Augusta County Tourism announces 2017-2018 grant program

Augusta County Tourism announces the release of its second annual tourism grant program.

The Augusta County 2017-2018 Tourism Grant Program supports and enhances tourism efforts within Augusta County. To be eligible for this round of awards, programs must occur between August 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018.  The grant program will be a competitive process, and Augusta County anticipates awarding between two and four grant awards. The maximum grant award for any one program is $5,000, but lesser amounts can be awarded depending on the applications received.Augusta County has set aside $10,000 for the 2017-2018 Tourism Grant Program. For the purposes of tourism, visitors are considered individuals who travel more than 50 miles to reach a tourism business or event.

Possible eligible programs include events, fairs/festivals, marketing and social media applications, design and printing services, as well as other projects promoting the Augusta County tourism industry.  If an event occurs outside of August 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018 but eligible initiatives regarding the event such as marketing, design or printing occur during the time range, those initiatives are eligible to apply for this grant program.

Projects or initiatives of existing projects must be new, and applications will be evaluated based on viability of bringing in visitors from outside the region (defined as visitors coming from 50 miles and beyond), possibility of encouraging off-peak travel, strength of marketing and promotional plan, creativity and partnerships with and promotion of other Augusta County businesses.

The deadline to submit applications is July 17 at 5:00p.m.  Applications will be reviewed, and winners will be selected by the Augusta County Economic Development Committee.

“Augusta County supports all industry and appreciates the efforts of our business community,” said Tracy Pyles, Chair of the Board of Supervisors.” “We encourage our tourism businesses to look into this opportunity as a way to build upon their efforts.”

Those interested in applying for the Augusta County Tourism Spring Grant Program may contact Augusta County Tourism staff at [email protected] or 540-245-5619.