Door County room taxes to fund grant program for projects that benefit tourism, residents

STURGEON BAY - A new grant program funded by room tax dollars in Door County is designed to benefit local projects while enhancing the county's tourism industry.

Destination Door County, the county’s tourism marketing and management organization, on Friday announced it is starting the Community Investment Fund, an initiative that will use dollars generated by visitors to help fund projects that will improve the quality of life for those who live and work in Door County. The program is being run in partnership with the Door County Community Foundation, which will administer the fund and decide the grant winners.

The program will have four cycles a year, with grant applications due on the first Thursday of April, July, October and January and awards announced about a month after each deadline. A press release said the organization expects to commit up to $1 million a year to the fund, and awards could range from several thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands.

Julie Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Door County, said the organization decided to launch the grant fund "because there was a need," citing the increased strain on the county's tourism industry and stresses on its natural resources as the number of visitors increased significantly over the past couple years.

The idea came about in discussions between the organization's board of directors and members of the Door County Tourism Zone Commission, which administers the countywide room tax that rose last year from 5.5% to 8%. Destination Door County established a Tourism Investment Grant Task Force of several community leaders last June to discuss details and priorities of the program, then worked with Door County Community Foundation President/CEO Bret Bicoy to finalize how the fund would work and the types of projects to be funded.

"They saw the impact and stresses on all the resources in Door County with the increase in visitors," Gilbert said to the Advocate. "We felt it was time to give back to help alleviate some of those stresses."

Because the money for the grants comes from room tax collections, and because the room tax is required by state statute to promote tourism and benefit visitors in Door County, grant applicants must demonstrate that the projects for which they're seeking funds will enhance tourism. Yet the projects also must show that they simultaneously would benefit local residents and improve their quality of life in some way.

When considering applications, the community foundation will prioritize "creative ideas that have a meaningful impact on the people who live and work in Door County, impact that crosses municipal boundaries, encourages collaboration, leverages additional resources and helps residents experience the positive impact of tourism," the press release from Destination Door County said.

Gilbert said applications don't need to show a specific amount or percentage of benefit for tourism vs. a specific amount for residents, which in most cases would be difficult if not impossible to put into hard numbers. But, she said applicants will need to show a balance of enhancing sustainability for tourism and related businesses with enhancing residents' lives and the county's resources.

"(Grant applicants) have to reasonably encourage additional visitation from tourists as well as benefit the community," Gilbert said. "We want to see improvements in the quality of life for residents … so residents can really see the positive impact of tourism."

Qualified applicants can include 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) organizations − public service nonprofits and membership nonprofits such as chambers of commerce − and local government bodies. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the community foundation to assess their project ideas, make sure they fit the requirements for visitor and resident benefit and offer assistance in the grant writing process. The foundation is holding four information meetings over the next month to offer more details.

Gilbert said the grant program is exciting not only because it is intended to benefit locals and the county's tourism industry at the same time, but also because of the work put in by several organizations and different people to make it come together.

"We're very excited," Gilbert said. "To be able to work with our board and the Tourism Zone and the community foundation shows cooperation is alive and well."

FYI

Three in-person public information meetings to provide details about the Community Investment Fund grant program will be held (the same information will be presented at each). These take place:

10 to 11 a.m. Jan. 11 at the Door County Community Foundation office, 222 N. Third Ave, Sturgeon Bay;

3 to 4 p.m. Jan. 12 at the Kress Pavilion, 7845 Church St., Egg Harbor;

10 to 11 a.m. Feb. 9 at the Door County Community Foundation office.

Also, a virtual-only meeting will be held on Zoom from 10 to 11 a.m. Jan. 10; to join, visit us02web.zoom.us/j/88002067628?pwd=OC9KbWE5QjEzL3ZJSWdsRENBbDl4Zz09#success.

For more information, call the Door County Community Foundation at 920-746-1786 or email grants@givedoorcounty.org.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Door County room taxes to fund grants to benefit tourism, residents