Tourism Management Grant

Eligible applicants include:

• Colorado destination marketing organizations (DMOs)
• Colorado statewide tourism industry associations

The Colorado Tourism Office defines a DMO as a nonprofit organization or governmental unit that typically is the recipient of jurisdictional lodging tax revenue and serves as the lead for year-round tourism promotion and development efforts in a destination. Example DMOs may include:

• Chambers of commerce or chamber resort associations.
• Destination marketing organizations (e.g. Convention & Visitors Bureau).
• Federally recognized tribes or local government entities in Colorado.
• Lodging tax boards, committees, or panels.

The Colorado Tourism Office defines a Colorado statewide tourism industry association as a registered nonprofit trade organization that represents a collection of tourism businesses statewide within a tourism-related business sector. Associations must represent a market-ready product or experience, and be statewide (where it exists) in approach.

Ineligible applicants include:

• For-profit organizations
• Individual attractions, museums, or businesses
• Regional tourism industry associations
• State or federal government entities

Other considerations include:

• Only one application can be submitted for an individual destination.
  • Multiple organizations within a single destination should collaborate on a single grant application.
• Only one application can be submitted per applicant unless prior approval is provided. Lead applicants can be a partner in a separate application.
• Entities that failed to fulfill Colorado Tourism Office grant award requirements or State of Colorado small dollar grant agreement terms and conditions within the past 12 months may be deemed ineligible.

Note: Starting in 2026, if your organization has been awarded a Tourism Management Grant for the past 3 consecutive years, you are required to "sit out" a year and will be ineligible to apply.

Eligible projects

Eligible projects must advance the development, enhancement or management of visitor experiences in Colorado. 

Eligible use of funds for Tourism Management Grants

Eligible projects must support one or more of the eligible use of funds detailed below:

1. Visitor experience development.
   a. Example: Asset mapping, audio tours, bicycle tourism guides, cultural heritage trails, food and farm trails, music trails, stargazing.
2. Visitor education programs.
   a. Example: Travel philanthropy programs, trailhead and tourism ambassador programs.
3. Tourism-related strategic planning.
   a. Example: Climate action planning, destinations stewardship plans, stakeholder and resident engagement, visitor accessibility plans.
4. Tourism research and data.
   a. Example: Accessibility audit, economic impact reports, hotel and short-term rental analytics, visitor behavior data, visitor profile studies.
5. Tourism signage that directly enhances the visitor experience through increased access or engagement.
   a. Example: Directional signage, digital information kiosk, educational or interpretive signage, wayfinding signage.
6. Accessible and inclusive tourism projects.
   a. Example: Customized communication, implement inclusive programming, interpretive panels, train staff in inclusivity and accessibility translation
7. Environmental sustainability efforts specific to tourism.
   a. Example: Destination stewardship dashboard, zero waste event tracking.

Additional consideration will be applied to projects that advance one or more of the following priorities:

• Advance off-peak tourism opportunities
• Advance strategies from the Destination Stewardship Strategic Plan
• Champion the value of tourism
• Develop and enhance visitor experiences
• Encourage responsible and respectful use
• Foster inclusive travel opportunities

Ineligible use of funds

• Funding can not be used as a match for existing or future opportunities
• CTO paid opportunities, including advertising and co-ops (Review the Conditions of Funding section for more details)
• General administrative and operations costs such as personnel, office supplies, overhead, website maintenance costs
• Grant writing or grant management costs
• Food or alcoholic beverages
• Items for resale and gift cards
• Donations, sponsorships, or charitable contributions
• Promotional giveaways, souvenirs, wearables, and gifts (SWAG)
• Pre-award cost, expenses that were paid prior to the contract execution date
• Regranting of grant or match funds
• Capital construction, new construction, renovation, or restoration
• Entertainment/entertainers, social events, amusement
• Hospitality activities, such as hospitality suites, and other special facilities used in conjunction with shows and other special events
• Travel expenses
• Participation at an industry or consumer-related trade show or conference
• Destination Learning Labs/ Colorado Concierge training programs (see the CTO Learning Labs for opportunities)
• Tourism marketing campaigns or initiatives in Colorado (see the Tourism Marketing Grant)

The applicant can financially match the project cost at a higher amount if the cost exceeds grant dollar limitations.

The Tourism Management Grant applications cycle has closed. Check back in Fall 2026 for the next application cycle to open.

Detailed instructions for navigating the OEDIT online portal can be found in this Portal Handbook (PDF).

Although not required, applicants are encouraged to submit a brief LOI (available December 2, 2025 - January 8, 2026) before completing a full application so that CTO staff can learn more about the project and what the applicant hopes to achieve through funding. To ensure the program best meets your needs, a representative from the CTO will contact you within two weeks to discuss your LOI. Please note that the LOI form will close on January 8, 2026.

