Funding for Cultural Tourism

The following list of resources was compiled to find funding for programs that support or can build capacity for cultural tourism. The list includes federal grants, which are highly competitive. It usually takes several weeks, months and even years to build a strong proposal and gather all of the necessary information.

We’ve compiled some examples of programs that have received funding to help navigate these resources. Click here to download the examples from our last webinar.

AIANTA also publishes a funding opportunities newsletter. Click here to view them or sign up for the latest funding opportunities.

Resources to help Find Resources

Use the following search engines to locate funding resources and information about funders:

• Community Foundations

www.cof.org/community-foundation-locator
2121 Crystal Drive, Suite 700, Arlington, VA 22202
Council on Foundations, founded in 1949, is a nonprofit leadership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations.

• The Grantsmanship Center

www.tgci.com
Offers training, publications and consulting to help organizations find funding. Provides free access to its Funding State-by-State database with each state’s top grantmaking foundations, community foundations, corporate giving programs and State website homepages.

• Candid (formerly the Foundation Center and GuideStar)

https://candid.org/
Candid is an online source for grants available through private foundations, corporate foundations, and other nonprofits that accept grant proposals. It also provides research on nonprofits and guides, like the 990 Finder.

State Tourism & Economic Development Offices

Contact your local state tourism and economic development offices and see what is available. Here are some examples:

New Mexico Tourism Office
nmtourism.org/tourism-development

• • Cooperative Marketing Grant Program
  • Tourism Development Grant Program
  • Clean & Beautiful

Montana Tourism Office
marketmt.com

• • • Tribal Business Planning Grant
    • Indian Equity Fund
    • Indian Country Region/Tribal Tourism

Grants.gov

Provides a unified site for interaction between grant applicants and the U.S. Federal agencies that manage grant funds. Allows applicants to search for funds by agency. Federal Agencies that provide funding:

• U.S. Department of Commerce www.commerce.gov
• Economic Development Administration (EDA) www.eda.gov
• Small Business Administration www.sba.gov
• Regional Innovation Strategies www.eda.gov/oie/ris/
• Minority Business Development Agency www.mbda.gov

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

• Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/ih
• Office of Economic Development www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/economicdevelopment/
• Indian Community Development Block Grant www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/ih/grants/icdbg

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• Administration for Native Americans (ANA) www.acf.hhs.gov/ana
  Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS)
  Sustainable Employment and Economic Development Strategies (SEEDS)
  Native Youth Initiative for Leadership, Empowerment, and Development (I-LEAD)

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• Business & Industry Loan Guarantees www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-industry-loan-guarantees
• Community Connect Grants www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-connect-grants
• Rural Business Investment Program www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-business-investment-program
• Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant Program www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-economic-development-loan-grant-program
• Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-microentrepreneur-assistance-program
• Socially-Disadvantaged Groups Grant www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/socially-disadvantaged-groups-grant
• Strategic Economic and Community Development www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/strategic-economic-and-community-development
• Value-Added Producer Grants www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/value-added-producer-grants
• U.S. Forest Service (trail construction, archaeology) www.fs.fed.us

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

• Our Town ($25,000 – $200,000) www.arts.gov/grants-organizations/our-town/grant-program-description
• Challenge America ($10,000 underserved populations) www.arts.gov/grants-organizations/challenge-america/grant-program-description
  Art Works ($10,000 – $100,000) www.arts.gov/grants-organizations/art-works/grant-program-description
  Art Works: Folk & Traditional Arts
  Art Works: Design
  Art Works: Museum
• State and Regional Arts Councils www.arts.gov/partners/state-regional

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

• Division of Preservation and Access www.neh.gov/divisions/preservation
• Documenting Endangered Languages www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/documenting-endangered-languages
• Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/sustaining-cultural-heritage-collections
• Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/preservation-assistance-grants-smaller-institutions
• Office of Challenge Programs www.neh.gov/divisions/challenge

Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS)

• Native American Library Services: Basic Grants www.imls.gov/grants/available/native-american-library-services-basic-grants
• Native American Library Services: Enhancement Grants www.imls.gov/grants/available/native-american-library-services-enhancement-grants
• Native Hawaiian Library Services Grants www.imls.gov/grants/available/native-hawaiian-library-services
• Museums for America www.imls.gov/grants/available/museums-america
• Inspire! Grants for Small Museums www.imls.gov/grants/available/inspire-grants-small-museums
• Museums Empowered www.imls.gov/grants/available/museums-empowered-professional-development-opportunities-museum-staff
• National Leadership Grants for Museums www.imls.gov/grants/available/national-leadership-grants-museums
• Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program www.imls.gov/grants/available/laura-bush-21st-century-librarian-program
• Museum Assessment Program www.aam-us.org/programs/accreditation-excellence-programs/museum-assessment-program-map/
• Accelerating Promising Practices for Small Libraries www.imls.gov/grants/available/accelerating-promising-practices-small-libraries

U.S. Department of Interior

• National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/history/tribes/financial_assistance.htm
• Tourism Program www.nps.gov/orgs/1365/index.htm
• Tribal Preservation Program www.nps.gov/thpo/
• National Historic Landmarks www.nps.gov/orgs/1582/index.htm
• National Register of Historic Places www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/index.htm
• Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program www.nps.gov/orgs/rtca/index.htm
• Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Division www.nps.gov/orgs/1084/index.htm
• Cultural Resources www.nps.gov/orgs/1023/index.htm
• Save America’s Treasures www.nps.gov/preservation-grants/sat/
• Bureau of Indian Affairs www.bia.gov
• Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development www.bia.gov/as-ia/ieed
• Division of Transportation www.bia.gov/bia/ois/division-transportation
• Division of Economic Development www.bia.gov/as-ia/ieed/division-economic-development
• Fish and Wildlife Service www.fws.gov
• Bureau of Land Management www.blm.gov
• Bureau of Reclamation www.usbr.gov

U.S. Department of Transportation www.transportation.gov/livability/grants-programs

• Office of Infrastructure Finance and Innovation www.transportation.gov/BUILDgrants
• National Scenic Byways Program www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/
• Office of Tribal Transportation flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/ttp/

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• • Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/building-blocks-sustainable-communities