Funding Source Divisions

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1. Organizations that fund tourism and/or cultural heritage tourism initiatives as part of their mission
2. Organizations whose mission does not include cultural heritage tourism but have funded related initiatives
3. Organizations that could potentially fund cultural heritage tourism related initiatives

1. Organizations that fund tourism and/or cultural heritage tourism initiatives as part of their mission

Colorado Council on the Arts
The Colorado Council on the Arts (CCA) provides grants in two subsets: grants to artists and organizations, and youth development grants. The grants to artists and organizations are designed to leverage local support for arts and cultural activities in support of CCA's goals, including activities that support and promote the state's cultural heritage. Artists, cultural organizations and community groups are eligible to apply. www.coloarts.state.co.us

Colorado Tourism Office — Marketing Matching Grant Program
The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) administers the Statewide Marketing Matching Grant Program (which assists organizations with promotion of the state as a whole) and the Regional Matching Grant Program (which assists organizations with the promotion of specific regions in Colorado). Within the context of marketing projects, the funds may be spent on promotion, product packaging, networking and communication, and education. Not-for-profit organizations are eligible to apply. For every $1 the organization allocates to the program, the CTO will provide $2 in matching funds. www.colorado.com/static.php?file=industry_partners

National Scenic Byways Program
The National Scenic Byways Program and the Federal Highway Administration supply funds for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Scenic Byways Commission to administer. The funds can be used for corridor planning and management, resource protection, interpretation, safety projects, amenity development and marketing. Applications are only accepted by CDOT from established scenic byways groups, but historically, byways groups have advanced proposals in partnership with other organizations—including cultural heritage tourism groups—in support of the byways' goals. The grants are limited to $100,000. www.coloradobyways.org, sally.pearce@dot.state.co.us

National Trust for Historic Preservation
This endowment funds 14 different grants. The Preservation Funds Matching Grants and Intervention Funds assist nonprofit and public agencies with planning and educational projects or preservation emergencies, respectively. The Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation provides matching grants for nonprofit and public organizations whose projects contribute to preservation and/or recapturing an authentic sense of place. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors provides grants for professional expertise, communications, materials and education programs. Individuals and for-profit groups may apply. The latter two grants only apply to National Historic Landmark sites. www.nthp.org/funding

Preserve America
The Preserve America grants program funds "activities related to heritage tourism and innovative approaches to the use of historic properties as educational and economic assets." Its five categories are: research and documentation; interpretation and education; planning; marketing; and training. The grant does not fund "bricks and mortar" rehabilitation or restoration. This grant is available to State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs), Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPOs), designated Preserve America communities and Certified Local Governments (CLGs) applying for designation as Preserve America Communities. Grants require a dollar-for-dollar non-federal match in the form of cash or donated services. www.preserveamerica.gov/federalsupport.html

State Historical Fund
The Colorado Historical Society's State Historical Fund awards grants for preservation projects, education projects (including heritage tourism) and survey and planning projects. All projects must focus on the built historical environment including, but not limited to, buildings, landscapes and individuals involved in the building industry. Only not-for-profit and public entities are eligible to apply. A 25 percent match is requested. The State Historical Fund assists in the writing and administration of grants through its Public Outreach Unit that reads drafts, visits sites and conducts grant workshops. Approximately 65 percent of applications receive funding. www.coloradohistory-oahp.org/programareas/shf/shfindex.htm

Tourism Cares
Tourism Cares supports the efforts of tourism to "preserve, conserve and promote" the things that are our cultural and historic assets through its worldwide grant program. Grants provide money for capital improvements on important sites, as well as the education of local communities and the traveling public about conservation and preservation. Only 501(3)(c) not-for-profit corporations are eligible. Grant applications that leverage other sources of funding, are endorsed by the local, state, or regional tourism office and have strong support from the local community have a better chance of being funded. www.tourismcares.org

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2. Organizations whose mission does not include cultural heritage tourism but have funded related initiatives

The Colorado Brownfields Foundation: Historic Byways Revitalization Initiative

The Initiative is intended to further local economic development by providing environmental assessment and cleanup services to historic preservation, building renovation, and site reuse along Colorado’s scenic byways and historic districts. The “Revitalization Initiative” is a partnership between the CO Department of Public Health & Environment, the CO Division of Oil & Public Safety, and the nonprofit Colorado Brownfields Foundation. The Colorado Brownfields Foundation is the primary contact and program liaison. www.coloradobrownfieldsfoundation.org/HistoricByways.html, info@ColoradoBrownfieldsFoundation.org

