All Projects
The Bend Cultural Tourism Fund invests in cultural activities that draw visitors from beyond a 50-mile radius, benefiting our local economy and our community. We fund new activities through our Catalyst Grant program, as well as long standing cultural traditions via our Marketing Grant program. Since its inception in 2015, the BCTF has awarded $1,449,500 for 87 projects. Learn more about these projects below.
American West Art Festival
- 2017 •
- High Desert Museum •
- $17,400
-
•
- Catalyst
The High Desert Museum’s multi-day art festival will feature visual artists’ depictions of the American West, increasing access to cultural...
Annual Piano Showcase
- 2016 -
- 2019 •
- Sunriver Music Festival •
- $45,050
-
•
- Marketing
The Sunriver Music Festival is teaming up with the Tower Theatre to present the Annual Piano Showcase (previously known as...
Après Ski Bash Concert Series
- 2018 •
- Crow's Feet Commons •
- $14,250
-
•
- Marketing
The Crow’s Feet Commons Après Ski Bash is a series of free downtown concerts hosted from November through April. The...
Art at Burning Man Exhibit
- 2019 •
- High Desert Museum •
- $39,000
-
•
- Marketing
To support Vast, Loud and on Fire: Art at Burning Man exhibition and associated programs will recreate the art, community...
Art in Nature Outdoor Concert
- 2021 •
- Wanderlust Tours •
- $18,500
-
•
- Marketing
To fund Art in Nature outdoor concerts at the High Desert Museum Thursday, September 9, 2021 in the evening.
Arts Discovery Study
- 2022 •
- Central Oregon Center for the Arts •
- $10,000
-
•
- Catalyst
To fund a discovery study for the creations of a new facility that will provide a home for the presentation...
Arts for the People Exhibit
- 2015 •
- High Desert Museum •
- $15,750
-
•
- Marketing
High Desert Museum will mount the exhibit, “Arts for the People”, which will make art and culture accessible to contemporary...
Author! Author! Series
- 2015 •
- Deschutes Public Library Foundation •
- $11,000
-
•
- Marketing
The Deschutes Public Library Foundation will continue its literary Author! Author! series, presenting renowned author Timothy Egan and marketing to...
Bend A Cappella Festival
- 2015 -
- 2019 •
- Tower Theatre Foundation •
- $95,700
-
•
- Marketing
The Tower Theatre Foundation, partnering with local vocal music leaders, will launch “Bend A Cappella Festival” February 19-‐21, 2016. The...
Bend Brewfest
- 2021 •
- Old Mill District •
- $11,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund marketing for the move of the Bend Brewfest from August to the second weekend of May in 2022.
Bend Creative Music Project
- 2022 •
- Paula Dreyer •
- $5,750
-
•
- Marketing
To fund marketing for the Bend Creative Music Project, outdoor concerts heard through wireless headphones.
Bend Design Conference
- 2015 -
- 2018 •
- ScaleHouse •
- $136,833
-
•
- Marketing
ScaleHouse is creating Bend Design Conference, an inaugural event that will present award-‐winning and nationally-‐recognized thought-‐leaders to showcase design as...
Bend Fall Festival
- 2021 -
- 2022 •
- Lay It Out Events •
- $51,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund the Bend Fall Festival, reprising its live music stages, popular Harvest Market and The Souk, an international artisan...
Bend Podcast Project
- 2021 •
- Dirty Freehub •
- $6,500
-
•
- Catalyst
To fund the development of a set of short, micro podcasts that are single topic-specific relating to Bend’s history and/or...
Bend Roots Revival
- 2022 •
- Bend Roots Revival •
- $14,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund marketing efforts for Bend Roots Revival, scheduled for September 23-25, 2022.
Bend Yoga Festival
- 2022 •
- Bend Yoga Festival, LLC •
- $30,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund marketing efforts for the Bend Yoga Festival, a destination festival, comprising a multi-day cultural experience of yoga practices...
BendFilm Festival
- 2015 -
- 2022 •
- BendFilm •
- $260,133
-
•
- Marketing
The Bend Cultural Tourism Fund has been a lifeline for BendFilm over the past seven years. Prior to this funding...
Big Butte Challenge
- 2021 •
- Cascade Relays •
- $6,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund the creation of historical podcasts as part of the Big Butte Challenge, a virtual event hosted over three...
