Tourism Grants

Funding provided through the Arts & Culture Organization Development (ACOD) grant supports organizations that enhance Tompkins County's brand as an artistic and cultural destination. Eligible organizations include public museums and performing / visual arts organizations in Tompkins County.

The Community Arts Partnership (CAP) assists with the administration of this grant program. All parties interested in this grant are strongly encouraged to reach out to CAP at their earliest convenience.

The 2025 ACOD grant recipients are:

• Cayuga Chamber Orchestra
• Cinemapolis
• Hangar Theatre
• Ithaca Children's Garden
• Ithaca Murals  (Center for Transformative Action)
• Kitchen Theatre Company
• Opera Ithaca
• Paleontological Research Institution 
• Running to Places Theatre Company
• Sciencenter
• State Theatre of Ithaca
• The Cherry Arts, Inc
• The Community School of Music and Arts 
• The History Center in Tompkins County
• Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts

The application cycle for 2025 ACOD grants has closed.  

• Apply for an ACOD grant through Common Grant Application.
• Download the 2025 - 2026 ACOD grant guidelines(PDF, 294KB).
• Preview Sample Application, Part 1(PDF, 660KB) and Sample Application, Part 2(PDF, 677KB).
• Learn about the past 2023 - 2024 ACOD Grant Recipients(PDF, 90KB).

Community Celebrations grants support local events that convey the unique culture and history of Tompkins County. Their mission is to enhance quality of life for residents, improve understanding of local culture, and foster community identity and involvement in ways that are informative, educational, and just plain fun. The County Historian provides guidance on this grant program. Applications for the spring 2026 grant cycle are due Feb. 26, 2026, at 11:59PM ET.  

• Apply for a Community Celebrations grant through Common Grant Application.
• Download the Community Celebrations grant guidelines(PDF, 236KB).
• Learn about the fall 2025 Community Celebrations grant recipients.
• Preview a Community Celebrations grant sample application(PDF, 678KB).
• Download the Community Celebrations grant budget template(XLSX, 18KB) .

Tourism Advancement grants fund projects and marketing campaigns that attract visitors to Tompkins County for overnight stays. Applications for the spring 2026 grant cycle are due Feb. 26, 2026, at 11:59PM ET. 

• Apply for a Tourism Advancement grant through Common Grant Application.
• Download the Tourism Advancement grant guidelines(PDF, 222KB).
• Learn about the fall 2025 Tourism Advancement grant recipients.
• Preview a Tourism Advancement grant sample application(PDF, 679KB).
• Download the Tourism Advancement grant budget template(XLSX, 19KB).

Tourism Capital grants support major investments in visitor-generating projects such as theaters, museums, and other major cultural and recreational attractions. The funds can be used for design, renovation, and new building projects; investments in unique permanent installations such as exhibits; and feasibility studies of potential capital projects.

• Apply for a Tourism Capital grant through Common Grant Application.
• Download the 2024 Tourism Capital grant guidelines(PDF, 218KB).
• Learn about the 2024 Tourism Capital Grant awards.

Ithaca Area Economic Development assists with the administration of this grant program. All parties interested in this grant are strongly encouraged to schedule a pre-application meeting.

The Tompkins Outdoors grant is intended to increase the capacity of organizations that enhance the county's profile as a leading destination for outdoor recreation. All applicants must either be responsible for stewardship of an outdoor recreation asset in Tompkins County or offer outdoor recreation programming in the county.

Applications for the spring 2026 grant cycle follow a two-part process: First, submit your eligibility questionnaire by Feb. 10, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET). Upon approval, you may proceed with your full application, due Feb. 26, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.

• Learn about the 2025 Tompkins Outdoors grant recipients.
• Download the 2026 Tompkins Outdoors grant guidelines(PDF, 265KB).
• Download the 2022 Tompkins Outdoors Grant workshop presentation(PDF, 2MB).

All grant applications must be submitted online through Common Grant Application. Please watch this brief video to learn about Common Grant Application.

View all grant programs and start an application

View or download the fall 2024 grant workshop presentation(PDF, 5MB).

The Tompkins County Tourism Program considers a visitor someone who travels from 50 or more miles to our county, or travelers who stay in the county overnight. This definition aligns with the guidance provided by Empire State Development. The resources below can be helpful for preparing a grant application or report.

