Visit Bucks County (VBC), the official tourism promotion agency for Bucks County, distributed $279,000 to 43 Bucks County nonprofits at the Bucks County Visitor Center in Bensalem.
The Visit Bucks County Tourism Grant program was established more than 10 years ago to assist in the development and enhancement of not-for-profit tourism initiatives in Bucks County. The program is funded from a portion received from the Bucks County lodging tax assessed to visitors staying overnight in hotels, bed and breakfasts and home-shares.
Since the inception of the grant program, Visit Bucks County has distributed more than $4.6 million to 110 organizations. Grant funding is used for advertising, new exhibits, increased signage, restorations, website redesigns, marketing collateral and more.
Previous use of grant funds includes capital improvements such as the County Theater’s restoration and protection of its distinctive enamel-panel façade, iconic neon tower and marquee canopy, as well as the painting and restoration of the historic Gambrel Roof House in Historic Fallsington.
The program has also assisted in funding the Bucks County Children’s Museum’s “Make Your Mark” Pin Wall Exhibit, where guests participate in tactile activities and an exploration of native Bucks County fossils. Additionally, grant dollars have supported marketing efforts for Michener Art Museum exhibitions, the Bucks County Community College Foundation’s Bucks County Plein Air Festival and the Bucks County Wine Trail’s marketing initiatives.
Beginning in 2020, one grant recipient each cycle will be recognized as the Charles H. Martin Grant Recipient, in recognition of Commissioner Martin’s commitment in starting and supporting the Bucks County Tourism Grant Program for nonprofits in the travel and hospitality industry.
Fall 2019 recipients are as follows:
Acting Naturally Inc.; ActorsNET of Bucks County; African American Museum of Bucks County; The Andalusia Foundation; AOY Art Center; The Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County;
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve; Bristol Riverside Theatre; Bucks County Audubon Society at Honey Hollow; The Bucks County Children’s Museum; The Bucks County Gilbert & Sullivan Society; The Bucks County Wine Trail;
Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce; Churchville Nature Center; The Conservatory of Music; Delaware River Towns Chamber of Commerce; Experience Yardley; Friends of Washington Crossing Park;
Heritage Conservancy; Historic Fallsington Inc.; James A. Michener Art Museum; Johnsville Centrifuge and Science Museum; La Fiocco; Lenape Chamber Ensemble; Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Museum; Bucks County Historical Society’s Mercer Museum;
New Hope Celebrates, Inc.; Newtown Arts Company; Newtown Chamber Orchestra; Newtown Historic Association; Newtown Theatre; The Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center;
Pearl S. Buck International; The Pennsbury Society; Perkasie Towne Improvement Association; Quakertown Alive!; Raising the Bar; Snipes Farm and Education Center; Startup Bucks;
TMA Bucks Foundation; Twin Rivertown Projects, Inc.; Village Improvement Association; and Warminster Symphony Society.
Applications for the next tourism grant are due on April 1, 2020. Details regarding the tourism grant application process can be found on Visit Bucks County’s website at VisitBucksCounty.com/Grants.
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