DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Thursday, June 23, 2011                                

 

CONTACT:       

                      Sarah Lawlor

                      Montana Department of Commerce

                      Montana Office of Tourism

                      406-841-2893

 

                      Marissa Kozel

                      Communications Director

                      Montana Department of Commerce

                      406-841-2772

 

 

October 21, 2011 Application Deadline

(HELENA) - Montana communities, organizations and tribal governments sponsoring or planning community-based tourism festivals and events are invited to apply for $100,000 in state tourism grant funds available from the Montana Department of Commerce, Office of Tourism Special Events Grant Program (SEGP). The SEGP application deadline is October 21, 2011.

 

"Since its inception in 2002, the Special Event grant program has been able to provide $574,500 in grant money to 77 events across the state,” said Dore Schwinden, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce. “It is these events and festivals that help draw visitors into our communities enhancing their connection with Montana while at the same time fueling economic activity for our main street businesses.”

 

Any Montana event is eligible to apply and the funds must be used to advertise and promote the event to target markets outside a 100-mile radius of the event site. Grants will be awarded based on a 3-tier approach that ranks communities according to population. The grants are designed to be matching funds for non-profit organizations involved in developing new annual events as well as enhancing existing community-based tourism festivals and events.

 

New to the grant process this year is the opportunity to earn bonus points for the applicant organization by attending an Event Management course sponsored by the Montana Office of Tourism. Course attendees must be actively involved in the planning and production of the event for which funding is being sought in order to be eligible for the additional points. The courses will be held in Billings at the Holiday Inn Grand on August 25 and in Missoula at the Hilton Garden Inn on August 26. 

 

The SEGP funds are provided by a 4% state tourism lodging tax which is assessed on the lodging price of all accommodations across Montana, including campgrounds. 

 

Tourism and recreation is one of Montana's largest industries. In 2010, 10.5 million people visited Montana spending over $2.5 billion during their stay. Over 28,000 jobs are directly and indirectly supported by nonresident travel, resulting in over $785 million in total personal and proprietors’ income for Montana residents.

 

For more information about the SEGP, the Event Management courses or to request an application, contact Carol Crockett at the Montana Office of Tourism, 406-841-2796, ccrockett@mt.gov. SEGP application materials can be downloaded from the Montana Office of Tourism’s Intranet site: www.travelmontana.mt.gov/forms.

 

###