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Colorado Rural Academy for Tourism Studio 201

The Colorado Rural Academy for Tourism (CRAFT) Studio 201 was a six- to eight-month program that provided 100 hours of project-based consulting for Colorado tourism industry partners to align on tourism priorities and work with a mentor on a specific tourism-related goal or strategy.

Awarded tourism industry partners received:

  • coaching from a peer expert based on the specific needs of your destination
  • up to 100 hours of individualized, consulting assistance with a mentor
  • a scope of work, deliverables, and timeframe developed in tandem with your mentor during the first stage of initiative
  • at least one in-person site visit from mentor
  • consultations by phone and in-person from mentor
  • continued support from the Colorado Tourism Office

Within 90 days after completion of a CRAFT Studio 201 program, participants could apply for a $7,500 CRAFT Studio 201 Implementation Funding grant to advance one or more tourism strategies identified during the program.

The Colorado Rural Academy For Tourism (CRAFT) is no longer active. Follow this link to learn more about active Colorado Tourism Office Destination Development programs.

Overview

Type: Consulting/technical assistance

For: Tourism destinations

Amount: Up to $7,500 per destination

Application deadlines: This program is no longer active

OEDIT division: Colorado Tourism Office

Eligible applicants included

  • a local government
  • destination marketing organization
  • chamber of commerce
  • tourism industry association
  • a tourism board, panel or committee

To apply for this grant, applicants needed to:

  • identify at least one or two local champions to lead the effort
  • provide outreach to local tourism stakeholders to support participation in program activities

Each applicant was limited to one CRAFT Studio 201 per state fiscal year (July to June)

 The Colorado Rural Academy For Tourism (CRAFT) is no longer active. Follow this link to learn more about active Colorado Tourism Office Destination Development programs.

Apply online through the OEDIT application portal. Log in or create a new account. New users are manually added to the portal for security reasons, so it may take several days to activate your account.

A representative from the Colorado Tourism Office will responded to CRAFT Studio 201 application within two weeks of submissions.

Application materials

Application questions
The questions below are only a reference and do not include all of the information required in the application. For each narrative question response, there was a limit of 5,000 characters including spaces and punctuation.

  • Describe why your destination is applying for a CRAFT Studio 201 and why it is an appropriate time to begin this effort.
  • Include past examples of successful initiatives demonstrating your ability to implement collaborative tourism projects.
  • Explain how you will support the on-site coordination of program-related activities.
  • If selected as a participating destination for CRAFT Studio 201, what are your expected outcomes from this effort? List at least three.
  • List the current assets and resources your destination identifies for tourism.
  • Is there local financing in place or in-kind donations to support the delivery of the CRAFT Studio 201? If so, what are the sources and dollar amount or dollar equivalent? 

Supporting documents

  • a list of supporting individuals and organizations – demonstrate broad community support for this program with a list of individuals and organizations that will support this effort, along with the role they will play throughout the program duration.
  • three to five letters of support

A panel of industry partners and Colorado Tourism office staff reviewed applications and recommended awards based on application scores and available funds. The panel reviewed applications based on these criteria:

Merit (30%)

  • overall strength of application request
  • evidence of previous success

Community Involvement (30%)

  • local champions and core group
  • evidence of community support

Impact (20%)
Applicants needed to show outcomes and potential for success.

Implementation Capacity (20%) 

  • planning and management support
  • financial ability

CRAFT Studio 201 Implementation Funding grants provided CRAFT Studio 201 participants with $7,500 to implement one or more tourism projects that were identified during the program. Awarded tourism industry partners needed to apply for this grant within 90 days of completion of CRAFT Studio 201 and projects needed to be completed within twelve months of receiving grant funds.

Past grantees used these funds to:

  • promote a new regional event
  • develop an asset inventory for marketing
  • conduct a photography shoot to gain updated, rights-free images
  • conduct an in-depth visitor profile study

Ineligible uses of funds included:

  • staffing/salary costs
  • basic overhead needs
  • capital improvements, new construction, renovation, or restoration
  • professional training or scholarship
  • reimbursement of fees or expenses paid prior to application award
  • office supplies or items for resale

How to apply

Apply online through the OEDIT application portal. Log in or create a new account. New users are manually added to the portal for security reasons, so it may take several days to activate your account.

Applicants needed to include a:

  • detailed project description
  • timeline for the project
  • budget outlining all anticipated expenses

Selection process

A panel of Colorado Tourism Office staff and a program facilitator reviewed applications and recommended awards based on available funds.

Conditions of funding

As a condition of the receipt of a CRAFT Studio 201 Implementation Funding grant, awardees needed to complete a baseline questionnaire and a mid-program evaluation. Within 30 days after the completion of the CRAFT Studio 201 Implementation Funding grant project, they needed to submit a final report. Twelve to 18 months after completion of the CRAFT Studio 201 program, Colorado Tourism Office staff met with awardees to gauge the long-term results of the investment.

Program Manager

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