Rockland County Cuts Tourism Grants In Half; Prior Grantees Turn To Legislature To Seek Funding For Cultural Programs

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Rockland County Prioritizes Tourism Dollars for FIFA and America’s 250 in 2026

By Tina Traster

After a long and confusing rollout of grant money for cultural organizations over the past month, Rockland County on Thursday issued a statement along with a list of grantees, verifying that this year’s allocation funded nearly half of those that got grants in previous years, and that the total meted out also represented a major reduction in funding.

Director of Economic Development and Tourism Jenna Nazario confirmed 17 organizations will receive approximately $178,000 in tourism promotion grants for 2026 – down from more than 30 organizations in previous years receiving totals exceeding $300,000.

Over the past month, grantees from previous years have been miffed over the process and a lack of transparency over who got what. Some grantees who felt ignored or confused by the unorthodox process FOILed the county for the list of grantees and the amounts they had received but did not receive meaningful responses. RCBJ had also been asking the county for a list; as of yesterday, the County Spokesperson Beth Cefalu said, “the list is still in the process of being finalized and will be published once it’s complete.”

For years, Rockland County’s tourism grants have been a source of pride for County Executive Ed Day. He mentioned the success of the grants on Thursday during an RBA luncheon that included the launch of “Rock Solid Rockland”, designed to stimulate economic development. The county, the Rockland County Industrial Development Agency, and the Rockland Business Association are partnering in the program that will include marketing and branding for the county’s businesses.

Following the presentation, one attendee asked whether the county planned to include cultural organizations in its push to promote businesses. Nazario, who has been at the center of the chaotic grants’ rollout to date, said they would.

In March, letters trickled back from the county to applicants telling them that either they’ve not been awarded funding this year, or that the funding they have been given is tied to the 250th celebrations and FIFA, which is taking place this summer in New Jersey. Many who have received monies have been required to use the money to focus on promoting Rockland County as a hotel/recreation destination for FIFA goers this summer and for a July 3rd concert to mark America250. What vexed them is that these requirements were not part of the application process.

Both FIFA and America250 are one-time events, while Rockland’s arts, cultural and historic groups typically rely on funding to bolster year-round programming. The focus on FIFA and America250 has left cultural organizations at sea, saying they’re having trouble planning and executing their programs. Many say talks with the county now revolve around criteria to align with the two events — but there’s no clarity as to whether additional 2026 tourism dollars will be available and what the qualifiers will be.

Rockland County was awarded a $127,250 matching grant through Empire State Development’s Market NY program to support the Global Rhythms: Rockland Summer Festival 2026. The county in 2025 awarded $316,750 to 30 tourism-focused businesses, up from $298,000 in 2024. The matching grant likely reduced the tourism dollars.

Global Rhythms is a multi‑day, countywide celebration aimed highlighting Rockland’s cultural diversity, artistic talent, and outdoor recreation in conjunction with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to the county. The festival will feature live music, international cuisine, art installations, interactive sports activities, family programming, and large outdoor screens for World Cup match viewing.

The county says this year’s “allocations follow an updated grant-review process implemented after an internal evaluation of the 2025 awards. That review identified instances of duplicate funding—where organizations received county administration and county legislature support for the same event or operational expenses—and cases where applicants could not demonstrate that past county funding produced measurable tourism impact.”

However, some grant applicants have been told there is no documentation to support how the decision was made. When RCBJ sent an inquiry seeking information on the process, including asking for documents, the county’s responded “We conducted an internal review, and internal reviews do not generate formal documentation, so there is no document to provide.”

“By tightening our grant process, we’re ensuring county funds go to programs that deliver real results while still supporting the nonprofits that serve our community through the appropriate contract and 224-agency channels,” said Day.

Organizations that did not qualify for tourism-promotion grants will be redirected to funding through nonprofit contracts or as 224 agencies—avenues that better match their missions and services, the County Executive continued, though it is unclear why the county funded cultural agencies for a decade.

A“224 agency” is a nonprofit or community organization that receives County Legislature funding to provide specified public services; “migrated agencies” include nonprofits tasked with delivering services.

“We are working together to review each organization to make sure they are categorized and funded properly,” explained County Legislature Chairman Jay Hood Jr. “The Legislature recognizes the vital role these nonprofits play in supporting residents and enhancing quality of life across Rockland County.”

Without tourism‑generated sales and local taxes, the average Rockland household would pay an additional $675 annually in property taxes to maintain current services, according to the county.

The Tourism Grant Recipients are as follows: