We Believe In Our Community

We Love Our City

The Downtown Bellingham Partnership is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering the vibrancy and growth of our downtown.  Everything we do is rooted in the idea that our community — Downtown Bellingham — is a place unlike anywhere else.  We work to enhance, promote, and advocate for a vibrant city center through development, promotion, support, and celebration.

 
 

Our Mission:

We champion the health and vitality of downtown Bellingham through the promotion of commerce, culture, and celebration. 

Our Vision:

Bursting with creative vitality and authentic charm, Downtown Bellingham is a thriving, healthy community where people from all walks of life can experience a wealth of opportunities to work, shop, learn, and play.

2024 Impact Report

See our quantifiable results delivered in 2024.

2023 Annual Report

We tackled 2023 with the spirit of evolution.

Accredited by Washington State and National Main Street Organizations

State Accreditation

Local organizations in Washington State dedicated to downtown revitalization can join the Washington State Main Street Program (WSMSP) at either the Main Street Community or Affiliate level. The Downtown Bellingham Partnership is an accredited WSMSP community. Washington Main Street helps communities revitalize the economy, appearance, and image of their downtown districts using the successful Main Street Approach™, a comprehensive revitalization strategy built around a community’s unique heritage and attributes. Washington Main Street is a program of the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation, managed under contract by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Excellence on Main Awards, organized by the Washington State Main Street Program, recognizes communities, organizations, and individuals who are helping to achieve economic vitality and build sustainable communities through downtown revitalization and preservation.

See the Downtown Bellingham Partnership’s Excellence on Main Awards:

National Accreditation

For more than 40 years, Main Street America (MSA) has helped to build economic power in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts through our signature Main Street Approach™ framework. Founded as the National Main Street Center® in 1980, Main Street America has helped to generate over $107.62 billion in local reinvestment, rehab 335,675 buildings, create 782,059 new jobs, and start 175,323 new businesses in over 2,000 communities. The Downtown Bellingham Partnership is an accredited MSA Community. Main Street programs lead local efforts to strengthen communities through place-based economic development.

Our Donors, Supporters, & Partners:

City Support

The City of Bellingham provides financial support via contracts supporting partial staffing and execution of our signature events, and full funding of our landscaping and cleaning services.

 
 

Main Street Supporters

A major source of financial support we receive each year is through accreditation with Main Street America and the Washington State Main Street Program, making our organization eligible for the Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program. Businesses who pledge to the WA Main Street Tax Incentive Program receive 75% credit on their state B&O taxes and the entire donation may be tax deductible. Those tax dollars are then reinvested in the Downtown Bellingham neighborhood - a true win-win for everyone!

Thank you to the over 40 businesses and government entities supporting the Downtown Bellingham Partnership’s mission in 2024.

 
 

Regional & Peer Organization Partners

We recognize the important work of regional economic development organizations and nonprofits supporting commerce, culture, and celebration to further the Downtown Bellingham Partnership’s mission of champion the health and vitality of downtown Bellingham.

This project, co-funded by the Port of Bellingham, City of Bellingham, and Whatcom County, is designed to help all business professionals find the information they need to be successful in Whatcom County.

The Western SBDC brings a consortium of business development resources to your community. These assets are delivered to you through one-on-one counseling with our certified business advisors, our popular and proven training events and our best-in-class small business market and strategy research.

The Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce is the leading advocate for businesses in the Northwest Washington region. The chamber advocates for a strong business community and aims to make the Bellingham and Whatcom County area a great place to live, work, shop and play by influencing public policy, aiding in economic development, and helping its members succeed.

Sustainable Connections advances a regenerative local economy that builds community, strengthens food systems, catalyzes climate solutions, and expands access to housing in NW Washington.