The Bend Cultural Tourism Commission announces the seventh year of the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund (BCTF) with the opening of its online grant application for Cultural Tourism grants. The complete application is due March 31 at 5pm.
Guidelines and instructions for both are available at visitbend.com/about-us/bend-cultural-tourism-fund. The Commission will make its decisions in April 2022 and forward to the Visit Bend Board for approval in May. The BCTF could grant up to $400,000 in this granting cycle, funding projects starting no earlier than September 2022.
“Bend’s arts and culture scene is a vibrant and vital part of our community,” said Visit Bend CEO Kevney Dugan. “We’re thrilled with the results current and past investments made through the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund and look forward to seeing the newest round of proposals.”
Due to the uncertainty of planning programing and cultural tourism activities in the COVID era, applicants should have contingency plans in place should current regulations prohibit or restrict their proposed activity.
After a brief hiatus in 2020 due to COVID 19 pandemic, the grant program resumed last year as in person cultural events and travel returned. Grantees certify that they are following all current state and federal health mandates and have contingency plans in place in case regulations prohibit gathering.
In 2021, the fund awarded twenty grants, a total of $319,500 helping local organizations leverage marketing resources to attract more cultural tourists during the shoulder seasons and winter months. This sixth round of awards pushed the total BCTF funding over the million-dollar mark, infusing local organizations with $1,228,335 in total.
The Bend Cultural Tourism Fund is a grant program dedicated to enhancing the local economy through the promotion and cultivation of Bend’s cultural tourism programs, with an emphasis on activities that help attract cultural tourists during the shoulder seasons and winter months.
visitbend.com/about-us/bend-cultural-tourism-fund • visitbend.com
