If your organization is interested in applying for Tacoma Creates funding for the first time, you are encouraged to go through the Organizational Eligibility Review process.

This process will determine whether your organization is eligible for Tacoma Creates funding, so that you will know whether or not to complete the full funding application, which is released in late January 2026. 

Organizational eligibility requirements are explained on the Tacoma Creates website:

• Eligibility for Impact Funding (this funding category is generally for organizations with annual budgets under $400K)
• Eligibility for Comprehensive Organizational Support (this funding category is generally for organizations with annual budgets over $400K and with year-round work in both general public programs and youth education programs)  

If you have any questions about eligibility requirements, please contact Lisa Jaret, Tacoma Creates Program Manager, at ljaret@tacoma.gov. 

Pt. Defiance Park - Loop Trail Public Art

BUDGET: $65,000 all‐inclusive

DEADLINE: January 19, 2026 11:59pm

OPPORTUNITY: Parks Tacoma is seeking an artist or artist team to create site-responsive public artwork that enhances the user experience of the new multi-modal “Loop Trail” pathway around the front of Point Defiance Park. The trail goes around the bowl, gardens, Pagoda, and exterior of the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium complex at the front of the park, and the artwork will be informed by engagement with staff, local community members, and the Puyallup Tribe.   

Storytelling is important to this project due to the historic and cultural significance of Point Defiance Park. The artwork should tie the loop trail sections together around the front of the park, helping orient visitors to where they are on the trail. The artwork may take the form of but is not limited to interpretive wayfinding elements, functional art, and/or sculptural works highlighting the layers of use from the historic to the contemporary.  There may be opportunities for statement artworks at specific trailheads such as Wilson Way Bridge plaza, Park Ave trail and sidewalk connection, and a junction location at Animal Loop Road. 

 ELIGIBILITY:

• Applicant(s) must live in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, or British Columbia
• Applicant(s) can apply as a single artist or as an artist team
• Applicant(s) must be 18 years or older
• Applicant(s) cannot be an employee, council member, or commissioner of Parks Tacoma 
• Before starting work, the chosen artist(s) must have:

                     o General Liability Insurance

                     o A City of Tacoma business license

People who are members of historically disenfranchised racial, ethnic, cultural, and other identity groups, including artists from Puyallup, Coast Salish, and/or the other tribes of the Pacific Northwest, are encouraged to apply. 

SELECTION CRITERIA: Criteria on which artists/artist teams will be judged by selection panel:

• Artistic quality as exemplified in past work 
• Ability to think conceptually and imaginatively
• Ability to articulate interest in the project
• Ability to create artwork that speaks to an authentic Indigenous experience
• Ability to engage with local community including Puyallup Tribe 
• Ability to relate to multiple types of viewers
• Ability to think and work in scale and with durable, low-maintenance materials that value sustainability
• Ability to work within regulatory contexts
• Ability to meet project deadlines as exemplified through past projects

TIMELINE*

January 19, 2026 11:59 pm Deadline for submissions

Week of January 26, 2026 Review of submissions and selection of finalists

Week of February 9, 2026 Finalist Interviews and selection of artist

Fall 2026 – Spring 2027 Installation

*All dates subject to change

ABOUT POINT DEFIANCE PARK AND THE LOOP TRAIL PROJECT:

Part of the traditional homelands of the Puyallup people since time immemorial, Point Defiance Park has a rich, layered history. With the park’s origins in 1888 as land loaned from the US Military, then as a City-owned park in 1905, through the creation of Dune Peninsula in 2019 and beyond, Point Defiance Park offers Tacoma residents and visitors alike the chance to be part of history, nature, and outdoor recreation on a grand scale.

The current Loop Trail Project adds a paved trail at the front of Point Defiance Park that separates vehicles from pedestrians and cyclists. The current work forms a 1.6-mile-loop apart from the roadway to connect visitors to Wilson Way Bridge, the Pagoda, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the Environmental Learning Center and Owen Beach.

The Loop Trail project addresses safety needs that were identified as a community priority during the 2015 update to the Point Defiance Master Plan. For more project information go here: https://www.parkstacoma.gov/project/point-defiance-loop-trail/

ABOUT PARKS TACOMA

Parks Tacoma is an award‐winning park district in Tacoma, Washington. Incorporated in 1907, the park district is one of only a handful in the country that exists as a separate municipal corporation with the ability to collect property taxes for support.

Parks Tacoma believes that good parks, open space, and program services contribute to economic development by fostering economic benefits and promoting tourism. Environmentally, they provide green infrastructure and help manage climate change. Socially, they revitalize communities, create safer neighborhoods, help children learn and grow, improve public and environmental health, and support smart growth. Culturally, open space and program services can nurture a sense of place in the community, and provide opportunities to engage the public of diverse backgrounds.

Mission: Creating healthy opportunities to play, learn and grow.

Vision: Parks Tacoma envisions a vibrant, active and engaged community.

Questions about this call may be directed to Claire Keller-Scholz, claire.keller-scholz@parkstacoma.gov