The application process is as follows:

1. Verify your eligibility. If you have questions, reach out to the program manager before you start the application.
2. Prepare your application materials by filling out this Tourism Management Grant Application Questions (Google Doc), (download and save a copy for your use). This document includes all application questions.
3. Log in to the OEDIT online portal and submit your complete application in the online portal. 

Supporting documentation

You will need to provide:

• Completed CTO tourism management grant budget (Google Sheet) (download and save a copy for your use).
• A completed CTO tourism management timeline (Google Sheet) (download and save a copy for your use).
• Letter(s) of commitment showing evidence of required cash match – matching dollars may not come from the State’s General Fund, Federal funds, Colorado Tourism Office funds, or other pending grant funds. Letter(s) of commitment must be on official letterhead and state the amount of cash committed by the organization.
• Project support letters – only required when projects interface with public lands or are on private property, as outlined below. Additional letters of support from individuals and organizations are not required, but applications demonstrating broad community support are more competitive  
  • Project letters of support are required from property owners (if different than the applicant) that own the location of any tourism signage projects
  • Project letters of support are required from the relevant Colorado land management agencies when proposed projects interface with Colorado public lands

Additionally, nonprofit entities must provide:

• A current certificate of Good Standing from the Colorado Secretary of State.

Applications are first vetted through an internal compliance review to ensure eligibility and that all required materials have been submitted. Incomplete or ineligible applications including applications with ineligible expenses may be rejected. Failure to comply with all application instructions may result in an automatic denial.

The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) will appoint a committee to review eligible applications. Grants will be awarded based on merit, availability of grant funding, and CTO final approval.

The CTO reserves the right to select and approve project proposals which best meet the objectives and requirements of the program and demonstrate the greatest potential to meet program goals and objectives.

The committee will review applications on these criteria:

• Strength of the project
• Ability to advance the priorities
• Demonstrated need for the project
• Capacity to implement 

The Colorado Tourism Office reserves the right to award a different amount than is requested in a grant application, to make changes to the Grant Guidelines or to cancel the Competitive Grants Program in its entirety.

All grant awards are contingent until there is a fully executed grant agreement between the applicant and CTO. Execution of a grant agreement with CTO signifies the applicant’s acceptance of the terms and conditions of the grant agreement and the grant guidelines. Grant funds will be awarded after the executed grant agreement effective date. Expenses incurred before a formal grant agreement is executed are not allowable expenses.

The Colorado Tourism Office's goal is to provide grant funds upfront. Funds are subject to approval by the State Controller's Office yearly, so we reserve the right to award funds on a reimbursement basis.

Grantees must: 

• Complete the work tasks and meet deliverable deadlines outlined within the grant agreement.
• Keep the budget updated throughout the lifetime of the grant.
• Submit reports as outlined in the grant agreement including a final report describing what was accomplished with the grant funds, a final budget, and documents for expenses incurred including invoices, expense receipts, and proof of payment.
• Request and receive prior approval for any significant refinements, clarifications, modifications, or changes to the grant agreement from the Division in writing. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: clarification or changes to the scope of work, or deliverables; changes in key personnel, including management staff or vendors; changes in the timeline; and changes in the budget.

Project requirements:

• CTO grant funds cannot be used as a match for existing or future opportunities.
• Neither CTO grant funds nor an applicant’s cash match can be used for CTO paid opportunities including, but not limited to, advertising on the CTO’s owned social media channels, CTO co-op programs (domestic and international), advertising offerings in the CTO Media Kit (including ads on Colorado.com and the Visit Colorado Official State Vacation Guide, sponsored articles and consumer emails), and Brand USA co-op marketing opportunities when a portion of the cost is covered by the CTO.
• Prior to production, publication, placement, and/or distribution, creative assets must be approved by the CTO.
• All materials that are funded in part by the Colorado Tourism Office need to include the official Colorado Tourism Office logo unless otherwise directed by the CTO.
• Any unused grant funds or grant funds not used as approved shall be returned to the Colorado Tourism Office pursuant to the grant agreement.

• December 2, 2025: Application opens
• January 22, 2026: Application closes at 4 p.m. MST
• March 5, 2026: Recipient notification
• TBD: Grant effective date/Performance period start date
• December 1, 2026: Interim report due
• April 30, 2027: Grant project performance period end date (tentative)
• June 15, 2027: Final report and expense receipts due

• Brand Book: This guide is your compass to navigating the intricacies and nuances of the majestic Colorado brand, ensuring we always Come to Life in a unified, consistent manner. For access to the CTO Brand Book, please reach out to Natazshya Rodriguez at natazshya.rodriguez@state.co.us.
• CTO Marketing Portal: The Marketing Portal is a valuable hub where destination marketing organizations (DMOs) can access CTO marketing information including brand assets, toolkits and more.