Tourism promotion grants awarded to 5 New Hope nonprofits

Five New Hope-based nonprofits were awarded grants on Wednesday by Visit Bucks County (VBC), the official tourism promotion agency for Bucks County.

Bucks County Audubon Society, Bucks County Children’s Museum, New Hope Celebrates, New Hope Historical Society, and Twin Rivertown Projects received funding. New Hope Celebrates received two grants — one that will fund the group’s regional meeting, and another for its “Retro-Scope” program.

In all, VBC distributed $300,000 on Wednesday to 32 Bucks County nonprofits at the Bucks County Visitor Center in Bensalem.

The Visit Bucks County Tourism Grant program was established 10 years ago to promote not-for-profit tourism initiatives in Bucks County. The program is funded from a portion of the Bucks County lodging tax assessed to visitors staying overnight in hotels and bed and breakfasts.

Since the inception of the grant program in 2008, Visit Bucks County has distributed more than $4.1 million to 107 organizations. Grant funding is used for advertising, new exhibits, increased signage, restorations, website redesigns, marketing collateral, educational expansions and more.

Previous use of grant funds include capital improvements such as the restoration of the Thompson Neely Mill at Washington Crossing Historic Park. The program has also assisted in funding the installation of new public exhibitions, including the High Rocks Climbing Wall exhibit at the Bucks County Children’s Museum and The Art of Seating exhibit at the James A. Michener Art Museum.

Applications for the next tourism grant are due April 1, 2019.