The York County Tourism Grant Committee is accepting applications for projects aimed at expanding and/or improving tourism promotion and development in York County.
Donor Name: Explore York
State: Pennsylvania
County: York County (PA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/15/2023
Size of the Grant: $20,000
Details:
Explore York and the York County Commissioners established a matching grant program aimed at boosting tourism (visitation from beyond a 50-mile radius) in York County. The program, which is funded through a room tax enacted by the York County Commissioners, provides financial support to initiatives deemed capable of generating broad and substantial benefit to York County tourism.
The Explore York Tourism Grant Program provides equal opportunity funding consideration to all applicants and does not discriminate based on race, gender, religion, caste, or creed.
Some areas of interest to the committee include:
- Strengthening the competitiveness of existing attractions or events
- Building upon existing attractions or events to attract new visitors or drive increased tourist spending
- Developing new attractions or events with potential for substantial impact through increased overnight stays
- Broadly enhancing the visitor experience
The committee is particularly interested in proposals that will leverage grant dollars by:
- Attracting additional funding sources
- Bringing together collaborators or partners to align strategies, leverage consistent messaging and amplify impact
- Increasing organizational capacity to drive greater impact
- Advancing a high potential project or event to the next level or phase
Successful applicants will be able to articulate/provide most of the following:
- A clear vision of the impact their project will have on tourism in York County
- A realistic sense of what it will take to execute their project successfully
- Reliable data or evidence to support the proposed approach
- Relevant consumer/visitor input or feedback
- A strategic plan that describes the organization’s direction and key goals
- Internally generated reports that reflect a financially stable organization without significant operating deficits or an unsustainable level of debt
- Evidence of experience and success with project design, management and execution.
Funding Information
The maximum financial request for round two applications is $20,000. There is no minimum request.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Tourism Grant program is open to for-profit organizations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies with innovative projects aimed at expanding and/or improving tourism promotion and development in York County
- The grant program is intended to market or help position York County as a sports, leisure, business, convention or meeting travel destination
- There is no set number of grant awards to be made in any fiscal year
- This grant program is not intended to be a sustaining operating funding source for the applicant or the proposed project
- Tourism or travel marketing or promotion program, expenditure or project must not unduly compete with private-sector tourism or travel efforts
- All grant recipients will be required to make a cash or in-kind match of at least 25% of requested grant amount.
- An individual applicant must submit an application under a fiscal sponsor or form an LLC. All applicants must have an EIN and be organized and registered to do business in Pennsylvania
- All grant recipients will be required to provide liability insurance in the amount of $1 million naming Explore York as additional insured. Grant funded events serving/selling alcohol will also need to provide liquor liability insurance in the amount of 1 million, naming Explore York as additional insured
- Project expenses incurred prior to grant notification are not eligible as a grant expense
- Signage that promotes a specific private entity on the situs of that entity is not a permitted use of grant funds, except where the signage also carries the logo of Explore York
- To promote collaboration and the overall destination:
- All marketing material including but not limited to printed ads, postcards, promotional, video, TV, banners or digital, funded by the grant program, must contain the Explore York logo and website
- Depending on the project some recipients may be asked to incorporate additional elements of the county brand such as; use of the split circle, color palette, fonts and including “have it made here
- Grant recipients will receive a box of the Official York County Travel Guide to
distribute at place of business or at the grant funded event - Press Releases to announce funded events must include acknowledgement of funding
through the York County Tourism Grant Program
- Grant applications are not confidential. If information within the application needs to be kept private, please indicate on the application what documents need to remain private
- Successful applicants will be asked to sign a grant contract in order to receive their initial check
- Grant recipients are required to submit a post grant report with receipts for program expenditures of $500 or more totaling the grant amount and the 25 percent match. The post grant report and receipts are due 90 days after completion of project
- Grant recipients who have not submitted the required interim reports and post report (including receipts) will be ineligible for a future grant.
For more information, visit Explore York.
