Nature and Culture Destination Enhancement Grants
The Alachua County Visitors & Convention Bureau is offering Nature and Culture Destination Enhancement Grants. These grants are designed to support and enhance Alachua County as a culturally interesting and vibrant destination by utilizing a portion of the Tourist Development Tax revenue. The core mission of this grant program is to aid in the operations and promotions of arts, cultural, and nature events that primarily aim to attract tourists, thereby aligning with the county's strategic goal of boosting tourism and local economic development through cultural and natural attractions. The target beneficiaries for these grants are legally established arts, nature, or culture organizations whose operations, events, and activities are within Alachua County. This also includes institutions of higher education, with certain request limits. The primary impact goal is to increase tourist attraction to Alachua County, fostering a more vibrant and culturally rich environment for both residents and visitors. The definition of a "tourist" for this grant is a person engaging in trade or recreation outside their county of residence or renting transient accommodations, which directly informs the type of events and promotions that are eligible for funding. The grant program prioritizes events that demonstrably promote activities to tourists, ensuring that the funding directly contributes to the overarching objective of tourism enhancement. Funding levels are determined by the applicant's annual budget, ranging from 10% for budgets over $1,000,000 to 30% for budgets up to $100,000. There is a maximum request of $75,000 for educational agencies, regardless of multiple applications. Special provisions are made for applicants whose primary mission is not audience attraction, requiring a separate event statement with direct expenses and revenues for the program. Expected outcomes include an increase in the number of tourists visiting Alachua County, a greater variety and promotion of arts, cultural, and nature events, and enhanced operational capabilities for local organizations. Measurable results would likely involve tracking event attendance by tourists, reported operating revenues, and the extent of promotional activities targeting out-of-county visitors. The program implicitly operates on a theory of change where targeted investment in arts, culture, and nature events, specifically those promoted to tourists, will directly lead to increased tourism revenue and improved local cultural vibrancy, thus benefiting the wider community and economy of Alachua County. The grant period for funded programs and activities is between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025.
Award Range
Not specified - $70,000
Total Program Funding
$1,600,000
Number of Awards
Not specified
Matching Requirement
No
Eligible Applicants
Additional Requirements
Applicants must fulfill the following at the time of application. Be a legally established arts, nature or culture organization. The operations, events and activities must be within the boundaries of Alachua County. The proposed event has as one of its main purposes the attraction of tourists as evidenced by the promotion of the event to tourists. Have documented IRS non-profit, tax-exempt status. A copy of Active Status from Sunbiz.org must be attached to the application. Institutions of higher education are eligible to apply for arts, nature or culture programs and events, within the request limit. Applications will not be accepted from organizations who have applied for Tourist Development funding through the Gainesville Sports Commission, Sponsorships, Local Sports Destination Enhancement Grants and Conference Grants in the same year. Applications will not be accepted for organizations to re-grant or provide funding to individuals or other organizations. Government entities are not eligible to apply for Nature and Culture Destination Enhancement grants.
Geographic Eligibility
Alachua County (FL)
Application Opens
July 23, 2024
Application Closes
August 23, 2024
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