Kansas Tourism Marketing Grants

The Tourism Marketing Grant Program, offered by Kansas Tourism, aims to support organizations in developing new, innovative, and dedicated tourism advertising and marketing initiatives. This grant is not designed to sustain ongoing marketing efforts but rather to stimulate new projects. The overarching mission of Kansas Tourism, as demonstrated by this program, is to increase travel to tourism destination sites within the state and enhance Kansas's overall image. This aligns with a strategic priority to leverage and extend the marketing reach of Kansas tourism communities through collaborative partnerships. The primary beneficiaries of this program are not-for-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, and various government agencies including cities, counties, townships, federally recognized Indian Tribes, or consortia of Indian Tribes. Public or private non-profit organizations or associations acting in cooperation with political subdivisions of a state are also eligible. The program targets entities that are in good standing with other Kansas Tourism programs and have a listing on TravelKS.com, ensuring that the grant supports established and recognized tourism players. Organizations that are not the primary Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) in their community are required to include a letter of support from their local DMO, fostering a collaborative approach to tourism promotion. The program prioritizes initiatives that contribute to increasing travel to tourism destination sites and enhancing the state’s image. It specifically focuses on new, innovative, and dedicated tourism advertising and marketing. The grant explicitly states that funds cannot be used to participate in other Kansas Tourism programs or in conjunction with any other open grants administered by Kansas Tourism for the same project, ensuring unique and distinct project funding. This indicates a strategic focus on supporting new, independent ventures that directly contribute to the program's goals. The expected outcomes of the Tourism Marketing Grant Program include an increase in travel to tourism destination sites across Kansas and a strengthened state image. Measurable results would likely be tracked through increased visitor numbers to participating destinations and enhanced brand perception of Kansas as a tourism destination. While specific metrics are not detailed, the emphasis on "dedicated tourism advertising and marketing" implies an expectation of tangible reach and impact. The funding information, stating a maximum of $100,000 total awarded in a fiscal year and a maximum of $10,000 per single entity, suggests a broad distribution of funds to support numerous smaller-scale, impactful projects rather than a few large ones, consistent with a theory of change that distributed investment across communities will collectively elevate the state's tourism profile.