Having a say in future trails is enticing enough, but Visit Bend is sweetening the pot with a chance to choose who gets an additional $500.
It’s all part of the Bend Sustainability Fund’s first granting cycle, which opens for community input August 25. “This is the community’s opportunity to provide input on their recreation priorities and help determine how best to protect and enhance Bend’s wild places,” explained Serena Gordon, Visit Bend’s Sustainability manager.
The Bend Sustainability Fund (BSF) launched in June 2021 by earmarking transient room tax (TRT) dollars for shovel-ready projects that protect, steward, or create sustainable recreational resources for outdoor experiences in and around Bend. TRT dollars are the taxes visitors pay when staying in hotels, resorts, and other transient lodging properties.
Organizations across Central Oregon submitted proposals for the Bend Sustainability Fund’s first grant cycle throughout July, and it’s now time for the community to weigh in.
“We’ve received some excellent proposals,” Gordon said. “The BSF Advisory Council has narrowed the field to eight projects that will receive at least some level of funding. We’re counting on the community to tell us what is most important to them.”
The ballot for eligible projects can be found at bendsustainabilityfund.com. Community voting runs August 25 through September 8, and is open to anyone with an interest in the future of Bend’s recreational resources. Voters will rank BSF grant finalists according to their recreational priorities.
To encourage community involvement, five voters will be drawn at random to choose one of the organizations on the ballot to receive an additional $500 grant. These five $500 bonuses are in addition to the $500,000 in grant money that will be divided among finalists.
Gathering community feedback on how the funds are split is a key part of the process, Gordon explained. “Creating this fund to begin with involved input from multiple community organizations and individuals,” she said. “The Central Oregon community is passionate about protecting and thoughtfully recreating in our wild places, and they should have input on how funds are distributed.”
The community ballot is available in both English and Spanish. Once the ballot closes at the end of the business day September 8, the BSF Advisory Council will assess the results and the Visit Bend Board of Directors will confirm final funding decisions on September 21, 2021.
Visit Bend launched the Bend Sustainability Fund in 2021 with input and support from organizations including the Forest Service, the City of Bend, Bend Park and Recreation District, Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association and the Bureau of Land Management. These groups also provided input to help narrow the field of finalists in the first round of funding.
“Giving community members a chance to see the proposals we received in our first year is a chance to get the wheels turning for future projects,” Gordon added. “Those who missed the 2021 application period in July are encouraged to start planning now for the 2022 grant cycle.
visitbend.com • bendsustainabilityfund.com • hello@bendsustainabilityfund.com • 800-949-6086
