Tourism Cares Awards $60,000 in Grants

Tourism Cares, a nonprofit organization, awarded grants totaling $60,000 in 2011 to six foundations, conservancies and museums. Worldwide Grant Program recipients will receive full matching funds from other organizations. Projects awarded these grants are for historic preservation or educational programs to enhance interpretation at cultural heritage or natural sites.

Winners of the 2011 grants:

American River Conservancy in Coloma, CA, will use its funds to protect a watershed between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, which is the home of the first Japanese colony in the U.S. The money will support an extensive educational program with hopes to bring 10,000 more visitors to the area.

General Douglas MacArthur Foundation in Norfolk, VA, will modernized the memorial, utilizing high tech elements,  to the American and Allied troops who served General MacArthur during World War I and II, the occupation of Japan, and the Korean War.

The Heard Museum, in Phoenix, AZ, educates the public about the heritage and the living culture and arts of the Native Americans in the Southwest. The Tourism Cares Worldwide Grant will support a brick-and-mortar project to replace the original historic doors on the 1929 structure, to improve visitor safety and protect the museum’s collections.

The Maine Maritime Museum, in Bath, ME, will restore a 1897 Paint and Treenail building, so that an expert in historic structures can repair the foundation. The museum will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2012. The site welcomes 45,000 visitors annually.      

The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, in Palm Beach, FL will preserve and interpret Whitehall and its collections, related to the life of Henry Morrison Flagler.

The USS Constitution Museum, Inc., in Boston will build a discovery center to educate families about the historic ship.

Applications for 2012 grants are due on March 1.

Visit www.TourismCares.org