Grants of up to $50,000 to promote heritage tourism in Western North Carolina are being made available by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, a national designation bestowed on the region two years ago.

The grants will fund innovative heritage preservation, development and marketing projects. The grants are also intended to encourage local communities and organizations to conserve, develop, and promote their heritage assets.

The 25 counties in WNC and the Qualla Boundary that comprise the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area region spent nearly two years creating heritage development plans.

“We’ve seen many great project ideas come out of the local planning process,” says BRNHA Board Chair Janice Brumit. “We expect to have many applications, and will look more favorably upon those that will have a regional or multi-county impact.”

The grant awards will range between $1,000 and $50,000. Applicants must provide at least an equal match. The deadline for grant applications is Oct. 24.

The grant funds are available only to non-profit organizations, academic institutions, federally-recognized Indian tribes, and units of state and local government.

Applicants are required to attend one of three public information sessions — two of which have already been held. The press release announcing the grants and information sessions were issued only one week in advance of the required information sessions and was too late for last week’s paper. The third and final scheduled information session is Thursday, Oct. 6, at 6:30 pm in the Owen Conference Center at UNC-A in Asheville. For more information, go to www.blueridgeheritage.com.