Route 66 Extraordinary Women Micro-Grants

The Program is one in a series of “birthday gifts” to be given to Route 66 in the years leading up to the historic road’s one-hundredth birthday in 2026. The Route 66 Extraordinary Women Micro-Grant Program provides critical and flexible funding to businesses and attractions located along Route 66 that are majority women-owned or operated.

The Route 66 Extraordinary Women Micro-Grant Program is funded in part by a grant from the Preserve Route 66 Grant Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In addition to direct fundraising efforts undertaken by the Road Ahead, the public may make direct donations to the Extraordinary Women Micro-Grant Program online (https://100extraordinarywomen.com/route-66-extraordinary-women-initiative/).

Established in 2016, with the support of the National Park Service and the World Monuments' Fund, The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership’s mission is to revitalize and sustain Route 66 as a national and international icon through partnerships focused on promotion, preservation, research and education, and economic development.

The next round of The Route 66 Extraordinary Women Micro-Grant Program will begin July 5, 2024. Program guidelines, criteria, and applications will be available at: https://roadahead.route66centennial.org/.  Up to 10 grant awards of $2,000 each will be made in the next round of the program. 

The Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership is pleased to announce ten grant awards from its Extraordinary Women Micro-Grants Program. The 2024 round of the Micro-Grant program was completed last month, with $2,000 awards made to:

• Flora May Cordova – Route 66 Welcome Center & Gift Shop, Tucumcari, NM - Restore the neon sign atop the column outside the Route 66 Welcome Center and Gift Shop.
• Heather Arnold – Routes Rentals & Tours, Albuquerque, NM - Enhance guest experiences and accessibility at Routes Rentals & Tours, Inc by installing new rental/rate menu boards in both English and Spanish, along with a new digital menu board that will cycle through tour offerings.
• Noelle Sosaya – Rat House Vintage, Albuquerque, NM - Enhance this business by building a new counter for the shop's register, constructing new apparel racks/shelving, and painting a new exterior sign.
• Sarah Ann Lesslie – Cocolita Chocolate Cafe, Flagstaff, AZ  - Purchase two new, single-door fridges for the chocolate shop, replacing the current  malfunctioning one.
• Amy Stephens—Edmond History Museum, Edmond, OK - Install new logo signage on three sides of the building to help ensure visitors know where the Museum is.
• Cindy Miller—Alley Katz Unique Emporium, Amarillo, TX - Install a new entrance ramp to ensure the shop is ADA-compliant.
• Jenalyn Lorilla – Nomadic Coffee Project, Seligman, AZ - Build a new custom mobile Coffee Wagon designed to propel this coffee roasting business forward by marketing its products through working events along Route 66.
• Becki Colon – Colonel Mustard Hot Dogs, Holbrook, AZ - Complete needed exterior repairs to the hotdog stand, including repairing its illuminated "Colonel Mustard" sign, glazing and sealing windows, and repairing the building's rain scuppers.
• Alliessia Arnold – Stagecoach Motel, Seligman, AZ - Replace gravel in the motel's driveway and parking lot and purchase new outdoor furniture.
• Vida Pazarin – HD Family Events - Friday Night Route 66 Market, Victorville, CA - Purchase equipment and supplies to host a series of night markets every Friday on a vacant lot in Victorville.

 The next round of The Route 66 Extraordinary Women Micro-Grant Program will begin July 5, 2024. Program guidelines, criteria, and applications will be available at: https://roadahead.route66centennial.org/. Up to 10 grant awards of $2,000 each will be made in the next round of the program.

Left: Flora May Cordova – Route 66 Welcome Center & Gift Shop, Tucumcari, NM. Center: Heather Arnold – Routes Rentals & Tours, Albuquerque, NM. Right: Noelle Sosaya – Rat House Vintage, Albuquerque, NM.