Destination Door County Awards $253,666 to Six Projects

By Debra Fitzgerald , Peninsula Pulse – November 13th, 2023

The Village of Sister Bay received $90,000 in the first CIF grant round earlier this year to design an off-road path along Highway 42 at the south end of Sister Bay, where it could connect with a proposed north-end path in Ephraim. File photo by Myles Dannhausen Jr.

Destination Door County (DDC) has granted six projects a total of $253,666 in the latest round of its Community Investment Fund (CIF) grant program.

The awards to four local municipalities and two non-profit organizations conclude the final grant cycle of 2023 for the program.

“We are thrilled to announce this latest round of our Community Investment Fund grant dollars,” said Julie Gilbert, DDC president/CEO. “The first year of the program has been amazing and has impacted many local government and non-profit organizations throughout the county and we’re very excited to continue the program in 2024.”

The CIF is funded with a portion of the revenue generated from the 8% lodging tax visitors pay when staying overnight in Door County. Wisconsin state statute dictates the use of those dollars, and each awarded project had to meet specific requirements to qualify for funding. The funded projects will benefit both area residents as well as visitors to Door County.

The final awarded projects for 2023 are as follows:

$70,000 for the Town of Sevastopol for the creation of a new restroom facility that is ADA compliant, and includes men’s, women’s, and family bathrooms.
$61,421 for the Town of Jacksonport to refurbish the Lakeside Park pavilions, which will include electrical and plumbing.
$48,489 for the Village of Sister Bay towards the purchase of a shuttle bus that will provide public transportation to residents, J1 workers and visitors.
$40,000 for the City of Sturgeon Bay to purchase floating docks for the Sawyer Park boat ramp, creating greater safety and accessibility for boaters launching at this site.
$18,756 for Door Shakespeare to purchase a six-seat electric cart with trailer to transport individuals with mobility concerns. Additionally, Björklunden will use the cart to provide accessibility to guided, narrated trail tours.
$15,000 for the Peninsula School of Art to increase public access to main points of entry on their campus.

The six projects join the 12 projects that were awarded a total of $575,251 in the last two rounds of grant cycles, bringing the total CIF grant awards in the inaugural year of the program to $828,917.

The Door County Land Trust received $75,000 during the first round of awarded grants earlier this year to replace this bridge at Bayshore Blufflands Nature Preserve in Sevastopol. File Photo by D.A. Fitzgerald.

The next grant application deadline is Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. Qualified applicants include 501(c)(3) public charities, 501(c)(6) organizations, and local units of government.

Destination Door County encourages any interested local non-profit organization or Door County municipality to schedule a meeting with the Door County Community Foundation, DDC’s program administrative partner, to discuss their idea before submitting an application. Call the Community Foundation at 920.746.1786 or email [email protected] to schedule an appointment.

For details about the program and to view funding requirements along with the online application, visit CommunityInvestmentFund.org.