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Grants to Ontario Companies and Organizations for Festivals and Events that Promote Tourism in Eligible Locations

Event Tourism Grant Program


Agency
Local

GrantWatch ID#
148579

Funding Source
Town of Bracebridge
Array ( )

Geographic Focus
Canada:Ontario: Town of Bracebridge;

Important Dates
Deadline: 10/13/23 4:30 PM Save

Grant Description
Grants of up to $5,000 to Ontario event organizers for events, festivals, and sports events that attract visitors and promote tourism in eligible locations. Interested applicants must contact staff prior to applying. Funding is intended to encourage overnight stays and visitor spending. Funded activities must take place in Bracebridge.

The Event Tourism Grant Program is an annual funding program for festivals, events and sporting events that are considered tourism drivers, and provide an economic spin-off for the community via visitor spending and overnight stays.

Event priorities

  • Events that take place throughout the year are eligible.
  • Events that promote the 3 pillars of Bracebridge’s tourism brand, which include Taste, Create, and Live.
  • Sport tourism events.
  • Events that target audiences largely from out of Town and that have a regional, provincial, national, or international scope.

General criteria:

  • Events must take place in Bracebridge.
  • Consideration will be given to events that assist the Town in achieving its various event tourism goals and provide corporate and tourism branding recognition opportunities.
  • The Festival and Event Strategy Goals include:
    • Build a stronger downtown 
    • Create a vibrant and diverse arts community 
    • Create partnerships within the community
    • Increase spending in the community 
    • Expand the season (both high and low season events) 
    • Encourage return visits to the community 
    • Encourage development of volunteers/staff (i.e. event planning courses) 
    • Develop resources to assist those planning events in the community (permit process reviews, handbook, insurance issues); 
    • Keep municipal and other facilities “full/utilized”;
    • Provide the best economic impact possible in the community;
    • Further support sport tourism initiatives;
    • Encourage events to become financially sustainable;
    • Enhance visitation in the traditional off-season; and
    • Align with the Bracebridge tourism brand. 

For new events, funds can be used to assist with encouraging event participation and pre/post event tourism; or to build/purchase minor pieces of equipment required to host the inaugural event, as well as any future events.

Existing events must be undergoing substantial change (e.g., new venue location), adding new significant components (e.g., new entertainment) to the event, or must demonstrate that they are using the Town's financial assistance to leverage funding opportunities from larger funding programs (e.g. federal or provincial).



Recipient

Additional Eligibility Criteria
Companies or organizations may apply. They must describe the operation and history of their organization and ownership of their event, and indicate whether it is public, private business, non-profit, or charity.

Ineligible
Event Tourism grants should not be used for:
- Research (except for exit surveys needed to determine demographics of visitors/participants);
- Transportation;
- Payment of Town or other taxes;
- Operating or capital deficits incurred in prior years by an organization;
- Agencies that are primarily funding bodies to other organizations;
- Donations to organizations.

Pre-Application Information
Deadline to Apply for 2024 Event Tourism Grant: Friday, October 13, 2023 by 4:30pm

The application procedure is as follows:
- Consultation with Economic Development Staff.
- Completion of the Event Grant Application Form.
- Review of the application by staff based on criteria.
- Recommendations made to Council either through a Staff Report (first quarter events) or through annual budget deliberations (April - December events).
- Communication of the decision from staff to applicant regarding the approval/decline of the application.

Estimated Size of Grant
Town of Bracebridge funding is not to exceed 33% of the overall event budget, to a maximum of $5,000.

Contact Information
Return Completed form to:
Taylor Watson
Tourism and Cultural Development Officer
Phone: 705-645-5264 ext. 3514
Email: twatson@bracebridge.ca

Town of Bracebridge
1000 Taylor Court
Bracebridge, ON P1L 1R6
F.: 705-645-4209

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