Portland Downtown’s Executive Director, Casey Gilbert, with summer cadets (see Quick Fact #6). -Courtesy of Portland Downtown

Chances are you’ve heard the name Portland Downtown, but you may wonder exactly who we are and what we do.

For a crash course in all things Portland Downtown, here are 10 Quick Facts:

1. We were called “Portland’s Downtown District” before rebranding in the fall of 2015. You may have noticed our snazzy new logo at our office on Congress Street (we’re right next to Nosh, a staff favorite!).
2. In industry speak, we’re what’s known as a 501c4 Business Improvement District (BID). Our mission is to maintain a clean and safe downtown while building and promoting a vibrant business, residential, and tourism destination.
3. We are often asked, “How are you funded?” First and foremost, we are funded through a tax assessment paid by property owners within the downtown district. In addition, many of our community events and programs are made possible thanks to the support of generous sponsors.

4. The borders of our “downtown district” roughly form a rectangle that includes the area between Cumberland Avenue and Commercial Street (north to south) and Franklin Street and State Street (east to west).

5. We contract with the City of Portland to bring enhanced cleaning and beautification services to the downtown area. Our five-person downtown Public Works crew keeps our parks looking beautiful and our sidewalks free of snow and litter. Much of what they do happens while the rest of the city is asleep – so it seems to happen magically!

6. We manage an award-winning Summer Cadet Program in partnership with the Portland Police Department. Our friendly cadets patrol the downtown on foot, make neighborly visits to businesses, identify persons in need, and enforce municipal ordinances.

7. Portland Downtown teams up with a fellow nonprofit, LearningWorks, to make sure graffiti is removed as quickly as possible. In 2017, we removed nearly 7,000 square feet of graffiti!
8. Our holiday community events include the Monument Square Tree Lighting, Shop for a Cause Day, Elfternoon Lunchtime Shopping, Horse & Wagon Rides, and everyone’s favorite late-night shopping extravaganza: Merry Madness!
9. Next up for events is Summer Kickoff Weekend (June 8-10) which includes Square Hop, Summer Shop for a Cause Day, Walk the Working Waterfront, and the Old Port Festival.

10. Fun Fact: Our staff has a thing for fun socks. On any given day, you may find us wearing sloth socks.

Learn more at portlandmaine.com

The WEN Featured Nonprofit is brought to readers with support from Benchmark Residential & Investment Real Estate.