Concerts in Bend Oregon
- 2022 •
- 1988 Entertainment LLC •
- $30,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund shoulder season concert promotion.
Contemporary Arts Festival (Words, Art, Performing)
- 2021 •
- ScaleHouse •
- $12,000
-
•
- Catalyst
To fund a two-day multi-disciplinary event with performances, talks, workshops, spoken-word performances, poetry slams and interactive art projects.
Crusin' 97 Exhibit
- 2018 •
- Deschutes County Historical Society •
- $9,500
-
•
- Marketing
The Deschutes County Historical Society (DCHS) will create Cruisin’ 97, an exhibit and heritage program highlighting the history of Highway...
Cultural Connections Video
- 2021 •
- Cascades Theatrical Company •
- $3,500
-
•
- Marketing
To fund the creation of a Cultural Connections video to play before the December showing of the “Miracle on 34th...
Deschoops 3x
- 2021 •
- Pek Projects LLC •
- $7,500
-
•
- Marketing
To fund part of a cultural experience at the Deschoops 3×3 basketball tournament in Downtown Bend on September 4th and...
Dinosaurs Take Flight Exhibit
- 2017 •
- High Desert Museum •
- $37,109
-
•
- Marketing
Presenting the traveling exhibit, Dinosaurs Take Flight: The Art of Archaeopteryx, brings to life the Archaeopteryx a unique creature that...
Discover Bend: Play Like a Local
- 2022 •
- Central Oregon Media Group dba The Bulletin •
- $30,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund the creations and marketing of Discover Bend: Play Like a Local, self-guided tours,highlighting 25-30 engaging arts & culture...
Edward Curtis Exhibit
- 2015 •
- Atelier 6000 •
- $13,500
-
•
- Marketing
A6 will present an art exhibit of eminent photographer Edward Curtis and produce several related events, attracting a broad audience....
Feasibility Study
- 2021 •
- Central Oregon Center for the Arts •
- $10,000
-
•
- Catalyst
To fund a feasibility study to determine the suitability of building a comprehensive performing-and-visual-arts facility in Central Oregon.
GeoTour
-
•
- Marketing
To fund the Bend Arts, Culture and Adventure (BACA) GeoTour & AdventureLab, highlighting 12-15 engaging arts & culture places throughout...
High Desert Music Festival
- 2022 •
- High Desert Music Collective LLC •
- $6,000
-
•
- Catalyst
To fund the creations and promotion of the High Dessert Music Festival(HDMF), a music and cannabis culture festival designed to...
Juneteeth Celebration
- 2022 •
- The Father's Group •
- $14,000
-
•
- Catalyst
To fund marketing for the Juneteenth Celebration in June, 2023.The festival will provide unique and family friendly entertainment, music, food,...
Late Summer/Fall Concert Marketing Campaign
- 2022 •
- Old Mill District •
- $19,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund marketing efforts for post-Labor Day concerts at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater.
Les Schwab Amphitheater Concerts
- 2015 •
- Deschutes River Amphitheater •
- $15,750
-
•
- Marketing
The Les Schwab Amphitheater increase visitor traffic by promoting several of its concerts to specific out-of-area markets that have shown...
Little Shop of Horrors
- 2022 •
- The Greenhouse Cabaret •
- $10,000
-
•
- Catalyst
To fund the creation of annually recurring musical experience around the cult classic musical: “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Living Stories Exhibition
- 2022 •
- High Desert Museum •
- $45,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund the marketing for Living Stories: Exploring Dynamic Artforms of the Indigenous Plateau (working title), where six native artists...
Location Manager Familiarization
- 2021 •
- Central Oregon Film Office •
- $5,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund part of the costs of bringing up to ten location managers to Bend to scout for filming.
Location Scout Tour
- 2019 •
- Central Oregon Film Office •
- $6,000
-
•
- Catalyst
Central Oregon Film Office is researching and developing a new program to bring in approximately six to eight leading location...
Maker Festival
- 2021 •
- High Desert Makers •
- $4,500
-
•
- Catalyst
To fund a maker festival planned for November, organized through the High Desert Makers and affiliated sponsors.
Muse Conference/UnConference
- 2015 -
- 2021 •
- World Muse •
- $97,125
-
•
- Marketing
World MUSE hosted its first MUSE Conference in 2013 as a one-day event to support and celebrate women and girls...
