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Destination Door County Awards Last Round of Community Investment Fund Grants for 2023

November 13, 2023 – Door County, WI. Destination Door County (DDC) is excited to announce the final grant cycle of 2023 has awarded six projects a total of $253,666 from their Community Investment Fund.

The projects were awarded grants ranging from $15,000 to $70,000. Recipients included four local units of government and two non-profit organizations. The funded projects will benefit area residents as well as visitors to Door County.

All awarded projects had to meet specific requirements to qualify for funding as the dollars DDC uses for this program comes from room taxes that overnight visitors to the county pay and that DDC receives as part of their agreement with the Door County Tourism Zone Commission. Wisconsin state statute dictates the use of those dollars.

“We are thrilled to announce this latest round of our Community Investment Fund grant dollars,” said Julie Gilbert, President/CEO of Destination Door County. “The first year of the program has been amazing and has impacted many local government and non-profit organizations throughout the county and we’re very excited to continue the program in 2024,” she said.

The projects that were awarded funding in the Community Investment Fund’s third grant cycle include:

  • Town of Sevastopol was awarded $70,000 for the creation of a new restroom facility that is ADA compliant, and includes men’s, women’s, and family bathrooms. 
  • Town of Jacksonport was awarded $61,421 to refurbish the Lakeside Park pavilions, which will include electrical and plumbing. 
  • Village of Sister Bay was awarded $48,489 towards the purchase of a shuttle bus that will provide public transportation to residents, J1 workers, and visitors. 
  • City of Sturgeon Bay was awarded $40,000 to purchase floating docks for the Sawyer Park boat ramp, creating greater safety and accessibility for boaters launching at this site. 
  • Door Shakespeare was awarded $18,756 to purchase a 6-seat electric cart with trailer to transport individuals with mobility concerns. Additionally, Björklunden will use the cart to provide accessibility to guided, narrated trail tours. 
  • Peninsula School of Art was awarded $15,000 to increase public access to main points of entry on their campus. 

These six projects join the twelve projects that were awarded a total of $575,251 in the last two rounds of grant cycles, bringing the total Community Investment Fund grant awards in the inaugural year of the program to $828,917.

The next grant application deadline is coming up on Thursday January 4, 2024. Qualified applicants include 501(c)(3) public charities, 501(c)(6) organizations, and local units of government.

Destination Door County encourages any interested local non-profit organization or Door County municipality to schedule a meeting with the Door County Community Foundation, DDC’s program administrative partner, to discuss their idea before submitting an application. Call the Community Foundation at (920) 746-1786 or email grants@givedoorcounty.org to schedule an appointment. For details about the program and to view funding requirements along with the online application, visit CommunityInvestmentFund.org.

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Destination Door County is the official tourism marketing and management organization for Door County whose mission is to inspire travel that drives community enhancement while working to ensure all travelers feel welcome, preserving the county’s way of life and protecting the region’s natural resources