Attraction Development Grant Program

The Attraction Development Grant Program is administered by Kansas Tourism and is designed to support the creation of new tourism attractions and the enhancement of sustainable, market-driven travel experiences in Kansas. Funding for the program is provided by Kansas Tourism under K.S.A. 32-1420, K.S.A. 32-1421, and K.S.A. 32-1422. The program is intended to provide strategic economic assistance to public entities, private entities, and nonprofit groups developing new or enhancing existing tourism attractions in Kansas. Its objectives include attracting new visitors, particularly out-of-state visitors, influencing travel decisions, generating economic benefits through jobs, capital investment, increased revenue and visitation, developing destination-based assets, enhancing the visitor experience, and improving quality of life in communities across Kansas. Eligible projects include construction of new attractions, enhancements to existing attractions, and new or enhanced attraction exhibits intended to improve the visitor experience. For program purposes, a tourist attraction is a site of significant interest to tourists because of its historic, cultural, scientific, educational, recreational, architectural, natural scenic, or outdoor recreational qualities. Ineligible projects and expenses include casinos and establishments operating class 3 gaming, racetrack facilities, travel or trade shows, refinancing debt, general upkeep, normal operating expenses, general marketing or promotion, community centers primarily used by local residents, projects without sustainable and accountable ties to the tourism marketplace, grant administration fees, association memberships, fundraising, most taxes, lobbying and political contributions, bad debts and finance charges, parking or traffic violations, and out-of-state transportation and travel expenses. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) status, for-profit organizations, state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, federally recognized and other Native American tribal governments, and public or private nonprofit organizations or associations acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a state. Applicants must be in good standing with applicable Kansas Tourism programs, and an existing attraction must have a listing on TravelKS.com. Organizations that are not the primary Destination Marketing Organization in their community must include a letter of support from the local DMO. Applicants not in good standing with the Kansas Secretary of State are ineligible. The same project cannot use this grant in conjunction with another open grant administered by Kansas Tourism. A total of $1,000,000 is available, with approximately 10 to 15 awards expected. The guidelines state that minimum and maximum individual award amounts are not available. Attraction Development Grant funding may provide no more than 40 percent of total project costs, requiring applicants to provide at least 60 percent through leveraged assets. Eligible leveraged assets may include bank loans, bonds, sponsorships, federal grants, cash, and in-kind contributions. In-kind contributions cannot exceed 50 percent of the applicant's leveraged assets, and bookkeeping and organizational salaries do not qualify as in-kind contributions. Documentation must establish the basis used to value donated goods or labor. The maximum period of performance is 18 months, and eligible expenditures may begin only after the grant contract is fully executed and the period of performance has started. Applications are submitted through Submittable, and applicants must create a Submittable account. Required attachments include applicable documentation of Kansas Secretary of State good standing, a Kansas Department of Revenue Tax Clearance Certificate, a signed State Policy Regarding Sexual Harassment Acknowledgment Form, a signed Certification of Company Not Currently Engaged in the Procurement or Obtainment of Certain Equipment, Services, or Systems Form, a signed W-9 dated within the previous 12 months, and, when requesting more than $100,000, a signed Israeli Anti-Boycott Form. Government and tribal entities are exempt from the Secretary of State good-standing screenshot requirement. The budget form is completed through the online application. Required attachments and supporting materials must be uploaded with the application and will not be accepted through another method. Incomplete applications or applications missing required documentation will not be reviewed or considered for funding, and late applications will not be accepted. Applications are reviewed by a panel using a 100-point rubric. Scoring addresses project description and documentation, project budget and leveraged funding, project timeline and milestones, enhancement of the visitor experience and connections to Kansas nature, culture, recreation or history, annual visitation and visitor tracking, short- and long-term marketing plans, economic benefit, and letters of support. Selection also considers increased out-of-state visitation and overnight stays, visitor spending and sales-tax generation, job creation or retention, project uniqueness, collaboration with regional tourism resources, project accountability and sustainability, availability to travelers, management-team qualifications, planning, and community support. Applicants demonstrating increased out-of-state visitation receive priority, while KDC Empowerment communities and applicants that have never previously received an Attraction Development grant may receive bonus points. Reviewer scores, geographic distribution, an applicant's history as a state grantee, and capacity to perform the work may also affect selection, and all awards require approval by the Secretary of Commerce. The application period opens August 17 and closes October 16, with applications due by 11:59 PM on October 16. Kansas Tourism expects to announce selected grantees in December. Awardees are notified by phone and non-awardees by email. Grantees must sign and return the grant award agreement within 30 calendar days of receipt, complete activities during the grant period, maintain grant documentation for at least three years after the grant period, and submit semi-annual reports every six months until project completion. The closeout report is associated with the final payment reimbursement request and must be completed within the applicable grant requirements. Questions and additional documentation should be directed to Grants Manager Babette Dixon at Babette.Dixon1@ks.gov or 785-496-0230.

Demonstrate increased out-of-state visitation and overnight stays; clearly document economic impact, visitor spending, sales tax generation, jobs and quality-of-life benefits; provide a feasible project description and milestone timeline; provide a detailed budget and verification of leveraged funding; explain visitor tracking and short- and long-term marketing plans; demonstrate sustainability and accountability; document attraction availability and management capacity; provide strong DMO and community support.