Nearly $1 million in grants approved for projects in rural Nevada areas

The Nevada Commission on Tourism awarded $985,146 in grants for projects throughout rural Nevada, including Nevada’s Indian Territory, which will use its $12,000 grant to update brochures for Carson City’s Stewart Indian School, and Reno’s Ventana Sierra, Inc., which will use its $7,000 grant to promote the Great Carson City Lit Fest next summer.

The grants are designed to increase travel to receiving areas, Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki said.

“Nevada has so many hidden treasures in lesser-known areas of our state,” Krolicki, NCOT chairman, said. “The tourism professionals in rural Nevada work very hard to find creative, new and interesting ways to bring visitors to these extraordinary areas. The commission is very pleased to be a partner with these local and regional tourism agencies in finding ways to increase visitors and economic activity to rural Nevada.”

NCOT, a division of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, receives three-eighths of 1 percent of room tax revenue as its operation budget. A portion of those funds are used to offer the Rural Grants Program, which helps nonprofit groups and government agencies in rural Nevada enhance visitation from overnight stays. Funding for the grants does not come from the state’s General Fund.

Nevada Silver Trails, a nonprofit that promotes central/southern Nevada, was awarded $6,700 to develop and promote a social media “selfie” scavenger hunt contest that incorporates the group’s website and plays on the trend of taking self-portraits.

Winnemucca Convention & Visitors Authority was awarded $10,000 to create high-definition videos of the Ranch Hand Rodeo and other points of interest for advertising and other presentations.

The City of Mesquite was awarded $5,000 to promote the ParaLong Drive Worlds golf tournament in Mesquite, a top event for golfers with disabilities.

The nonprofit Great Basin Heritage Partnership will use its $8,000 grant to update, print and distribute brochures depicting the significant archeological, historical and cultural features found in the Great Basin National Heritage Area, including the Great Basin National Park.

A $3,933 grant was approved to design and print the 20-page Lower Walker River bird guide and checklist. The nonprofit Great Basin Bird Observatory, which supports birds and bird habitat throughout Nevada, is behind the birding guide, which will include such information as visitor amenities.

Grant recipients must provide a 50-50 match in funds or the equivalent in volunteer hours and use the money to maximize their marketing outreach which will bring more travelers to Nevada’s rural areas.

A total of 148 grants were awarded in this current cycle of grants. A second cycle will be awarded in December. For more information and a breakdown of grants, go to http://bit.ly/URGt6Q.