STATE News:
SANTA FE — Now entering its fourth year, the New Mexico Tourism Department’s (NMTD) Tourism Event Growth and Sustainability Program will support a record number of partner events through a record amount of grant funding in fiscal year 2026.
The Tourism Event Growth and Sustainability Program offers eligible New Mexico entities that host tourism-related events with technical assistance, marketing resources and sponsorship support for those events. For FY26, NMTD is awarding $551,702 in support to 44 events, both a record for the program.
This program offers three options of support. The first option is an event accelerator that helps tourism events level up through technical support and strategic planning. The second option is a cooperative marketing model that pools resources between NMTD and participating entities. The third option is sponsorship support for established tourism events. For FY26, 14 events will be participating in the accelerator, 10 will be participating in the marketing cooperative and 20 will be participating in the sponsorship module.
Tourism events in 20 destinations across New Mexico will be supported by this program in FY26. Of the 44 participating tourism events, 26 are hosted in communities outside of Albuquerque or Santa Fe.
“Events, fairs and festivals are essential drivers of tourism for communities of all sizes throughout New Mexico,” Acting Secretary Lancing Adams said. “We’re excited to get to work in helping a cohort of new and returning partners who wish to activate tourism through special events.”
One example of how communities leverage these grants to improve the experience and access for residents and visitors alike happened over this past weekend at the International Folk Art Market. Through this grant program, New Mexico True was able to sponsor Community Day to provide free access to the market on the final Sunday of the event. Offering free access on the final day of the event not only encourages repeat visits to the market for folks who traveled to Santa Fe for the event but also invites locals to share in this unique global experience.
Below is a complete list of program participants for FY26:
More information about the program is available at www.NewMexico.org/industry.