With pandemic easing, local organizations to resume in-person services with new money

Cultural organizations in Tacoma are looking forward to slowly transitioning back to in-person programming, largely thanks to funding some of those hit hardest by the pandemic have received.

Due to the pandemic, numerous organizations in Tacoma were forced to move their programming online. As Washington gets closer to reopening, many are looking forward to fostering in-person connections and events again in the near future.

In the meantime, hybrid events are the new normal.

Troy Christensen, executive director of Rainbow Center, said Tacoma Pride will be held in a hybrid model this year. While some businesses that helped support past Tacoma Pride festivals are struggling financially, a nearly $84,000 funding contract awarded to the center by Tacoma Creates will help the event move forward next month. Funds will also go toward programming and administrative costs.

“It’s groundbreaking, really,” Christensen said. “We’ve never had this kind of base funding before, and it really does allow us to not have to worry about ongoing cash flow issues.”

A total of 51 cultural organizations across Tacoma were awarded funding contracts for the 2021-22 year. The contracts will inject approximately $4 million into local nonprofits, according to a press release from Tacoma Creates.

Lisa Jaret, Tacoma Creates program manager, said after a time of isolation, cultural programming supported through those funds will allow for more connections and in-person experiences in the Tacoma community.

“Cultural programming has always been about opportunities for human connection, for human learning, for expression and growth,” Jaret said. “To be able to do all of these things in community and in-person, as it is becoming safe to do so … is going to be part of the collective healing that we all need to be doing.”

Rainbow Center offers education programs for employers, individuals and youth ages 3 to 18 so they can better understand LGBTQ2S terminology and the community, according to its website. The Tacoma Creates funding contract will cover almost all of the costs for youth and young adult programming, Christensen said. The contract will also provide some funding for Rainbow Center’s program to assist those who have been victims of harassment, discrimination and hate crimes.

WayOut Kids, which uses multimedia as a platform to educate youth about academic and social lessons, received $34,500 from its contract with Tacoma Creates, President and CEO JD Davis said.

“It’s a great sigh of relief for organizations to be supported after going through such a crazy time,” Davis said.

Similarly to Rainbow Center, WayOut Kids is sticking to the hybrid model for now. Davis said the pandemic taught the organization how much digital media is skyrocketing, making a hybrid model with online programming advantageous.

“One of the things we thought about or we learned just even through the pandemic is short was better,” Davis said. “Kids have so much content they can look at it’s like, what do you do to grab them with your content? … As time went on, we learned that creating short impactful content was better.”