Tourism Grant Program

The Harrison Convention & Visitors Bureau Tourism Grant Funding Program was drafted to enhance or create tourism-oriented events by leveraging community funds with Harrison A&P Commission monies to assist in attracting visitors from outside of Harrison.

Downloadable Grant Request Application PDF Version: Tourism Grant Program Application

Online Grant Request Application: Tourism Grant Program Online Application

CRITERIA

Tourism grants are available to any organization in Harrison actively marketing their attraction/event to attract out-of-town visitors. Qualifying projects should meet the following criteria:

• To advertise and promote the city and its environs.
• To stimulate economic growth, overnight stays in Harrison lodging properties, restaurant usage and/or generate future tourism development with out-of-town visitors.
• Each applicant must have the ability to track the impact and effectiveness of their project or event.
• Preferences will be given to Harrison facilities, businesses, and organizations that show the ability to attract out-of-town visitors

EXTENT OF THE PARTICIPATION BY HARRISON CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

Tourism Grant Funding Program is not designed to cover the total cost of a project. The grant may cover for example marketing, advertising and/or postage, but each submitted project will be reviewed for its effectiveness in growing the economy of Harrison by filling lodging rooms and restaurants.

Each applicant must provide a proposed budget for the project, including planned expenses and revenue.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Complete the grant application and forward the original to Harrison Convention & Visitors Bureau. The application must be completed in full. Incomplete forms or other deviations from the application format will result in omission from the evaluation process. If more space is needed, please attach additional pages or documents to the application. The more information provided the better for the A&P Commission to make an educated decision.

Funding Request Annual Limit: No individual organization may request any amount greater than 10% of the total fund budget. Ex. Tourism Grant Fund Budget is $25,000.00. Maximum annual request for funds is $2,500.00.

THE 2023 APPLICATION DEADLINES ARE THE FIRST WEEK OF EACH MONTH FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR AND MUST BE SUBMITTED PRIOR TO THE EVENT. All applications must be postmarked or delivered no later than the dates above to:

Harrison Convention & Visitors Bureau

ATTN: Grant Application

200 W Stephenson Ave

Harrison, AR 72601

All fully completed Tourism Grant applications that meet the criteria will be considered, discussed and approved or denied by the A&P Commission. The application must bear the signature of the project director and another pertinent person involved with the project. At least two signatures are required. In the event one person no longer associated with or responsible for the grant activities during the course of the grant life, the other signing party assumes the responsibility for compliance with the grant guidelines and procedures. All grant requests are subject to availability of funds. All funds will be paid from invoices submitted following the return of the Summation Form and research information. NO FUNDS WILL BE PAID IN ADVANCE. When a grant is approved, the grantee must file the Summation Form, along with a breakdown of actual expenses no later than 60 days after the completion of the event. Monies will be distributed to grantee after receiving form and proof of incremental room nights and attendance at event. Failure to file this report will disqualify the event from the current grant and from applying for this same grant in the future.

ROI will be a huge factor in determination by the A&P Commission. The minimum return on investment for any grant of greater than $500 should strive to be 1 to 5 return or 500%. Achieving this level does not insure approval but the higher the ROI the more likely the approval. Example: A $3,000 grant request would require a direct ROI of $15,000.

PROJECT/EVENT DEVELOPMENT

The organization responsible for management of the project/event will be responsible for ensuring the cost of the project/event is competitive. Applicants cannot transfer funds from one specific grant project/event to a different project. Any deviation from the grant application must be submitted in writing to the Harrison Convention & Visitors Bureau. The Harrison Convention & Visitors Bureau must be notified in writing as soon as possible if the applicant does not plan to use the funds which have been approved. The funds will be paid from invoices submitted to the CVB. Please submit all paid invoices to the CVB with the summation form at the end of the project. Funds will not exceed awarded amount and will only be paid on pre-approved expenses in the grant application. Note: If invoices do not total to the amount of the funding allocated, the leftover monies will be put back into the funding line item for future events.

PROJECT/EVENT COMPLETION

Projects/events must be completed before the stated date of the event and all reimbursement requests must be submitted to the Harrison Convention & Visitors Bureau within 60 days of the completion of the project/event and prior to December 30 of the event year. If not received in that time period, reimbursement for expenses will not take place.

Within 60 days of project/event completion, all grant awardees must provide a written summary of the event including:

• Number of participants;
• Number of local hotel rooms booked; show proof from hotels
• Overall economic impact of the project/event to the local community
• A financial report, evaluation of event and disclosure of all funding sources
• When applicable, a sample of the finished project (brochure, flyer, advertising)
• Survey information from attendees (sample survey provided with grant)

Future funding will not be allowed for project/event if this information is not provided.

Indemnification:

Organizations agree in writing to indemnify the Harrison City Advertising & Tourist Promotion Commission for any liability associated with the organization and/or the event.

Annual Support:

The support of an annual event will under no circumstances obligate the A&P Commission to continued support for the project/event in subsequent years. Organizations should not assume nor budget Commission support annually. The Commission reserves the right to terminate funding or promotional support at any time the Commission deems appropriate.

Debts:

Organizational bankruptcies or event deficits will not be covered by A&P funds. The Commission will not reimburse events that incur losses. It is the sole responsibility of the requesting organization to properly plan their event and manage their funds in a manner that demonstrates both fiscal accountability and management responsibility.

Recognition:

Organizations receiving support or funding by the Harrison Convention & Visitors Bureau will credit the CVB by including the Harrison Convention & Visitors Bureau logo, website and phone number as a contact for lodging, restaurant and tourist information in ALL printed material, collateral pieces (t-shirts, mugs, etc.) and websites with hyperlinks to http://www.exploreharrison.com/ and/or any advertising which is produced for the project/event. (The CVB will supply the artwork)

Ticketed events only: The CVB must receive four (4) entries to any event that requires a ticket or pass for entry. The tickets and/or passes will be used for research and marketing purposes for staff to educate themselves on the event for future promotion.

Disbursement:

Actual invoices from the project are required for disbursement of grant funds and only after the summation form is submitted and all other requested information. If the invoices are less than approved funding amount, the excess funds cannot be used for unapproved items associated with the project/event and cannot be used for any overages of approved funding amounts in other line items of project/event.