NPS Chesapeake Gateways Tourism and Economic Development Grants

Deadline: 21-Oct-2024

The National Park Service is pleased to announce the Chesapeake Gateways Tourism and Economic Development Grants.

The program Goal is to Develop Chesapeake Gateways Communities as Strategic Focal Points.

Chesapeake Gateways communities aspire to connect people, places and stories across all of the great watershed in a whole-community approach. Chesapeake Gateways communities are where a combination of geography, location, transportation systems, economic uses and services concentrate people in the watershed.

These communities enhance public education of and access to the Chesapeake by:

Elevating their visitor experience efforts, connecting to sites, water and land trails, and other local programmatic assets.
Providing an outstanding welcoming orientation for locals and visitors, encouraging exploration, and offering a host of inclusive opportunities for people to experience a range of authentic Chesapeake resources and stories.
Embracing a commitment to linking nature, culture, history, and recreation-based tourism with economic initiatives for local resiliency and community sustainability, especially tied with sectors closely linked with Chesapeake heritage.

Objectives

The NPS Chesapeake Gateways Office is offering this competitive grant opportunity to strengthen communities’ ability to enhance public education of and access to the Chesapeake Bay watershed as detailed in the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998.
Though this grant opportunity, the NPS Chesapeake Gateways Office will:
- Support community collaboration projects that link local nature, culture, history, and/or recreation-based tourism to economic impact of the community.
- Support the development and implementation of community events that celebrate the rich cultural, historical, natural, or recreational legacy and ongoing story of the Bay as a way of engaging with residents and visitors.

Grant Categories

This grant opportunity provides support in two categories:
- Linking Tourism and Economic Development Grants
  - Proposals submitted should demonstrate that the projects reflect a community need; link local recreation, culture, history, and/or nature tourism to economic impact of the community; and involve a collaboration among community partners.
  - Projects should link nature-based and cultural tourism with economic initiatives for local resilience and community sustainability, especially tied with sectors closely linked with Chesapeake heritage, such as historical or cultural crafts and trades, working lands, or maritime activities.
  - Projects can:
    - Enhance visitor experience amenities and/or improve the overall visitor experience for communities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
    - Support Indigenous tourism development and/or connect visitors to Indigenous history and culture.
    - Enhance local tourism and economic development capacity through trainings, workforce development, or strategic planning.
    - Facilitate visitor experiences that increase duration and depth of visit.
    - Commemorate and promote local recreation, history, heritage, or culture.
  - The following types of projects will not be selected for funding:
    - Archeology projects
    - Building acquisitions
    - Lobbying
    - Endowments
  - Award Range: $50,000-$100,000
- Event Support Grants
  - Proposals should demonstrate how the event or festival celebrates the rich cultural, historical, natural, or recreational legacy and ongoing stories of Chesapeake Gateways communities. Public events and festivals should encourage exploration and enjoyment of the wealth of cultural, historical, natural, and recreational experiences available in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The events encourage new and enhanced opportunities to connect with underrepresented communities through inclusive and welcoming events, festivals, places, and programming.
  - These events may be, but are not limited to:
    - Main streets transformation in advance of key events.
    - Events in partnership with community organizations representing target audiences.
    - Local events that connect to major national, state-wide, or regional celebrations, such as America250 [National Park Service and America 250 Launch Countdown to 25 – America250].
    - Events that:
      - Advance equality and justice for all
      - Acknowledge and honor Indigenous peoples
      - Acknowledge and honor people of African descent
      - Acknowledge and honor the contributions of women
      - Deliver authentic inclusivity, focusing on an area of importance to a site, such as Indigenous perspectives, gender equity, LGBTQ rights, or immigrant rights movements, or helping correct an intersectional story or history that is inaccurate, biased, or offensive.
  - Funds cannot be used to:
    - Purchase alcohol for the events.
    - To lobby at the events.
    - To support any unallowable costs as described in 2 CFR 200.
  - Award Range: $10,000-$25,000

Funding Information

Estimated Total Funding: $1,000,000
Expected Award Amount:
- An estimated range of $50,000 To $100,000 of funding is anticipated for each Linking Tourism and Economic Development award.
- An estimated range of $10,000 to $25,000 of funding is anticipated for each Event Support award.
Anticipated Award Date: Summer 2025. Projects receiving funding through this NOFO will start once funding has been secured and awards have been made. Anticipated Term of the Agreement: June 1, 2025 – May 30, 2027
Estimated Number of Agreements to be Awarded:
- Linking Tourism and Economic Development Grants: approximately 7-8 grants expected
- Event Support Grants: approximately 8-12 grants expected
Proposals may include more than one action or activity, but the maximum award for any proposal is $100,000 for the tourism grants and $25,000 for the event grants.

Eligibility Criteria

In accordance with the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998, this funding opportunity is open to the following entities:
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- For profit organization other than small businesses
- Small businesses

For more information, visit Grants.gov.