of Portland.
As Venture Portland nears its 40th anniversary in 2026, support for Portland’s business districts is more important than ever. As small businesses continue to close at an alarming rate, we urge you to testify in support of restoring Venture Portland’s funding so that we may continue to help one of Portland’s most precious assets thrive.
Venture Portland Needs Your Support. Here’s how you can help:
- Testify at one of the upcoming Budget Listening Sessions and urge City Council to restore Venture Portland’s funding
- Send a letter (download template) on business association letterhead to every member of City Council in your district and the Mayor requesting the restoration of Venture Portland’s funding
- Have each business association board member send a letter (download template) on their business’s letterhead to every member of City Council in your district and the Mayor
- Send an e-mail to your business association member list asking them to send letters (download template) to every member of City Council in your district and the Mayor
- Write a post on social media asking your followers to send letters (download template) to every member of City Council in your district and the Mayor
Budget decisions are being made NOW so urgency is crucial. We appreciate your support and look forward to celebrating our 40th anniversary with you in 2026.