Oxford County Tourism Innovation grants available to local businesses and non-profits

Emily Stewart, Echo Correspondent

New ideas to boost tourism in Oxford County could receive funding from the Oxford County Tourism Innovation grant.

Community Futures Oxford, in partnership with Tourism Oxford and Rural Oxford Economic Development, launched the Oxford County Tourism Innovation Grant in late January 2026. There are five grants available worth $3,000 each. They will be awarded to three businesses and two non-profit organizations.

The grants will support initiatives that develop and/or expand tourism opportunities in Oxford County. The activity must be implemented within the 2026 calendar year, and the applicant must have been in business for two years in the county. Those who previously received a tourism innovation grant are ineligible to apply.

It will be awarded to those who can bring new perspectives to local tourism and meet the current customer demands. The application review team will prioritize grant applications having ideas related to cycling, sustainability and outdoors, culinary, experiences, and handcrafted/culture activities.

“If business and non-profits could use funds to execute a project, they’ve been planning that will bring more visitors to their business, they should consider applying for this grant,” said Janet Wakutz, CED coordinator of Community Futures Oxford.

“We encourage all who are interested to ensure they meet eligibility requirements.”

Wakutz added that although the region is known for Agri-tourism experiences, there’s a variety of tourism opportunities in the county.

“While Oxford County is comprised of rural communities, it’s also vibrant with many types of businesses. There is quite an emphasis on experiential tourism in Oxford County and we’ve seen some real creativity executed in previous years.”

She added there is also an emphasis this year on the category of handcrafted/culture.”

Applications will be scored by the three partner organizations after the March 31 deadline. Finalists will meet a panel of impartial judges via Zoom in early April, and the distribution of grants will be done shortly after.

“Collaborating with partners on this initiative is representative of the sense of community within Oxford County that we’re proud to contribute to and thrive within,” Wakutz said.

More information is available at https://cfoxford.ca/tourismgrant.