Grants

Click on this link and it will take you to the Web page that outlines exactly what you'll need to include in your application. There's also a document you can access on that same page that will walk you through the entire application, step by step.

Your application will first be reviewed at the Department of Tourism. Then it goes on to a panel of your peers. That group is made up of members of the Governor's Council on Tourism as well as people from outside the Council who bring a balance to the process in terms of geography and tourism segments. The Department of Administration also looks over the applications. The final review is made by the Secretary's office.

It's important the project description and goals make a big first impression. Write passionately about your cause. Make sure your concept is creative, well thought out, and different from what already exists. Provide a compelling reason to fund your request based on sound marketing principles that tie back to visitor counts and spending, which means you'll need a solid tracking plan. It may help to think of your application this way: The Department of Tourism is upholding the taxpayers' trust in dispersing grant money and we must demonstrate that it's indeed good "investment marketing."

Yes, there's a new vision for the Destination category and it's this: We'll award dollars to first help your area define its point-of-difference - that's your brand - and then help you market your area. For a full explanation of how this category has evolved, click here.

Your JEM application should not exceed 10 pages. To fully cover the questions, it will likely be at least four pages long.

The Destination applications are reviewed in September and April. The other grant applications are reviewed in August, November, February and May. You'll hear from the Department in about a month whether or not you've been awarded a grant.

We have grant recipients report back after the event or the promotion so we can learn what marketing tactics worked best, which media outlets delivered the most visitors, and to track traveler spending results.