state of washington tourism grants

SWT Grant Programs

State of Washington Tourism (SWT) offers multiple grant opportunities for tourism stakeholders. In addition to recurring grant programs such as Tourism Sustainability and Rural Tourism Support , SWT will also administer funds for exciting new grant programs in 2024-2025. These programs are made possible thanks to $3.5 million in Economic Development Administration (EDA) block grant funds from the Washington State Department of Commerce.

Eligible entities: Local governments, tribes, chambers of commerce, destination organizations, and other nonprofit organizations that support travel and tourism are welcome to apply for this grant. Note: Only tribal destinations/communities are eligible for tribal-focused grants.

Applications: Grant application periods open throughout the year. Once open, applicants can apply for individual grant programs via a secure online portal. Successful applicants will be notified within three weeks of the application closing date. View the WizeHive application portal FAQ here .

Webinars: SWT will hold webinars for each grant in the weeks leading up to the application period. The webinars will cover how to apply and the criteria by which the applications will be judged, along with providing more in-depth descriptions of the grant. An overview webinar was held on Dec. 13, 2023. A PDF version is also available.

See application dates and browse all SWT grant opportunities below. For questions, please contact Tamara Rice at  [email protected] .

Rural Tourism Marketing and Production

Rural Tourism Marketing and Production Grants will help communities create the assets they need to promote their destination to travelers to generate overnight stays and stimulate visitor spending. This grant supports rural and underserved communities. Tourism stakeholders may request up to $50,000 in grant funding for content creation for blog posts and articles, as well as the production of video and image assets. Assets may include photos, videos, and written content, as well as usage rights for the applicant and SWT. View the Webinar .

Application Period: Currently closed

Sports Incentivization

The Sports Incentivization Grants are intended to help nonprofit entities incentivize NEW sports tournaments/competitions that will bring overnight visitors to a destination to spur economic activity. Successful applicants will be able to reserve dollars from a pool to help pay down room nights or provide amenities pending a successful bid. If a bid is ultimately unsuccessful, those dollars will go back into the pool and be available to other applicants according to a ranked waitlist. The max grant ask is $30,000. View the Webinar .

Rural Tourism Research and Data

The primary purpose of the Rural Tourism Research and Data Grants is to discover and share critical information that can improve the efficiency, sustainability, and overall economic impact of the local tourism industry. It may also aim to support projects that analyze tourism trends, visitor behavior, cultural exchange, environmental impacts, and other topics that help inform policy decisions and support tourism growth in a region. Tourism stakeholders may request up to $25,000. View the Webinar .

Arts and Culture

The Arts and Culture grants are intended for the promotion and management of art shows, concerts, festivals and events, as well as museums, historic sites, and cultural institutes that drive overnight stays and visitor spending in destination communities. These grants aim to boost the local economy by attracting overnight visitors who are interested in experiencing the artistic and cultural offerings of a people and a place while mitigating any negative impacts on residents, social services, and public infrastructure. The max grant ask is $30,000. View the webinar.

Indigenous Tourism Marketing and Production

Indigenous Tourism Marketing and Production grants will help tribal communities create the assets they need to promote their destination to travelers to generate overnight stays and stimulate visitor spending. Tourism stakeholders may request up to $50,000 in grant funding for content creation for blog posts and articles, as well as production of video and image assets. Grant applicants need to budget for long-term usage rights for their organization and SWT. View the webinar.

Rural Tourism Support Program

The RTS program focuses on long-term, sustainable destination development for underserved communities. It implements a community tourism approach that includes stakeholder surveys, community workshops, priority projects, and strategic planning from a steering committee. Upon completion of the program, stakeholders are encouraged to apply for financial assistance from SWT and other funding sources to support priority projects. View the webinar.

Technical Assistance

The Technical Assistance Grant will subsidize the cost of industry-specific expertise for tourism-related projects that stimulate economic development for destination communities. Eligible projects for grant funding may include design plans for tourism infrastructure, marketing expertise, workforce training programs, and other consulting services for tourism pursuits. Washington-based tourism stakeholders may request up to $15,000 in grant funding based on project eligibility. View the webinar.

Tourism Regeneration

This grant is intended to foster safer, more inclusive, and sustainable visitor experiences across the state and drive overnight visitation to rural and underserved communities. Project eligibility for Tourism Regeneration Grants ranges significantly from pedestrian and bicyclist safety along roadways to tourism marketing to disaster and climate adaptation planning. They may also include but are not limited to outdoor recreation, business and creative districts, and main street associations in Washington. Max grant ask is $50,000.

Application Period: Sept. 2 – 30, 2024

Tribal Rural Tourism Support Program

The Tribal RTS program focuses on long-term, sustainable destination development for tribal communities. It implements a community tourism approach that includes stakeholder surveys, community workshops, priority projects, and strategic planning from a steering committee. Upon completion of the program, stakeholders are encouraged to apply for financial assistance from SWT and other funding sources to support priority projects identified in the community workshops.

