18th and Vine Arts Festival Receives Support from Kansas City: Celebrating Our Partnership with the Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund
We are thrilled to announce that the 18th and Vine Arts Festival has received support from the city of Kansas City through the Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund (NTDF) program. This program provides support to non-profit organizations like ours through contracts for services.
As an organization committed to promoting and celebrating black art, music, and culture, this support is incredibly meaningful to us. The NTDF program was established in 1989 to help promote Kansas City's distinct and diverse neighborhoods through cultural, social, ethnic, historic, educational, and recreational activities. We are honored to be recognized as an organization that meets these requirements and is making a positive impact on our city.
The tourism and convention industry is a significant contributor to the Kansas City metropolitan area's economy, bringing in $4.6 billion in direct expenditures. With over 22.3 million U.S. visitors annually, our city's top activities include shopping, fine dining, gaming, sightseeing, cultural attractions, sports events, and exhibits/festivals. The Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund plays a crucial role in supporting these activities and promoting Kansas City as a premier convention, visitor, and tourist center.
For us, this support from the NTDF program means that we can continue to grow and improve our annual arts festival, which showcases the incredible talent and creativity of black artists and musicians from across the country. It also means that we can offer even more opportunities for local artists to showcase their work and reach a wider audience.
We want to express our deep gratitude to the city of Kansas City for recognizing the importance of our festival and supporting our mission to celebrate and promote black art and culture. We also want to thank all of our supporters, volunteers, and artists who make our festival possible year after year.
We look forward to the upcoming festival and continuing to make a positive impact in our community. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us!