Formed in 2023, the Downtown Corvallis Organization is looking to boost business in the city core and energize downtown generally; and they’re crushing it. They just presented their annual report to the Corvallis City Council on Tuesday – and the councilor response was, if you boil it down, oohs and aahs.
Covering fiscal year July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, the organization’s self-description starts with a year dedicated to an internal focus on governance, the stuff the public doesn’t see that makes the machine work.
Then, with that done, the stage was set for some highly public happenings that both improved downtown and were just plain fun too. Like, think community cleanups and improved spaces, but then also holiday happenings and wine, and really good attendance. We’re talking real public interest.
The usually reserved Councilor Tony Cadena said, “To see how this organization has developed is truly awesome.” Mayor Charles Maughan summed up the organization’s report in one word, calling it, “Uplifting.” Councilor Carolyne Mayers straight-up asked how the City can help the organization recruit even more volunteers.
A packed events calendar
DCO says it hosted more than 15 community events and programs over the year. Nine Friday Lights evening events drew an estimated 100 to 400 attendees each, while the annual Downtown Trick or Treat event brought an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 people downtown in the fall.
The organization also debuted a new holiday tradition, Light the Tree, on the waterfront, drawing 400 to 500 attendees with a tree donated by Starker Forests and hot cocoa from The Greenhouse Coffee + Plants. The Holiday Parade followed with roughly 2,500 attendees and 33 floats, and the spring Hippity Hop event engaged about 120 families at 15 participating businesses.
The biggest fundraiser of the year was the CorkVallis! Wine Walk, held May 16, 2026, in its second year under that name. The event featured 34 beverage vendors, 32 host locations and sold 763 tasting glasses, backed by 24 sponsors who contributed roughly $10,722 in sponsorship support. DCO called it the organization’s most successful fundraising event of the year.
Cleanup and public space work
Volunteers played a central role in DCO’s beautification efforts, with nine downtown clean-up events drawing more than 50 volunteers over the year. The Adopt One Block program now covers 17 of downtown’s 32 blocks, and DCO hosted a volunteer appreciation event at Common Fields to recognize participants.
The organization also finished administering the Main Street Revitalization Grant that funded some of the renovation of The Plaza, a project it says is now complete and being activated through ongoing events and gatherings. Separately, DCO was awarded a Community Betterment Grant to fund an initiative that will turn six downtown dumpsters into public art installations in partnership with Republic Services and local artists.
Organizational changes
The fiscal year opened with what DCO described as a period of transition, as new board members joined and the organization worked to strengthen internal governance. Over the year, DCO formed a Finance Committee to improve financial oversight, completed a governance review with the Center for Nonprofit Law, and launched a search for a new executive director in May 2026 led by a community-based search committee that includes a City Council member.
The current DCO board is led by President Deann Garcia, Vice President Jill Reed, Secretary Danielle Lewis and Treasurer Kourtni Rader, along with board members Bjørn Bulthuis, Kate Dillon, Nicole Nystrom and Bryon Neal Daniels.
Finances: revenue nearly doubled expenses’ pace, surplus grows
DCO’s financial statements show total income of $434,853.70 against expenses of $364,830.56 for the year, a net increase of $70,023.14 — well ahead of a budgeted net loss of $11,594, a favorable swing of more than $81,000.
The single largest revenue item was a $330,779 pass-through grant from the Oregon Main Street program tied to The Plaza project, of which $324,779 flowed through as matching expenses, netting DCO about $6,000. The city’s Economic Improvement District contribution added $46,751, exceeding budget by about $2,751. The CorkVallis! Wine Walk generated $43,172 in income against about $16,693 in expenses, for a net of roughly $26,479 — more than $36,000 better than budgeted. Individual SPARC donations brought in $9,467, slightly under the $10,000 target, while budgeted corporate donations of $1,000 did not materialize.
On the expense side, general administration accounted for the largest planned outlay, including a budgeted $49,000 for salaries and benefits that went unspent during the year, contributing significantly to the organization’s positive budget variance.
DCO’s bank balance grew from $8,467.33 at the start of the fiscal year to $78,490.47 by June 30, 2026.
Looking ahead
DCO says its priorities for fiscal year 2026/2027 include completing the executive director search, expanding downtown events and business-support programming, growing the Adopt One Block program, launching the dumpster public-art initiative, and continuing to build sponsorship, grant and partnership revenue. The organization also plans to keep supporting activation of The Plaza and other downtown public spaces in coordination with the city.
To contact Hallie Greenberg about this story, email office@corvallisadvocate.com. Reporter Chris Evenson contributed to this story.
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