The Colorado Brownfields Foundation: Environmental Due Diligence Assistance
The Colorado Brownfields Foundations Environmental Due Diligence (EDD) Program grants Phase I environmental assessment services to select communities to assist in furthering their economic development efforts involving transactions, building renovation, and site reuse. www.coloradobrownfieldsfoundation.org/edd.html, info@ColoradoBrownfieldsFoundation.org

Colorado Division of Wildlife
The Colorado Division of Wildlife provides funds to preserve, protect and create natural habitats and landscapes. The Cooperative Habitat Improvement Program (CHIP) provides financial and technical assistance to landowners for the creation and enhancement of habitat. The Pheasant Habitat Improvement Program provides funding and technical assistance for habitat restoration. The Colorado Wetlands Partnership (CWP) provides funding for wetland restoration and creation, and for the purchase of conservation easements and fee-titles. Private landowners, public entities and nonprofits are eligible. CHIP requires a 15 percent match in cash or in-kind services by the landowner who is responsible for maintenance. CWP requires funds from other sources to be used, but sets no specific match. wildlife.state.co.us

Colorado State Parks — State Trails Program Grant Process
Through its State Trails Program grant process, the Colorado State Parks provides funds for the acquisition of land or water to be used for recreational purposes or the construction or redevelopment of outdoor recreational facilities. The funds can only be used for planning projects if the project is done with the Colorado State Parks. Municipalities, counties and special districts are eligible to apply. The grant process is competitive and requires a 50/50 fund match. Projects should attempt to be in line with the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. www.parks.state.co.us/default.asp?action=park&parkID=111

Department of Local Affairs — Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance
Energy and Mineral Impact Grants administered by the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) assist communities affected by the growth and decline of extractive industries. The applicability of these funds to cultural heritage tourism lies mostly in their ability to fund improvements to public facilities and local government planning efforts where cultural heritage tourism-related goals can be furthered through economic development initiatives. Municipalities, counties, school districts, special districts and state agencies are eligible for the funds. Because these grants require matching funds, applications with higher matches receive more favor as they highlight community support. www.dola.state.co.us/LGS/FA/emia.htm

Department of Local Affairs — Heritage Grants Through the Smart Growth Initiative
Administered by the Department of Local Affairs, heritage grants awarded through the Smart Growth Initiative are intended to address the impacts of growth. These grants have been frequently used to fund planning efforts—including those that end or mitigate the loss of agriculture and working landscapes. Towns, cities, counties and special districts can apply for the grants. Since these grants require matching funds, applications with a higher match are favored because they demonstrate community support. www.dola.state.co.us/SmartGrowth/chpg.htm

El Pomar Foundation
The El Pomar Foundation supports Colorado projects related to health, human services, education, arts and humanities, and civic and community initiatives. Generally, El Pomar does not fund seasonal activities, travel or media projects, but their funding has supported other aspects of cultural heritage tourism, including regional planning and development. Recipients must be not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizations. www.elpomar.org

Great Outdoors Colorado
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) provides funding "to identify, acquire, develop or manage open lands and parks." GOCO has seven different grant programs, and four of them may be applicable for Colorado Heritage Tourism. Legacy Initiative Grants are for projects of regional or statewide significance. Open Space Grants protect land and other natural areas. Wildlife Grants are for the recovery and protection of critical habitats. Trail Grants are for building, enhancing, maintaining or expanding trails. GOCO grants are available to local governments and other political subdivisions of the state, as well as nonprofit land conservation entities. The grants require 25 percent matching funds. www.goco.org

The Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent federal grant-making agency that promotes the preservation and conservation of a diverse array of museum collections. The Conservation Project Support (CPS) program funds surveys, training, research, treatment, and environmental improvements for institutions of all sizes. Through a cooperative agreement with Heritage Preservation, the Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) provides funds for the assessment of a museum by a professional conservator and/or architect, leading to recommendations and planning. Small to midsize institutions and museums of nonliving, natural history, living plants or living animal collections are eligible for CAP funding. www.imls.gov/about/initiatives.shtm

National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts organizes its grants around artistic disciplines and fields such as "folk and traditional arts," "local arts agencies," "state and regional" and "museums." Within these categories, the applicable grants are listed. The grants provide funding for artistic endeavors, interpretation, marketing and planning. Not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizations and units of state or local government, or a recognized tribal community are eligible. An organization must have a three-year history of programming prior to the application deadline. www.nea.gov

National Endowment For The Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is a federal program that issues grants to fund high-quality humanities projects. Some grant categories that may be well suited to cultural heritage tourism are: grants to preserve and create access to humanities collections, interpreting America's historic places implementation and planning grants, museums and historical organizations implementation grants and preservation and access research and development projects grants. The grants go to organizations such as museums, libraries, archives, colleges, universities, public television, radio stations and to individual scholars. Matches are required and can consist of cash, in-kind gifts or donated services. www.neh.gov

