PULSE OF TOURISM: The Priorities of Community Investment Fund Grants

Sverre Falck-Pedersen on the off-road trails of Peninsula State Park. The Community Investment Fund has allocated money to help improve and expand the trails. Photo by Brett Kosmider.

Destination Door County’s Community Investment Fund utilizes a portion of room tax dollars generated and paid by overnight visitors and reinvests those dollars to support local projects that enhance our community, improve the quality of life for people who live and work here, and expand the destination experience for visitors.

Grant opportunities are available to all local Door County units of government as well as Door County based 501(c)(3) public charities and 501(c)(6) organizations. Our organization has partnered with the Door County Community Foundation to administer this program. 

Through the Community Investment Fund, we have been able to positively impact our community by investing in public park expansions and improvements, historic preservation efforts, enhanced hiking trails, new bike trails, public transportation infrastructure, beach water quality awareness and more. Since the fund was established in 2023, $1.2 million has been invested in 24 different local projects.

As these funds are a portion of the room tax paid by visitors, Wisconsin State Statutes require that they be used in ways that benefit visitors, so that must be a requirement of any Community Investment Fund grant application. 

However, to earn a grant from the Community Investment Fund, a project must also demonstrate how it will meaningfully improve the quality of life for residents of Door County. Specific priorities of the Community Investment Fund include:

• Creative ideas that have a meaningful impact on the people who live and work in Door County
• Impact which crosses municipal boundaries
• Projects that encourage collaboration
• Projects that leverage additional resources
• Projects that allow residents to experience the positive impact of tourism and the visitor economy

The Community Investment Fund is a beacon of positivity and progress for the Door County community. It serves as a catalyst for growth, innovation, and prosperity and enhances the quality of life for residents. Its impact reverberates throughout the community, stimulating commerce and enriching cultural and recreational opportunities as a direct result of the visitor economy.

We truly hope that we all see and experience the spirit of collaboration that is generated by the Community Investment Fund, helping support a bright and promising future for generations to come.Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].  I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions to help us continue growing in a positive direction.