Popular events share state marketing grants
Some of New Mexico’s most popular outdoor events are getting a shot in the arm from grants for marketing efforts.
The Outdoor Recreation Division of the New Mexico Economic Development Department awarded 41 recipients in 17 counties with the state’s first Outdoor Marketing Grants.
The applicants were encouraged to request funding to increase their outdoor marketing events or apply for event sponsorships. The one-time funding source was a program that was part of the American Rescue Plan Act.
The grants total $874,000, and the 41 recipients will provide $1.2 million in matching funds. Grant awards range from $10,000 to $30,000.
“This innovative grant program represents a new collaboration between the Outdoor Recreation Division and the Department of Tourism to support programs and amplify events,” Mark Roper, New Mexico Economic Development Department acting cabinet secretary, said in a statement. “Of the 41 grantees, 26 are in rural communities where building the outdoor economy is vital to creating jobs and diversifying the economy.”
Tour of the Gila, a five-day road race hosted by the Gila Community and Tourism Department, was one of the events that will be supported with the grant funding. Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation’s Day of the Tread will receive $30,000 in grant funding, and Presbyterian Ear Institute’s Run to Break the Silence will get $22,800.
About two-thirds of the recipients are in rural parts of the state.
Trout Unlimited, in Taos County, will get just under $30,000 to target demographic communities that are not as likely to experience fly fishing, including women, Hispanics and Native Americans.
“Trout Unlimited will be able to make our community fishing events bigger and better than ever this year, thanks to the Outdoor Recreation Division’s support,” Claire Catlett, Trout Unlimited Upper Rio Grande engagement manager, said in a statement.
The state’s ORD was created in 2019 and has since invested more than $18 million into various outdoor initiatives.