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DDC Awards $250,000 In Community Investment Fund Grants

Media contact: Julie Gilbert, President/CEO, Destination Door County

julie@doorcounty.com, 920-818-1131

August 11, 2023 – Door County, WI.  Destination Door County (DDC) is excited to announce that another $250,000 has been awarded for local projects as part of the second round of grant awards for the organization’s new Community Investment Fund.

A total of four projects were awarded grants ranging from $50,000 to $100,000. Recipients included two local units of government and two non-profit organizations. The funded projects will benefit local residents as well as visitors to Door County.

All awarded projects had to meet specific requirements in order to qualify for funding as the dollars DDC is using for this program come from room tax collections 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 round of our Community Investment Fund grant dollars,” said Julie Gilbert, President/CEO of Destination Door County. “This program continues to be very important to us, and we look forward to providing funds to four more projects, all of which will benefit our residents as well as our visitors and positively impact our community,” she said.

The projects that were awarded funding in the second grant cycle include:

•Town of Gibraltar was awarded $100,000 toward the acquisition of the Redmann property for the Fish Creek Park Expansion and extension of the Bayshore Connectivity Trail.

•City of Sturgeon Bay was awarded $50,000 for improvements to the Sunset Park Pavilion and public restrooms.

• Sister Bay Historical Society was awarded $50,000 for the repurposing of the 104-year-old Little Sister Barn at the Corner of the Past Museum property.

• Door County Maritime Museum was awarded $50,000 for dry-docking and repairs of the historic vessel and in-water museum John Purves.

These four projects join the eight projects that were awarded a total of $325,251 in the first round of grant awards in May 2023, bringing the total Community Investment Fund grant awards this year to $575,251.

There is one more grant cycle opportunity happening in 2023, with a deadline of Thursday October 5. Qualified applicants include 501(c)(3) public charities, 501(c)(6) organizations, and local units of government.

Any interested Door County municipality or local non-profit organization is strongly encouraged to schedule a meeting with the Door County Community Foundation 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.