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Hi Destination,
I would like to share with you several new programs being launched these next few months at Destination Door County!
Community Investment Fund
We are excited to announce that $325,251 has been awarded to local units of government and non-profit organizations as part of the inaugural grant awards for the organization’s new Community Investment Fund.
There are two more grant cycle opportunities happening in 2023, with deadlines of Thursday, July 6, and then again on Thursday, October 5. Qualified applicants include 501(c)(3) public charities, 501(c)(6) organizations, and local units of government. Please see all the award recipients and projects in the link listed below.
Read about the first round of CIF grant awards
Destination Master Plan
Destination Door County has initiated the development of a Destination Master Plan, that will be built around the needs of residents, visitors, and stakeholders ranging from tourism to economic development to county planning. The Destination Master Plan will create a strategic and shared vision for the future of Door County’s visitor economy to ensure its long-term economic sustainability while preserving the environment, quality of life for residents, and quality of place.
As important as the final actionable document is, equally important is the planning process that integrates inclusive community engagement and how this plan is implemented. We are currently engaging residents, community leaders, public officials, and industry stakeholders for this project.
Please see the media release link below that includes access to the resident survey and the stakeholder survey (civic leaders and stakeholders in tourism, business, education, and government). Both surveys will be available until Friday, June 21. Please share them with your friends, neighbors, businesses, and organizations!
The input we are seeking
Art In The Door
Arts and Culture have the power to bring people together to drive change and improve the quality of life for all of us. Creativity is at the heart of Door County. There’s no doubt the art scene here has been weaved into the fabric of this place we call home. The art community in Door County is thriving and is truly unmatched.
It’s easy to understand why arts and culture are such an integral part of our visitor economy. To highlight this, we launched our Art in the Door campaign and contest in March asking local artists to create 2D artwork highlighting the beauty and feeling that Door County evokes.
A jury panel narrowed the field down to 8 talented finalists with the top 4 winning artists each receiving $2000, a feature in DDC’s “Art in the Door” video series, and their piece featured in DDC’s national Door County marketing campaigns.
The top 8 artists are Linda Welch, Cameron Brockman, Pamela Schmitz, Mary K. White, Mac Schueppert, Karen Elwing, Brian Pier, and Paula Z. Wendland.
To vote, visit doorcounty.com/artinthedoor. One vote per email and each vote will be entered to win a $250 Door County gift certificate. Voting ends June 7, 2023.
The Leave No Trace Spotlight is coming to Door County June 8 – 10.
Last fall Destination Door County & Peninsula State Park jointly applied to Leave No Trace's new Spotlight program and we are tremendously excited to share that we were selected as one of the 15 sites across the country to be highlighted in 2023.
This multi-day event brings attention to community conservation, spreads education, and builds momentum inspiring involvement for the future. The Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Team will be at Peninsula State Park on June 8-10, 2023, hosting a variety of educational and community outreach programs.
We would love to see as many of you there as possible to support this! To wrap up the weekend and celebrate National Get Outdoors Day, join us on June 10th for a Park-wide stewardship project. We’re looking forward to this Spotlight catalyzing more conversations about community conservation and inspiring action for the future of Door County. Leave No Trace Spotlight - Peninsula State Park
We truly recognize the value of maintaining and preserving the natural environment and cultural heritage of our community. We have seen our local economy grow and provide more opportunities for our residents because of an increase in visitor numbers but it has also put stress on our fragile natural ecosystem. We understand the importance of investing in our community along with the significance of the visitor economy. Balance is essential. That is why we are making a special investment of $800,000 in Door County’s parks. This is possible due to higher than anticipated room tax collections in 2022, and municipal parks, county parks and state parks in Door County will share this one-time funding allocation. We will be rolling out details in the next few weeks.
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