Destination Door County has launched the Community Investment Fund which will use dollars generated by visitors to improve the quality of life for those who live and work in Door County.
Donor Name: Door County Community Foundation
States: Wisconsin
County: Door County (WI)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/06/2023
Size of the Grant: $100,000
Details:
Central to the work of Destination Door County is an effort to ensure that every visitor has an enjoyable experience. While Door County is a naturally welcoming community, DDC’s primary reason for ensuring visitors enjoy their experience in Door County is because it benefits their residents. When people visit Door County, they spend money here – creating jobs for their families, generating incremental tax dollars, providing us economic opportunities, and supporting the amenities that enhance the quality of life for those of us lucky enough to call Door County home. They use tourism to build a better life for the residents of Door County.
The Community Investment Fund, created in partnership with the Door County Community Foundation, is a natural evolution of Destination Door County’s work. Using a portion of the room tax dollars paid by visitors, the Community Investment Fund will offer grants to projects that improve the quality of life for those who live and work in Door County. It’s yet another example that tourism makes life better for Door County residents.
Prioritizing Impact on Residents
Wisconsin State Statutes require that they use room tax dollars in ways that benefit tourists, but that’s not sufficient for
- your application to succeed. To earn a grant from the Community Investment Fund, a project must also demonstrate
- how it will meaningfully improve the quality of life for the residents of Door County. The specific priorities of the Community Investment Fund are:
- Creative ideas that have a meaningful impact on the people who live and work in Door County
- Impact crosses municipal boundaries
- Encourages collaboration
- Leverages additional resources
- Residents experience the positive impact of tourism
Most Common Types of Projects
To help you understand how to meet statutory requirements, projects appropriate for funding from the Community Investment Fund usually fall into at least one of the three categories defined below.
- Tangible Development: The most common type of application that will meet statutory requirements are those that involve tangible development. These include capital construction projects as well as upgrades and expansions of existing facilities. The installation of permanent exhibits will often qualify, as might customer-facing items and equipment that improve their experience. Appropriate “tangible” projects will result in something that has a definable physical form which are long-term, reusable, or permanent in nature.
- Exceptional Events: These kinds of projects are more challenging to qualify under state statutes but might still be appropriate under certain circumstances. The most common examples are activities, programs, or events that will be marketed broadly and have significant appeal beyond the normal audience or customers served by the applicant.
- Public Information: Ongoing operational expenses are by far the most difficult kinds of applications to align with statutory requirements. However, if the activities you are asking us to fund provide useful information that is relevant to those visiting Door County, the operating costs associated with those activities may qualify.
Funding Information
DCCF anticipate that the average grant will be about $100,000, but more modest requests are welcome and encouraged.
Eligibility Criteria
Qualified applicants include 501(c)(3) public charities, 501(c)(6) organizations, and units of government.
For more information, visit DCCF.