Application Period: Oct. 1 – 31, 2024

Tourism Sustainability

The Tourism Sustainability Grant is a recurring grant offered by SWT that aims to foster safer, more inclusive, and sustainable visitor experiences in Washington. Applicants may request up to $30,000 in grant funding based on project eligibility. Project eligibility may include capital projects, new festivals and events, outdoor recreation, wayfinding improvements, and more.

• Swt Launching Two Tourism Development Grant Programs

SWT Launching Two Tourism Development Grant Programs

Tourism, Grants

On Aug. 15, State of Washington Tourism (SWT) will issue two tourism development grant programs for tourism sustainability and technical assistance.

Tourism Development Grant Programs 

Applicants for the tourism sustainability grant may request up to $30,000 to foster safer, more inclusive, and sustainable visitor experiences in the state. The technical assistance grant will subsidize the cost of industry-specific expertise for tourism-related projects that stimulate economic development for destination communities. Based on project eligibility, applicants for this grant may request up to $10,000.

Both programs will require Washington-based tourism stakeholders to provide details on project objectives, longevity, and budget. Applicants are encouraged to match a portion of their grant request with cash or in-kind contributions.

SWT will accept applications for both grants between Aug. 15 – Sept. 15, 2022. A review committee of industry experts will evaluate the leading grant applications and SWT will announce award decisions by Sept. 30 via email. Grant funds pertaining to both programs must be expended by Aug. 1, 2023.

For more information, join SWT for a webinar at 10 a.m. on Aug. 18. 

Register for the Webinar

More Grant Opportunities

USDA: Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program provides loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations to:

• Provide microloans for microenterprise startups and growth through a Rural Microloan Revolving Fund 
• Provide training and technical assistance to microloan borrowers and micro-entrepreneurs.

Tourism Tip: This grant could help fund new agritourism businesses in rural communities.

Other grants:

Planning for Recreation Access – Washington State Recreational Trails Program – Washington State Underrepresented Community Grant Program – National History of Equal Rights Grant Program – National 

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Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation

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EDA Awards 185 Grants to Rebuild and Restrengthen American Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation

Travel, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation Fact Sheet  (PDF)

American Rescue Plan Fact Sheet  (PDF)

Click here to view the American Rescue Plan Map

The U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation program invested $750 million in  American Rescue Plan  funding to support communities across the country whose economies were hard hit by damage to these sectors from the COVID-19 pandemic. With funding going to every state and territory across 185 awards, EDA’s investments are rebuilding the travel and tourism sector and creating a more equitable, competitive, and resilient industry.

Learn more about the Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation grantees by exploring the  American Rescue Plan Impact Map .

The Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation program is divided into two components:

• State Tourism Grants:  $510 million in direct awards to help states quickly invest in marketing, infrastructure, workforce and other projects to rejuvenate safe leisure, business and international travel.
• Competitive Grants:  $240 million to help communities that have been hardest hit by challenges facing the travel, tourism, and outdoor recreation sectors to invest in infrastructure, workforce, or other projects to support the recovery of the industry and economic resilience of the community in the future.

Each state or territory is utilizing its directly allocated funds to engage in activities that best support their travel, tourism, and outdoor recreation sectors. These activities include but are not limited to workforce training, new construction or upgrades to existing tourism infrastructure, tourism marketing and promotion, and tourism-related economic planning. The competitive grant program is distributed across 126 awards to support communities across the country as they rebuild and strengthen their travel, tourism, and outdoor recreation sectors. The competitive funding is expected to generate $1.1 billion in private investment and to create or save 10,291 jobs , according to grantee estimates. This program was designed to prioritize equity, and as a result, more than 50% of competitive awards are expected to directly benefit historically underserved communities and populations. In addition, $29.3 million across 12 awards is supporting coal communities and $21.2 million across 9 awards is supporting Indigenous communities.

Program Resources

• Notice of Funding Opportunity
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation presentation slides  (PDF)
• State Tourism Grant Allocations
• One Pager  (PDF)
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Animal Science Alumna Wins Fellowship, Travel Grants

06/05/2024 Alumni , College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences , Animal Sciences , The Graduate College

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EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (June 5, 2024) – Deborah Okedoyin ‘24, a North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES) alumna, has received the International Livestock Congress Student Fellowship for 2024.

The fellowship, offered through the International Stockmen’s Educational Foundation, targets outstanding students from international and domestic agriculture colleges and universities and provides travel funds to attend the International Livestock Congress, held this year in Houston.

Okedoyin worked with Uchenna Anele, Ph.D., in the Department of Animal Sciences before receiving her M.S. in agricultural and environmental systems in May, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. She earned membership and an academic excellence award from The Honor Society of Agriculture, Gamma Sigma Delta, in April. She also received an academic excellence award from CAES in 2023.

Additionally, Okedoyin has won travel grants to attend the 2024 STEM Women of Color Conclave & Leadership Colloquium in Virginia and the American Dairy Science Association Travel grant to present her research at the conference in Florida this summer.

Media Contact Information: [email protected]

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