CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (July 29, 2021) – The Chattanooga Tourism Co. is pleased to announce that 26 local Culture, Heritage & Arts (CHA) partners were awarded a total of $302.5K through the inaugural Cultural Tourism Advancement Grant (CTA). The first round of the Grant was highly competitive with 45 applicants requesting a total of $1.5 million in assistance for events, enhancements, exhibits, and more.
“We are excited to help build our community by supporting our partners through our first CTA Grant,” said Barry White, CEO, Chattanooga Tourism Co. “Tourism is a critical economic driver for Hamilton County. These funds provide an opportunity to collaborate with our partners in developing and promoting experiences that drive visitor demand and ultimately enhance the lifestyles of our residents.”
The 2021 CTA Grant was awarded to the following organizations:
- Adventure Sports Innovation
- Art 120
- Association for Visual Arts
- Barking Legs Theater
- Bessie Smith Cultural Center
- Chatt Taste Food Tours
- Chattanooga Ballet, Inc.
- Chattanooga Theatre Centre
- Chattanooga Zoo
- Creative Discovery Museum
- Friends of the Festival, Inc.
- Houston Museum of Decorative Arts
- Hunter Museum of American Art
- National Park Partners
- Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center
- River City Company
- Sculpture Fields at Montague Park
- Songbirds Foundation
- Stove Works
- Tennessee Aquarium
- The Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Association
- The Chattery
- The Ed Johnson Project
- Tivoli Theatre Foundation
- Townsend Atelier
- WanderLinger Brewing Company
The Tourism Co. developed the CTA Grant with funds from lodging taxes paid by visitors when spending the night in Hamilton County, not Hamilton County taxpayers. It was designed to support and enhance a wide range of tourism-related projects that would increase brand awareness for Chattanooga, drive visitor demand, and support the Tourism Co.’s mission of developing visitor experiences that enhance the economic and social prosperity of Hamilton County.
Organizations were able to request up to 10% of their total operating budget, with a maximum of $50K. In awarding funds, greatest consideration was given to a project/program’s ability to attract diverse audiences, create economic impact, encourage visitors to travel to or extend their stay in Hamilton County, enhance the visitor experience, collaborate with other local organizations/artists, and improve our quality of life.
White added, “Every community needs to compete with every other community for their share of the world’s attention, customers, ideas, and investment. New and innovative experiences result in new opportunities for our residents and help keep our product fresh and our destination top of mind for visitors. We are excited to see the impact of these investments with our partners.”
Find additional details at VisitChattanooga.com/CTAgrant.
# # #
ABOUT THE CHATTANOOGA TOURISM CO.
The Chattanooga Tourism Co. promotes and develops visitor experiences for our community’s economic and social prosperity. Chattanooga has been named to the 2021 Hot List of Where to Travel Next, one of 10 Best Small Cities in the U.S. in 2019 and one of 10 Friendliest Cities in 2020 in the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards. Start exploring at VisitChattanooga.com or follow @VisitChatt on social media.
View our complete photo and video library here.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Candace Litchfield, Director of Public Relations
423-421-2174 (cell) | candace@chattanoogatourism.com
