CARLISLE, PA (June 14, 2012) - The Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau (CVVB) has awarded nearly $102,000 in grants to twenty organizations representing heritage, culture, agriculture and experiential tourism since 2010. The CVVB is pleased to announce that another round of grants will be available in the summer of 2012.
Up to $50,000 of the Cumberland Valley's Lodging Tax will be designated for a grant program this summer that will support five strategic areas of interest. Those areas are: Advertising in CVVB Target Markets of Baltimore and Washington D.C., Experiential Brochure Printing, Media Development/ Improvements to Support Marketing Efforts, Signage Program, and Tour Creation/ Tourism Product Development.
In addition to the five areas of interest, special consideration will be placed on grants concerning nature-based tourism. This includes agritourism, outdoor recreation and trails. This round of grants has been aligned with the South Mountain Partnership Mini-Grant Program. If applicants meet the requirements of both grant programs they may use the other grant as matching funds. View the South Mountain Partnership Mini-Grant Program here.
In order to be eligible to participate in the CVVB grant program, applicants must be located in Cumberland County, PA or be a pre-approved out-of-county partner (contact the CVVB prior to submitting application to be pre-approved), be a for-profit or not-for-profit enterprise, and meet eligibility criteria established for the five areas of interest. The applicant must be able to match each grant dollar by half and requests may not exceed $10,000. Applicants must also submit the 2012 Summer Grant Application within the time frames below.
2012 Summer Grant Program Timeline:
Grant Writer's Conference - Monday, June 25, 2012*
Deadline for Applications - Friday, July 27, 2012
Awards will be Announced - Friday, August 31, 2012
Award Letters will be Distributed - September 2012
*The conference will be held in the King's Gap Room at the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation's administrative offices at 2 p.m. The address is 53 W. South Street, Suite 1, Carlisle PA 17013.
Awards will be granted annually or semi-annually on the basis of merit and determined by an independent Grant Review Panel. This grant program is funded and administered by the CVVB.
Examples of what the CVVB will fund and will not fund, criteria, application and all other details are included in the 2012 Summer Tourism Grant Program document found here.
If you have any further questions about the 2012 Summer Grant Program please contact Shireen Farr, at (717) 240-7196 or shireen@visitcumberlandvalley.com.
The mission of the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau is to promote Cumberland Valley as a tourist destination, attract visitors to the area, enhance the visitor's experience, and to encourage and promote overnight stays.
