Cultural Tourism Funding Opportunities

AIANTA collects funding opportunities that may be of interest to Indigenous or Native American tourism & hospitality enterprises looking to grow their tourism, culture, heritage, arts, agritourism or other culture and heritage programming.

Open Funding Opportunities

Graham Foundation Grants to Individuals

Deadline: September 15, 2023

Tourism Tip: Explore your architectural history, including landscape architecture. The Foundation supports architects, scholars, writers, artists, curators and educators.

Landscape Architecture Foundation

Deadline: September 15, 2023

Tourism Tip: This $25,000 fellowship allows architecture professionals to work on a project for your community.

Bush Fellowships

Deadline: September 21, 2023

Tourism Tip: The opportunity for individuals from your community to develop their leadership. Open to 23 Native nations in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

DOT Reconnecting Communities & Neighborhoods Program

Deadline: September 28, 2023

Tourism Tip: Use this funding to mitigate barriers and improve access for economic development, including tourism and recreation. 

BIA NATIVE Act Tribal Tourism Cooperative Agreement

Deadline: September 29, 2023

Tourism Tip: funding is to support a national program to support Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience

ATALM Native Craft Artist Readiness Program

Deadline: September 30, 2023

Tourism Tip:  Share this with your art community to support capacity building for individual artists.

National Park Foundation ParkVentures Program

Deadline: October 5, 2023

Tourism Tip: Work with a nearby National Park to develop activities that are culturally affirming and relevant to your community.

EDA Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program

Deadline: October 5, 2023

Tourism Tip: Apply for a Strategy Development Grant to create a plan for economic opportunity in your community and connect people to good jobs.

USDA Farm To School Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Deadline: October 10, 2023

Tourism Tip: National or regional organizations can develop programs to expand community food systems to schools and educate farmers.

HUD: 2023 HOPE VI Main Street Grant

Deadline: October 12, 2023

Tourism Tip: Redevelop central business districts to enhance economic development. Consider creating arts districts providing galleries, workspaces and housing for artists.

National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Program

Deadline: October 16, 2023

Tourism Tip: Use the funds to improve data collected for fisheries including recreational and for-hire.

Western SARE Farmer + Rancher Research and Education Grant

Deadline: October 25, 2023

Tourism Tip: Educate producers about using agritourism to share sustainability and culture.

USDA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant

Deadline: October 30, 2023

Tourism Tip: Apply for a planning project to improve your community’s food security. If you have a food project, apply for the development grant for a one-time infusion of funding to become self-sustaining.

USDA Conservation Innovation Grants: Classic

Deadline: October 30, 2023

Tourism Tip: Explore innovative new tools, approaches, practices and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands

USDA Conservation Innovation Grants: On-Farm Conservation Innovation

Deadline: October 30, 2023

Tourism Tip: Provide technical assistance and incentive payments to producers to compensate for risks associated with implementing new conservation practices.

Western SARE Professional + Producer Grant

Deadline: October 31, 2023

Tourism Tip: Become a technical advisor working with producers to address identified needs in sustainable agriculture.

NDN Collective Community Action Fund

Deadline: October 31, 2023

Tourism Tip: Funds support self-determination and projects developed in “a regenerative and sustainable manner” based on “values and connection to land, culture and identity.”

Western SARE Professional Development Grant

Deadline: November 1, 2023

Tourism Tip: Develop a “train the trainer” program focused on increasing knowledge and capacity for agricultural stakeholders to provide training to producers.

National Historical Publications & Records Commission National Archives Program

Deadline: November 2, 2023

Tourism Tip: Develop a project that promotes an understanding of your nation’s history, democracy and culture using the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence as a theme.

DOT Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects Program

Deadline: November 6, 2023

Tourism Tip: Fund construction, reconstruction or rehabilitation of nationally significant projects within, adjacent to or accessing Federal and Tribal lands.

NOAA Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Grants

Deadline: November 8, 2023

Tourism Tip: Build organizational capacity to implement projects to reopen migratory pathways and restore access to healthy habitats for tribally important species.

IMLS Inspire Grants for Small Museums

Deadline: November 15, 2023

Tourism Tip: Use a small grant of $5,000 to $25,000 for exhibits, education, planning, technology, audience development, professional development or more.

IMLS Museums for America Grants

Deadline: November 15, 2023

Tourism Tip: Apply for project-based programs (exhibitions, interpretive programs, digital learning, professional development, public programs or collections management).

IMLS Museums Empowered: Professional Development for Museum Staff

Deadline: November 15, 2023

Tourism Tip: Use funds to train staff to use the most current and trending museum technology and management.

IMLS National Leadership Grants for Museums

Deadline: November 15, 2023

Tourism Tip: Develop projects to strengthen museum services for the American public.

IMLS Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program

Deadline: November 15, 2023

Tourism Tip: Designed to support Native museums in sustaining indigenous heritage, culture and knowledge.

Seventh Generation Fund

Deadline: December 7, 2024

Tourism Tip: Fund supports projects that center culture, language, values, traditional knowledge systems and healthy lifeways.

NOAA Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Tribes 

Deadline: December 19, 2023

Tourism Tip: Advance community-driven coastal habitat restoration, climate resilience and capacity building.

AmeriCorps State and National Competitive Grants

Deadline: January 4, 2024

Tourism Tip: Build a community service program that can use AmeriCorps volunteers to improve and strengthen your community.