Save America's Treasures
The Save America's Treasures (SAT) Historic Preservation Grant funds preservation and conservation of nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts and historic structures and sites. Those eligible include federal agencies funded by the Department of the Interior, nonprofit 501(c) organizations, units of state or local government, recognized Indian tribes and active religious organizations that meet all other criteria. These grants require a dollar-for-dollar nonfederal match, which may be cash, services or equipment. Recipients must meet standards set out by SAT. www.saveamericastreasures.org

USDA Community Facilities Grant Program
The purpose of USDA Community Facilities Grants is to "assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural areas and towns of up to 20,000 in population." These funds can be used for facilities that house "health care, public safety and community and public services." As an example, New Athens, Ohio, used the funding to restore a museum. Grants are available to public entities such as municipalities, counties and special-purpose districts, as well as nonprofit corporations and tribal governments. www.rurdev.usda.gov

USDA Rural Development Co-Operative Service Grants
These grants can be used to develop new co-ops and provide assistance to existing co-ops with the broad goal of improving rural economic conditions. The funds must be used for something co-op related, which limits their applicability to cultural heritage tourism, but as an example, a co-op farmer's market was able to use these funds. Eligible recipients are not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporations and institutes of higher education. Public bodies are not eligible. A 25 percent match is required. www.rurdev.usda.gov

W. K. Kellogg Foundation
The Kellogg Foundation provides grants in four interest areas. The Rural Development Interest Area is the most applicable to cultural heritage tourism. Grants in this area are to "fund collaborative comprehensive and inclusive approaches to rural economic development." Many organizations are eligible, but the process is highly competitive. The process starts with the submission of a pre-proposal. Full proposals are then solicited. It is imperative that the grant proposal fall within the foundation's programmatic interests and guidelines. www.wkkf.org

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3. Organizations that could potentially fund cultural heritage tourism related initiatives

Economic Development Administration
Funding is available through this federal program in the form of several different grants. Two grants that may be applicable to cultural heritage tourism are the Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant (which helps communities develop comprehensive redevelopment efforts that could include cultural heritage tourism programs) and the Planning Program Grant (which helps planning organizations create comprehensive development strategies). Only governmental units are eligible. www.eda.gov

Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues grants on a yearly basis. The grants change yearly and are often based on research and remediation. The applicability to cultural heritage tourism usually comes through grants that are for brownfield recovery and environmental remediation and could be used for cleaning up historic sites. The eligible applicants vary for each grant, but typically include nonprofits, governments, tribes and institutions of higher education. Matching and other requirements also vary with each grant. www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/funding_opportunites.htm

Farm Service Administration
Two Farm Service Administration (FSA) programs help to preserve sensitive farmland and grassland. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program is a land retirement program for ecologically sensitive land. The Grassland Reserve Program supports working grazing operations to maintain the land's grassland appearance and ecological function. The funds are available to private farmers and ranchers, although local governments, tribes and private groups can also solicit them. These funds are intended to be combined with other funding, but there is no set match requirement. www.fsa.usda.gov

Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grants
Administered by the Department of Local Affairs, Community Development Block Grants can be spent on a wide variety of projects, including property acquisition, public or private building rehabilitation, construction of public works, public services, planning activities, assistance to nonprofit organizations and assistance to private, for-profit entities to carry out economic development. At least 70 percent of the funds must go to benefit low and moderate-income populations. The funds must go to a local government unit for disbursement. A detailed citizen participation plan is required. www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/communitydevelopment/programs/index

Small Business Administration
Many cultural heritage tourism businesses are small businesses. The Small Business Administration (SBA) does not itself loan money, but guarantees loans from banks or from specially chosen small business investment companies. These loans can be used for business expenses ranging from start-up costs to real estate purchases. Rural business investment companies target their funds toward companies located in rural areas. Eligible companies must be defined as "small" by the SBA. www.sba.gov

USDA Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
This USDA program is administered by the Natural Resource Conservation Service and provides funds for the purchase of conservation easements on working lands. It requires that a management plan be produced and that the land stay in use. The funds can go to landowners, government agencies and local non-government organizations such as land trusts. A 50 percent match is required. www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has a long list of grant programs that benefit the conservation or restoration of habitats. These include grants for private landowners to assist in protecting endangered species, grants to restore the sport fish population and grants for habitat conservation planning and land acquisition. The amount, matching requirements and eligibility for each grant vary. The website also provides practical information about successful projects and conserving specific habitats www.fws.gov/grants

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