William King Museum of Art received a $10,000 grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s VA250 Tourism Marketing Program for its Unleashing the Wolf.
WKMA partnered with the Town of Abingdon to supply matching funds for the project which highlights the talents of a thriving artistic community and provides opportunities for artistic expression for all ages. It will engage community members and visitors to better understand the Virginia Settlement Story through the story of Daniel Boone and the wolves he found in our area. This project will engage the Abingdon community through three channels: The Virginia Sculpture Competition, Wolves of Abingdonand WKMA Educational Programming.
During this grant round, Virginia Tourism Corporation awarded more than $2 million in matching grant funds to 197 local tourism programs across the Commonwealth. These awards are funded through VTC’s Marketing Leverage Program, Destination Marketing Organization Grant Program, and VA250 Tourism Marketing Program.
These grant programs are designed to pair state funds with local tourism marketing campaigns to increase visitation and traveler spending through 2026.Local partners will commit more than $2.74 million to match the grant funding, generating more than $4.76 million in new marketing and event production focused on increasing overnight visitation across all nine GO Virginia regions. The tourism marketing will ultimately benefit 1,130 small businesses and nonprofits statewide.
“Tourism is a unifying force that strengthens communities, fuels small businesses, and supports jobs across the Commonwealth,” saidRita McClenny,President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation.“These grant programs empower our local partners to share the stories, experiences, and destinations that make Virginia such a special place to visit. We are proud to support this important work and to extend the impact of theVirginia is for Loversbrand through these collaborative efforts.”
“We’re proud to partner with the William King Museum of Art on the Unleashing the Wolf project, which brings public art and creative energy into the heart of our community. Projects like this celebrate the spirit of collaboration, highlight our region’s artistic talent, and reinforce Abingdon’s commitment to supporting cultural experiences that engage both residents and visitors alike.” —Chad Thompson, Marketing & Events Manager, Town of Abingdon
Administered by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, these tourism marketing programs are designed to increase visitor spending by leveraging limited marketing dollars to stimulate new tourism marketing through partnerships, and to extend theVirginia is for Loversbrand to drive visitation.Using the hub-and-spoke tourism model, Virginia entities create local partnerships to apply for funding.Partners include Virginia cities, towns, counties, convention and visitors’ bureaus, chambers of commerce, destination marketing organizations, museums, attractions, cultural events, and other tourism non-profits and businesses.
Each grant program plays a distinct role in advancing tourism growth:
The Marketing Leverage Program is a reimbursable grant program to leverage existing marketing funds available to Virginia travel industry partners including small businesses, destination marketing organizations, private sector attractions, accommodations, and events.
The Virginia DMO Grant Program is awarded to destination marketing organizations for marketing expenses that show positive and significant economic impact on tourism and must include marketing plans designed to drive visitation to Virginia.
The VA250 Tourism Marketing Program is a reimbursable grant program that leverages existing marketing dollars to carry out a targeted, research-based marketing plan promoting America’s 250th commemoration. Building on theAmerica: Made in Virginiatheme, the grant program is designed to drive visitation by highlighting Virginia’s rich cultural and historical legacy.
VTC will have additional Marketing Program grant and sponsorship rounds opening throughout 2025 and 2026. Organizations and businesses that are interested in applying for these grant opportunities may visitvatc.org/grantsfor more information.
