Bend Cultural Tourism grants postponed — Visit Bend announced the postponement of future Bend Cultural Tourism Fund grant awards for the fiscal year 2020-21. Funding for the BCTF comes from the transient lodging tax in the city of Bend.

Award applicants must demonstrate how their events will draw visitors to Bend, according to the BCTF website, but the arrival of the coronavirus has brought tourism, cultural or otherwise, to a standstill.

An email sent to grantees and potential grant applicants and shared with The Bulletin, reads “A reminder that BCTF funding comes from the 7.5% transient lodging tax generated from hotel stays in the city. With those numbers at historic lows, Visit Bend had to make the difficult decision to postpone our 2020-2021 grants until further notice. I want to stress this is a postponement, not a cancellation, however a new deadline will not be set until there is more certainty.”

The email included an attached letter from Visit Bend CEO and president Kevin Dugney that read in part, “Bend’s hotel and vacation rental occupancy rates are virtually in the single digits. Because of this, there are not adequate dollars to fund BCTF grants, or to fund Visit Bend itself, for the foreseeable future.”

In 2019, $200,000 was awarded to cultural tourism organizations. Past grant recipients include the Bend A Cappella Festival, the High Desert Museum, BendFilm and Deschutes Public Library’s Author! Author! among other organizations.

All remaining final grant payments for the current year will be dispersed, according to Visit Bend. Contact: visitbend.com/about-us/bend-cultural-tourism-fund.