Grants - Morehead-Rowan County Tourism

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Grant Program Application Criteria

Morehead-Rowan County Tourism Commission (MRCTC) administers the funds collected from four percent (4%) tourism development tax on occupied transient lodging sales within the city of Morehead, three percent (3%) tourism development tax on occupied transient lodging sales in the county and three percent (3%) restaurant tax in the city of Morehead.

MRCTC has designated a portion of its budget to a grant program designed to aid events that promote tourism activity in Morehead and Rowan County. The purpose of the grant program is to increase visitation, enhance the visitor experience, contribute to the overall economic impact of the community, and increase overnight stays in our area. The number and extent of these grants will be dependent upon the availability of annual funds. The funds dispersed from MRCTC are strictly for marketing and advertising funding. Any funds granted will be subject to audit by auditors retained annually by MRCTC.

Grant funding excludes auctions, sales, personal sales or yard sales, real estate transactions, land sales, animal sales, estate sales, etc. We recommend if you are in doubt, contact our office to discuss eligibility.

The event attendance must be for the public so that all are welcome to attend and participate.

This grant funding application may be terminated with 24 hours written notice by MRCTC for a breach or failure of the applicant to perform pursuant to any of the provisions or requirements set forth herein. If grants funds have already been disbursed, and breach occurs, the applicant will be responsible for full repayment to MRCTC.

When MRCTC provides a grant, we are only assisting, not hosting the event. The grantee will need to obtain event insurance for the group and/or activity. The grantee will also need to be the coordinator of the event or designate a coordinator for the event and perform all other duties necessary to make the event a success. Please keep in mind, we are a resource for you so please reach out to us for guidance, tips, solutions, and ideas.

Any funding provided by MRCTC should not be interpreted as an on-going means of funding for an event. The ideal scenario is lending more funds to ‘new’ or ‘young’ events and gradually decreasing the amount as the event moves toward becoming self-supporting and profit-making.

Grants are eligible for renewal once a year for up to five (5) years if the event can show a proven method of growth by turning in thoroughly completed post-event reports. Before submitting the application for year Five (5), grant recipients MUST meet with MRCTC staff to discuss future planning and funding for the event.

Applications may be submitted anytime throughout the year but must be submitted a minimum of two (2) months in advance to be considered.

The MRCTC will consider the following factors regarding grant requests, but shall not be limited to:

Availability of annual funds
The scheduled date(s) and time(s) of the event
Estimated number of out-of-town visitors and their estimated length of stay with supporting documentation (Events that include overnight lodging and more than one (1) day events do receive higher consideration)
Detailed descriptions of the following:
1. How you plan to promote the event
  1. Detailed marketing plan including descriptions, budget and advertising run dates per item use of the funding based on amount of funds requested
    1. Media planning is the most crucial piece of planning an event. Our funding is very specific to only be used for marketing and advertising, so we ask you to be as detailed as possible when developing a successful media plan for your event. (If this is your first time hosting the event, we would be happy to assist in the development of a media plan for your organization, please feel free to contact us to set up a meeting.) We have included below some helpful pricing ‘estimates’ for a successful media campaign. These numbers are not quoted verbatim by advertisers but are typically in price range.

Logo Design	One time design fee (only if you develop a logo for the event)	$500
Website Development	One time design fee (only if you develop a website specifically for the event)	$1,500 - $2,000
Website Hosting	Annual Fee	$100
Poster, Flyer Design, Printing		$75 - $100
Social Media Development	We suggest a social media event page	Free
Print Advertising	Magazines, Newspapers Etc.	$500 - $2,000
Press Releases		Free
Website Domain Registration	Annual Fee	$100
Radio Advertising		$100 - $500
Television Advertising		$1,000 - $5,000
Social Media Advertising	Boosts	Varies
Email Blasts		Varies

Detailed cost estimate of the event, including an itemized budget
Location where the event will be held
A list of all committee members, including first name and last name
Additional sponsors to assist with financing the event
Criteria
1. The event must be an annual event or have the potential to be an annual event
2. The event must have a direct impact on the growth of visitors to Morehead and Rowan County
3. The event must have a visitor appeal and growth potential
4. The event cannot be political in nature
5. Overnight lodging stays give events greater value therefore overnight stays are preferred
6. This application must be fully completed when submitted or the application will not be considered
7. This application must be accompanied by a cover letter
8. Any additional supporting documents, such as letters of support, or designs should also be included
Other

The following logo, in its’ entirety must be incorporated on all printed materials and/or television/radio marketing (this logo supersedes previous logos).Failure to include logo will be noted in the evaluation of future grant applications.

Grant Logo

b. Morehead-Rowan County Tourism shall have the right to attend and photograph and/or video the event for promotion purposes.

Dates to Remember

Submit the completed grant application a minimum of 2 months prior to the event. Less than 2 months cannot be accepted.
Submit post event report 60 days after the event completion.
Future funding is weighed heavily on the information contained within the post event report.

Organization Information

First Name*:

Last Name*:

Organization Name*:

Have you determined a strong committee to assist with this event?:

Yes No

(We recommend 5-7 people minimum.)

Please list the names of your event committee members:

Has the above listed Organization ever requested funds in the past?:

Yes No

Email*:

May Morehead-Rowan County Tourism contact you via email?:

Yes No

Phone:

Address:

City:

State:

Zip:

Country:

Is your organization affiliated with a non-profit:

Yes No

If yes, please provide the 501c3 Number:

Please include official Non-Profit Certificate with application:

Cover Letter*:

Event Information

Name of Event*:

Event Start Date*:

Event End Date*:

Event Location*:

Is this an annual event?:

Yes No

Is the above listed event an annual event or do you have plans to make this an annual event?

Event Description (100 word minimum required)*:

Website URL:

Website address of event/project.

Social Media Handles:

Social media handle(s) of event/project.

Total Event Budget*:

Grant Request*:

Marketing Information

Media Plan*:

List your media plan in detail including how the marketing/advertising will be used to attract visitors. This is a required section and this must include dollar figures. (100 word minimum required)

Did you create a logo specifically for this event?:

Yes No

Did you create a stand-alone website for this specific event?:

Yes No

Are you planning to design posters, flyers or postcards?:

Yes No

Are you planning to do any television or other digital advertising?:

Yes No

Will you do any email advertising?:

Yes No

Will you be scheduling radio advertising?:

Yes No

Do you anticipate additional advertising?:

Yes No

Please explain how this event/project will benefit the local economy including an objective.*:

MRCTC must use grant funds to increase visitation and develop the local economy (100 word minimum required).

Additional Sponsors Information:

Please list any additional sponsor details here including: name, in-kind amount, what they will take care of in lieu of financial contribution.

Award Information

Make Check Payable To:

Mail Check To:

* Indicates a required field.

Post Event Report

Tourism Grants

Organization Information

Event Information

Marketing Information

Award Information

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Tourism Grants

Organization Information

Event Information

Marketing Information

Award Information

Download OUR TOUR BROCHURES

Download POCKET SIGHTS TOUR APP

Sign Up FOR OUR E-NEWSLETTER