August 19, 2022 | From City of New Orleans
MAYOR CANTRELL, NEW ORLEANS TOURISM AND CULTURAL FUND RETURN FOR QUARTER TWO UPDATE ON GRANTS, ELEVATION SERIES AND UPCOMING INITIATIVES
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell yesterday was joined by Mayor for a Day essay contest winner Declan Samuelson, and the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund (NOTCF) provided a quarterly update on grants awarded since May and discussed the impact of hotel occupancy taxes on the fund's mission.
"The New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund was created strategically and intentionally to invest public dollars and tax generated dollars in to our cultural community," said Mayor Cantrell. "I have charged my Office of Cultural Economy in not only creating this fund, but in making sure that culture was embedded in each board member. This city exists because of culture and its important that we invest in it so that it lives on for generations to come."
Last quarter, the NOTCF awarded approximately $1 million to large events including festivals as well as smaller direct funding for cultural programming. This is made possible through the Hotel Occupancy Privilege Tax, which is NOTCF’s only source of revenue. The tax is generated according to increased hotel occupancy which creates a positive economic impact on the City of New Orleans. In 2022, tax dollars have supported growth in the technology industry by supporting such initiatives as Idea Village Entrepreneur Week and NOLAVATE. These grants alone have totaled $125,000.
"The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy and the NOTCF support culture bearers and cultural industries through partnerships, grants and programs that provide both funding and resources to advance sustainable tourism,” said President/CEO of NOTCF Lisa Alexis. “Our commitment to advance our cultural artists through tourism dollars are critical as we all work to recover economically. Let’s elevate and strengthen our cultural industries by supporting them by sharing a positive word and social media posts to open the door for more business.”
“When we teach creative traditions and skills, we contribute to maintaining the cultural heritage and lifetime of purpose,” said Owner/Director of NOLA DDM Briana Henry. "Such partnerships allow the NOTCF to further their commitment of providing support and empowerment to artists. Other partnerships such as Google and K. Allen Consulting’s Elevation Series provide personal and professional growth through digital skills training."
On Saturday, August 20, NOTCF will host an in-person workshop, Customer Focused Marketing. Attendees will learn how to create a compelling brand, define their audience, effectively convert customers and build loyalty and advocacy. This training will take place at Delgado’s City Park Campus, 615 City Park Avenue from 9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. in building 8. Registration is required. If you are interested in signing up for the workshop click this link.
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