City Councilor Jeannie Cue held a news conference today with the Tulsa Route 66 Commission and Visit Tulsa to announce the start of a new Vision Tulsa Route 66 promotion – the Route 66 Special Event Matching Grant Program. The event was held at the Route 66 Redfork Train Depot, 3770 Southwest Boulevard, a completed Vision Tulsa project designed as an event center on Route 66.
Sponsored by the Tulsa Route 66 Commission and managed by the Tulsa Planning Office, the Special Event Matching Grant Program is designed to encourage heritage tourism and economic development through special Route 66 events held by property or business owners on Tulsa’s Route 66 alignments within the Route 66 Overlay District or defined downtown alignments.
“Thanks to Tulsa voters who approved the Vision Tulsa package, this new Route 66 Special Event Matching Grant Program will build on the success of our Route 66 Neon Sign Grant Program, in which $303,000 has been awarded so far,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “Here in Tulsa, the Capital of Route 66, we continue to promote economic growth and tourism along this historic route, keeping it attractive and relevant as we look forward to the Route 66 Centennial in 2026.”
The Route 66 Special Event Matching Grants are available for 50 percent of eligible costs of an event’s budget, up to a maximum of $5,000. Events eligible for the matching grants will be first-time events or new expansions or additions to existing events. For the initial roll-out of this program, funds for up to five maximum grants ($25,000) have been allocated, and applications will be accepted until those funds are obligated. Details about how to apply for the grants are available on the City of Tulsa website at www.cityoftulsa.org/rt66eventgrant
“As the Capital of Route 66, it is vital that we prepare for the upcoming Centennial by creating opportunities for more events along our 28-mile stretch of the Mother Road,” said Samantha Extance, Chair of the Tulsa Route 66 Commission. “We are launching a new matching grant program to bolster the burgeoning event industry along Route 66 in Tulsa. These events support heritage tourism, stimulate economic development, reimagine stagnant commercial corridors along both alignments of 66, and connect our community.”
Events that may qualify for the grants must be free and open to the public, designed to build awareness of or drive traffic to Route 66 in Tulsa, and take place and be visible on Route 66 within the Route 66 Overlay District as established in the Tulsa zoning code map. For a complete list of requirements, see the City of Tulsa web address listed above.
“We are thrilled to have another Route 66 grant available as we near the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Mother Road,” said Renee McKenney, Senior Vice President of Tourism for the Tulsa Regional Chamber and president of Tulsa Regional Tourism. “Route 66 is already a vital part of Tulsa’s tourism ecosystem, but this new Special Event Grant will undoubtedly bring even more traffic to Tulsa’s section of the Route 66 Corridor.”
To encourage participation from a variety of businesses and stronger branding for Route 66, each unique business may be awarded one special event grant annually. Events eligible for the grants must have an approved contract before they take place. The grant is reimbursed to the applicant upon completion of the event.
About Vision Tulsa
Vision Tulsa, an $884 million sales tax renewal package approved by voters in 2016, is making substantial investments in economic development, education, public safety, streets and transportation needs citywide. With citizen priorities providing the driving force behind the creation of Vision Tulsa, transformative projects and enhancements are setting the stage for a bright future for Tulsa.
About the Tulsa Route 66 Commission
By Executive Order, the Tulsa Route 66 Commission was formed to advocate heritage tourism, historic preservation, and economic development along Tulsa’s Route 66 alignments.
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