Oregon Wine Country License Plates Matching Grants Program

Applications were due on Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. PST. An award announcement will be made via email on Nov. 15, 2021. Subscribe to our industry newsletter for updates.

The mission of Travel Oregon is to inspire travel that drives community enhancement and economic development, creating a better life for Oregonians through strong, sustainable local economies. With funding provided through sales of the Oregon Wine Country license plate, Travel Oregon has established a program to make grant awards available to “tourism promotion agencies” for projects that promote wine and culinary tourism.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include those that are “Tourism Promotion Agencies” in Oregon. ORS 320.300 defines “Tourism Promotion Agency” as:

• An incorporated nonprofit organization or governmental unit responsible for the tourism promotion of a destination on a year-round basis.
• A nonprofit entity that manages tourism-related economic development programs and projects.
• A regional or statewide association that represents entities that rely on tourism-related business for more than 50% of their total income.

Project Eligibility 

Eligible projects or initiatives must provide for the improvement or expansion of the tourism economy in Oregon. Projects must promote wine and/or culinary tourism. “Tourism promotion” is defined as:

• Advertising, publicizing or distributing information for the purpose of attracting and welcoming visitors.
• Conducting strategic planning and research necessary to stimulate future tourism development.
• Operating tourism promotion agencies (specific to wine and culinary tourism efforts).
• Marketing special events and festivals designed to attract visitors.

Project is intended to increase the likelihood of visitation from 50 miles outside the local area. Though it is not a requirement, ideally, the project will lead to an increase of overnight stays in local lodging facilities. Partnerships with tourism entities and businesses, economic development and/or government entities are looked upon favorably and strengthen an application.

Entity Eligibility

Ineligible applicants include those listed below:

• For-profit entities.
• Entities that have a bankruptcy or other financial corruption within the past five years.
• Entities that fail to fulfill past grant award requirements within the past three years (includes: project completion, submission of required grant reporting, proper use of grant funds).

To Get Started

• Review the 2021-2022 Grant Guidelines.
• Review grant application questions.
• Complete an online application. (The application was open from 8 a.m. on Aug. 11 through 5 p.m. PST on Sept. 15.)
  Applicants who have previously applied for an Oregon Wine Country License Plates Matching Grant or one of Travel Oregon’s Competitive Grants may use their existing password to log on. Once logged into your applicant dashboard, you can access the application by selecting “Apply” in the top navigation. All other applicants will need to select “Create New Account” to begin. All submissions are final. Be sure to triple-check your work prior to submitting the application.

Timeline

• Aug. 11, 2021 – Online application opens.
• Sept. 15, 2021 – Online application closes.
• Nov. 15, 2021  – Grant recipients announced.
• Dec. 31, 2022 – Projects must be complete.