Off-season Marketing
- 2022 •
- Cascades Theatrical Company •
- $7,500
-
•
- Marketing
To fund marketing for shoulder seasons productions.
Opening Japan Woodblock Prints Exhibit
- 2016 •
- Atelier 6000 •
- $21,066
-
•
- Marketing
A6 will present a major art exhibit, “Opening Japan: Three Centuries of Woodblock Prints,” this fall. These works of art...
Oregon Winterfest
- 2017 -
- 2019 •
- Lay It Out Events •
- $46,889
-
•
- Marketing
Every year, over a long wintry February weekend more than 20,000 people are drawn to the Old Mill in Bend...
Piano Flow Live Concert Series
- 2021 •
- Paula Dreyer •
- $4,500
-
•
- Catalyst
To fund the development of a concert series that will take place in outdoor settings throughout Bend through wireless headphones,...
PLAYA Art + Science Symposium
- 2022 •
- PLAYA •
- $10,000
-
•
- Catalyst
To fund the first iteration of what it intends to make a bi-annual Art and Science Symposium in Bend on...
PNW Photo Summit
- 2019 -
- 2021 •
- Bend Photo Tours •
- $19,500
-
•
- Catalyst
Bend Photo Tours’ Pacific Northwest (PNW) Photo Summit is a 3-day conference comprised of a 2-day speaker series, trade show...
Podcast Marketing
- 2022 •
- Dirty Freehub •
- $10,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund the creation and execution of a comprehensive marketing plan for the cultural podcasts that completement many of the...
Stage the Change Conference
- 2021 -
- 2022 •
- Tower Theatre Foundation •
- $70,000
-
•
- Marketing
Stage the Change is the Tower Theatre’s 2-day conference, open to high school students throughout the Pacific Northwest. Stage the...
TEDxBend
- 2017 •
- TEDxBend •
- $11,550
-
•
- Marketing
Sparked by the celebrated TED conferences worldwide, TEDxBend is our very own locally-organized event featuring a dozen talks, demonstrations, and...
Theater Events Website
- 2017 •
- Stage Right Productions/2nd Street Theater •
- $4,000
-
•
- Catalyst
Stage Right Productions will develop a website that will be a single source for all theatre-related events in Central Oregon....
Train Club Open House
- 2021 •
- Eastern Cascades Model Railroad Club •
- $6,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund website improvements and social media for the 25th Anniversary of the Train Club’s Open House, which has always...
Utopias Exhibition — Imagine a World
- 2021 •
- High Desert Museum •
- $40,000
-
•
- Marketing
To fund Utopias (name changed to Imagine a World), an upcoming High Desert Museum exhibition, that will look at the...
Water in the West Exhibit
- 2018 •
- High Desert Museum •
- $33,750
-
•
- Marketing
The High Desert Museum’s innovative, interdisciplinary exhibition, Water in the West, will use art, science and history to explore this...
Weekend of Art
- 2018 •
- Bend Art Center •
- $15,000
-
•
- Marketing
Bend Art Center will host the 2nd Annual Weekend of Art in Bend on April 26-28, 2019. Weekend of Art...
Winter Comes Exhibit
- 2015 •
- Deschutes County Historical Society •
- $12,000
-
•
- Marketing
The Deschutes County Historical Society will prepare a major exhibit, “Winter Comes,” telling the history of Nordic skiing, a state-‐wide...
Winter Pride Festival
- 2018 •
- OUT Central Oregon •
- $10,000
-
•
- Catalyst
OUT Central Oregon proposes to further develop and establish an LGBTQ winter festival in Bend: Winter Pride Festival. Winter Pride...
Winter PrideFest
- 2019 -
- 2022 •
- OUT Central Oregon •
- $75,500
-
•
- Marketing
To fund Winter PrideFest, a multi-day and multi-event weekend celebrating diversity and inclusivity in the outdoors through various winter activities,...
Words in Action Literary Festival
- 2018 •
- Oregon State University - Cascades MFA in Creative Writing •
- $12,500
-
•
- Catalyst
Words In Action is a two-day literary festival sponsored by OSU-Cascades Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing. The...
World War II High Desert Homefront Exhibit
- 2016 •
- High Desert Museum •
- $40,000
-
•
- Marketing
The High Desert Museum (HDM) will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United States’entry into World War II (WWII) with...
A Few of the Awarded
Grantees
Dirty Freehub
High Desert Museum