Visit Bend puts arts-granting program on hold

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend’s not-for-profit tourism bureau, Visit Bend, announced Thursday that the organization is placing a temporary hold on the 2020-2021 granting cycle for the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund.

Since 2015, Visit Bend has operated the BCTF as the largest arts-granting program in the Pacific Northwest. Funding for both the BCTF and for Visit Bend comes from transient room tax collections on short-term vacation lodging, an industry that has ground to a halt with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Visit Bend is aligned with local and national officials in urging people not to travel,” explained Visit Bend CEO Kevney Dugan. “All of our messaging right now is aimed at encouraging people to stay home and curb the spread of coronavirus. Unfortunately, the result is a lack of funding not only for Visit Bend itself, but for programs supported by tourism revenue, including the BCTF and the room tax dollars that go to the city’s general fund for services like police, fire, and infrastructure projects.”

The BCTF will temporarily suspend operations, putting a hold on applications for the next granting cycle. All remaining final grant payments for the current year will be dispersed as promised.

The BCTF program has granted nearly $1 million to arts programs around Central Oregon since it launched the first granting cycle in 2015. Recipients have included organizations like The Tower Theatre, Out Central Oregon, and the High Desert Museum, as well as events such as Bend A Cappella Fest, Bend Design Conference, and the BendFilm Festival.

René Mitchell, a longtime Bend arts advocate and former member of the BCTF commission said the funding freeze is unfortunate, but understandable.

“The BCTF has helped many arts organizations develop programs that could not have existed otherwise,” she explained. “It’s sad that granting will be suspended for now, but clearly there’s no way to support the program without room tax revenue for funding. The health and safety of our community is our first priority right now."

The BCTF dates back to 2013, when Visit Bend championed a ballot measure to raise local transient room tax rates from 9% to 10.4% for short-term lodging within the city of Bend. This increased tax rate that visitors pay on short-term lodging provides dedicated funding for arts and culture organizations, as well as for police and fire operations.

The funds distributed through BCTF have traditionally been earmarked for events and exhibits occurring during Bend’s slower shoulder seasons, like spring and fall. 

With the COVID-19 crisis dragging tourism to an outright halt, room occupancy rates have plummeted to almost single digits and continue to drop. “The few individuals staying in Bend hotels and vacation rentals right now are first responders or other medical professionals who are self-quarantining to avoid spreading the virus to their families,” Dugan explained.

In addition to suspending BCTF grants, Visit Bend has halted its own tourism advertising and slashed budgets, including staff layoffs and pay cuts. 

While the 2020-2021 BCTF granting cycle will be placed on hold indefinitely, Visit Bend remains confident the program will continue, once people can safely resume travel.

“Visit Bend is committed to supporting local businesses and organizations that rely on tourist dollars to keep their families fed,” Dugan said. “We know things are uncertain now, and it’s uncomfortable for all of us not to know the end-date for this. But the difficult cuts we’re making will help ensure BCTF will be here in the future to support Bend’s vital arts and culture scene, and we know the arts will be a vital part of restarting Bend’s economy.”