• Map of locations that are 50 miles from Tompkins County(PDF, 10MB)
• List of zip codes within 50 miles of Tompkins County(PDF, 50KB)

In certain cases, applicants may need to partner with a “Fiscal Sponsor” to apply for a grant from the Tompkins County Tourism Program.

The Tompkins County Tourism Program allows fiscal sponsors to apply for Community Celebrations grants and Tourism Advancement grants on behalf of sponsored organizations.

Grant seekers who do not have an established nonprofit organization can work with a fiscal sponsor to seek grant funding in certain circumstances. The Tourism Program calls these applicants sponsored organizations.

A fiscal sponsor is an established nonprofit organization that provides legal and financial oversight to projects with a charitable purpose. A fiscal sponsor allows the grant applicant to seek funding under their tax-exempt umbrella.

The fiscal sponsor is the official recipient of the grant funds and is responsible for ensuring the funds are used appropriately, adhering to the grant's terms and conditions. The sponsored organization is responsible for planning and completing the project.

Fiscal sponsors may choose to work with only grant applicants whose missions are aligned with theirs. No organization is obligated to serve as a fiscal sponsor. In addition, fiscal sponsors may require that a portion of grant funds pay their administrative costs.

In the grant application the fiscal sponsor should be listed as the grant applicant. The fiscal sponsor should fill in the sections titled “Organization” and “Primary Contact.” The grant application also asks that fiscal sponsors provide a letter (on their letterhead) which confirms the sponsorship arrangement and a nonprofit determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service.

The sponsored organization should fill in the section of the application titled “Sponsored Organization” and provide all other details regarding the project proposed. This includes the project information, marketing plan, budget, and all other information required in the application.

Groups that routinely use fiscal sponsorship for grant applications should consider incorporating as standalone nonprofit organizations. 

The Tompkins Festivals Program offers workshops on various aspects of event planning:

• Budgeting and fundraising for your special event
• Marketing and communications for your special event
• Enhancing and measuring the tourism impact of your event
• Volunteer coordination

Applicants planning events are encouraged to establish a material management plan. A template and sample event materials management plan are available for download. 

Event Material Management - template and sample (excel)(XLSX, 19KB)

Event Material Management - template and sample (PDF)(PDF, 201KB)

Download template budget tables below:

• Tourism Advancement grant template budget table(XLSX, 19KB)
• Community Celebration grant template budget table(XLSX, 18KB)

Organizations that are awarded grants through the Tourism Program are required to have a contract in place with Tompkins County. 

Download an example Tourism Advancement grant contract(PDF, 226KB)  

You can contact us by email. 

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Download the Strategic Tourism Plan(PDF, 3MB)

Download the 2024 Visitor Profile Study(PDF, 4MB)

See the plans and resources page for additional plans, reports, and applicant resources.

Grant recipients are required to provide recognition to the Tompkins County Tourism Program.

Download the Grantee Recognition Guidelines(PDF, 128KB).

Download the Tompkins County Tourism Program Logo

• Full set of Logos(ZIP, 5MB)
• Digital Logos - use these for emails, websites, social media, etc.
  • Digital Logos (.zip of digital formats)(ZIP, 440KB)
  • Digital Logos (.jpeg)(JPG, 199KB)
  • Digital Logos (.png)(PNG, 53KB)
• Print Logos - use these for printed or copied materials, newspaper and magazines, etc.
  • Print Logos (.zip of digital formats)(ZIP, 4MB)
  • Print Logos (.ai)(AI, 1MB)
  • Print Logos (.eps)(EPS, 590KB)

Please follow the following branding guidelines when using the logo.

1. No elements of the logo may be recreated, deleted, cropped, highlighted or reconfigured in any way
2. Place the logo in an area free from clutter and easy to read
3. Keep the logo on a white or solid background
4. Make the logo large enough for all text to be legible

Grant recipients are required to prepare and submit reports on their activities. Please use the grant report forms provided on the Common Grant Application site. The examples below are for reference only. 

Example Community Celebrations grant report form(PDF, 149KB)

Example Tourism Advancement grant report form(PDF, 150KB)

Grant reports are due 30 days following the event or project completion.