The Vancouver City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the city's Cultural Access Program ordinance and adopted a program policy on Sept. 15 that define how a new 0.1% sales-tax fund will support arts, culture, heritage and science organizations.

The council vote follows months of work by the Culture, Arts and Heritage Commission and a community task force. The policy establishes six program categories and a minimum funding stability rule of 60% reserved for those categories each year, with 40% left flexible for the commission to allocate to high-priority projects. The policy also requires grantees to demonstrate that at least 55% of their programming serves Vancouver residents and facilities.

Supporters said the program will expand access to cultural programming and provide predictable funding for local nonprofits. Michelle Tan, a member of the Culture, Arts and Heritage Commission, told the council, “No child should miss out on a museum visit or a music class simply because their family can't afford it.” Brett (Culture, Arts and Heritage Commission president) said the funding will help welcome new residents and strengthen the local arts ecosystem.

Staff and commissioners described the policy as a framework that still requires detailed program materials. Dave Perlick, director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, said staff will build application materials, scoring criteria and additional implementation guidance before grants are issued. The policy includes a path for organizations based outside Vancouver to participate through fiscal sponsorships or partnerships if they meet the 55% in-city programming threshold.

Council discussion touched on equity and school access. Council Member Perez asked whether the policy should hard-code equity mechanics such as scoring bonuses for multilingual access or reserve a share of funds for high-need ZIP codes. Perlick and staff said those details are part of the next phase of implementation and will be fleshed out in application materials and scoring criteria.

Perez also raised a specific provision found on page 9 of the program policy: a 10% set-aside described for the two local public school districts. Staff noted the policy text directs that 10% will be distributed directly to Vancouver and Evergreen school districts and that, as written, the funds would be evenly divided between them unless the council later directs otherwise.

The ordinance amendment and program policy passed on a unanimous roll call. Council members voting in favor were Harless, Perez, Fox, Paulson, Stober, Hansen and Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle. Councilors and staff said they expect to begin the next phase of outreach and to start awarding grants in 2026 after building out application and review processes.

The policy directs the Culture, Arts and Heritage Commission to recommend any future amendments back to the council; staff said they will return with administrative materials and that the city will monitor results and adjust procedures as needed.

The council also heard public testimony both in support of and opposed to the program during the public hearing. Michelle Tan and other arts leaders urged approval. Several public commenters raised objections focused on taxation and immigration policy; those remarks were recorded as public comment and not part of council action.

Details about application timelines, scoring, and reporting will be published by staff as they complete the implementation work and prepare software and outreach for applicant intake.