NEH Media Projects Grants

Deadline: January 10, 2024

Tourism Tip: Apply for either planning or implementation for radio programs, podcasts, documentary films or documentary films.

NEH Digital Humanities Advancement Grants

Deadline: January 11, 2024

Tourism Tip: Explore innovative, experimental or computationally challenging digital projects. Program support collaborations between library and archives professionals.

NEH Public Humanities Project Grants

Deadline: January 11, 2024

Tourism Tip: Apply for either planning or implementation of public projects focusing on exhibitions, historic places and humanities discussions.

USDA Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program

Deadline: January 11, 2024

Tourism Tip: Use funds to acquire forest lands to conserve wildlife habitat, protect water sources and provide recreation and tourism opportunities.

NEH Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions

Deadline: January 12, 2024 (anticipated)

Tourism Tip: Use a consultant to improve your ability to preserve and care for your collections (books, archives, photos, archaeological, ethnographic artifacts, etc.)

NEH Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Grants

Deadline: January 12, 2024 (anticipated)

Tourism Tip: Apply for funding to assess or implement programs to provide preventive conservation and safeguard your humanities collections.

Ongoing Deadlines

Bass Pro Shop & Cabela’s – Community Support Grants

Deadline: Ongoing

Tourism Tip: Apply for programs that conserve wildlife and habitat or connect new audiences to the Outdoors.

DanPaul Foundation Grants

Deadline: Ongoing

Tourism Tip: Develop programs in natural resource programs and recreation for the youth in your community.

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Grants

Deadline: Ongoing

Tourism Tip: The Foundation will invest and help provide support to entrepreneurs for a three-year funding cycle to launch and expand their ventures.

Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund Tribal Energy Plan Grant

Deadline: Ongoing

Tourism Tip: Funds support the development of new solar projects, long-term energy plans and solar education, training and workforce development.

Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program
Deadline: Ongoing
Tourism Tip: Use the funding to build or enhance your Community Facilities

Raven Indigenous Venture Capital

Deadline: Ongoing

Tourism Tip: Use funds to develop a new business or expand an existing business.

 

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Guides & Publications

USDA Resource Guide for American Indians and Alaska Natives

The USDA recently published a Resource Guide for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) to provide tribal leaders and tribal citizens, 1994 Land-Grant Tribal Colleges and Universities, AI/AN businesses and non-governmental organizations serving AI/AN communities with a tool for navigating USDA resources. This guide provides readers with a comprehensive summary of USDA Programs. 

Recreation Economy at USDA Economic Development Resources for Rural Communities

USDA’s Forest Service (FS), Rural Development (RD) and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) developed this resource guide for rural communities to identify resources that develop the recreation economy. The report forecasts that interest in outdoor recreation will continue over the next 30 years.

Resources for Rural Entrepreneurs: A Guide to Planning, Adapting, and Growing Your Business

In 2022, in collaboration with a network of federal partners, the USDA Resources for Rural Entrepreneurs guide provides resources for start-ups and already-established rural businesses. RD offers more than 40 loan, grant, and technical assistance programs to help improve the economy and quality of life in rural America. Many of these programs can also support community-based entrepreneurial planning and growth. USDA partners with community leaders and developers, local, state and Tribal governments, cooperatives, nonprofits, private organizations and a nationwide network of participating lenders skilled at building local economies.

Stronger Together, Federal funding and planning strategies designed to promote sustainable economic development in rural America

In 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA RD) published Stronger Together a joint planning resource guide to help community organizations access USDA and EDA resources to build strategies to boost economic development in rural America. The guide is separated into four key focus areas: Planning and technical assistance, Infrastructure and broadband expansion, Entrepreneurship and business assistance and Workforce development and livability.

Federal Resources for Native Arts & Cultural Activities

In 2020, the National Endowment for the Arts published the Federal Resources for Native Arts & Cultural Activities, a guide providing information to connect Native communities to resources that can sustain and invigorate arts and cultural heritage initiatives. It is a consolidation of opportunities offered by federal agencies for organizations looking for funding and other resources to support Native arts and culture activities.

Grants.gov

Grants.gov provides a unified site for interaction between grant applicants and the U.S. federal agencies that manage grant funds. The site allows applicants to search for funds by agency.

Federal Agencies

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/ih

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS)

U.S. Department of Transportation
www.transportation.gov/grants

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

State Tourism, Arts & Economic Development Agencies

Arts.gov State and Regional Arts Councils
arts.gov/partners/state-regional

California Arts Council
arts.ca.gov/grants

California Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development
business.ca.gov

Montana Tourism Office
marketmt.com

Nevada Arts Council: Folklife Community Grant
nvartscouncil.org/grants

New Mexico Tourism Office
newmexico.org/industry/work-together/grants

Oregon Tourrism
traveloregon.com/grants

 

Additional Resources

Community Foundations
www.cof.org/community-foundation-locator

The Council on Foundations, founded in 1949, is a nonprofit leadership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations. Use their search tool to find local funding resources.

The Grantsmanship Center
www.tgci.com

The Grantsmanship Center offers training, publications and consulting to help organizations find funding. The Center provides free access to its Funding State-by-State database listing each state’s top grantmaking foundations, community foundations, corporate giving programs and State website homepages.

Candid (formerly the Foundation Center and GuideStar)
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.

 

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

Native American Agriculture Fund

Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail

Bureau of Land Management

National Endowment of the Arts

National Park Service

United States Forest Service