Three projects in Door County, two to enhance accessibility in public space and at a bird sanctuary and one for a veteran-involved effort to preserve a historic schooner, won grants totaling more than $190,000 from Destination Door County's Community Investment Fund.
The fund, administered by Destination Door County in partnership with the Door County Community Foundation, awards grants to "projects that improve the quality of life for those who live and work in Door County," according to the fund's website. The fund's website further says it looks for creative ideas that make a meaningful impact and cross municipal boundaries, encourage collaboration, leverage additional resources and allow residents to experience the positive impacts of tourism.
With the $190,260 awarded for this cycle, the fund now has dispensed more than $3.96 million to 74 local projects in 14 grant cycles that have taken place, four a year, since the program began in May 2023. Award amounts in this cycle ranged from from $29,060 to $87,000.
All money for the fund comes from a portion of the 8% room tax administered by the Door County Tourism Zone Commission for overnight short-term rentals by visitors. Wisconsin state statute requires that room tax dollars are used in ways that benefit visitors, so that is a requirement of any project seeking a grant, as well as showing how the project would improve local quality of life.
"Tourism plays an important role in Door County, and this fund gives us a meaningful way to reinvest a portion of room tax dollars into projects that benefit our community," Destination Door County president/CEO Jon Jarosh said in a news release. "We're excited to see these three projects move forward and the positive impact they will have for both our residents and visitors."
The projects and the amounts they received are:
Destination Sturgeon Bay, $87,000 to create ADA-accessible public restrooms that improve downtown Sturgeon Bay for visitors and residents as they attend festivals, shop, dine and enjoy historic Third Avenue.
Patriot Racing Project, $74,000 to preserve and restore the historic tall ship Utopia, now permanently moored at the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay, to expand maritime experiences, education and programming for veterans that is unique to Door County and its surrounding waters.
Open Door Bird Sanctuary, west of Jacksonport in Sturgeon Bay, $29,060 to build a year-round, ADA-accessible songbird aviary that expands environmental education and wildlife experiences while providing a permanent home for nonreleaseable songbirds. This project also received an additional $9,000 from other funds at the Community Foundation, making the total investment $38,060.
The deadline for the fall grant application cycle is 4 p.m. Sept. 28, with applications for the winter cycle due Dec. 28. Destination Door County, the county's tourism marketing and management organization, encourages local nonprofit organizations and municipalities interested in applying to schedule a meeting with the Door County Community Foundation to discuss their idea before submitting an application.
To speak with the community foundation about the grants, call 920-746-1786 or email [email protected]. For more on the Community Investment Fund, including funding requirements and online applications, visit communityinvestmentfund.org.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Door County projects for accessibility, tall ship win $190K in grants