Charlottesville, VA (July 1, 2016) – The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau (CACVB) announced today that the popular Non-Profit Tourism Marketing Funding Program is now open. The CACVB will hold an information orientation at City Space on July 7, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. and invites all interested organizations to attend and learn more about the application process, followed by time for questions and answers.
The Non-Profit Tourism Marketing Funding for Festivals and Cultural Events, formerly under the ABRT program, is now handled directly through the CACVB. Applicant organizations approved under this program will have funding available to promote and market their festival and cultural event being held from July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018 (FY18). This program is not for operational funding of festivals and events.
Applicant organizations that meet all the requirements for receiving marketing funding will be considered along with all others that qualify. The CACVB stresses that incomplete applications will not be accepted and encourages all applicants to thoroughly read and understand the entire application. Specific focus will be on how festivals and cultural events attract out-of-area visitors to the Charlottesville Albemarle area.
It is important to note that under its policy that governs this process, a festival is defined as an event that will, “take place over a one to ten-day period that spans over two weekends (a maximum of 10 days).” Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to read this policy statement and application requirements to ascertain whether they meet the requirements, as stated.
The total amount available under this program is $40,000, with applicant organizations eligible for up to fifteen percent (15%) of this total, or $6,000.
The deadline for submitting completed applications is 5:00 p.m., Monday, August 1, 2016. Organizations approved will be notified in late January or early February 2017. No extensions for submitting applications will be granted, as all submissions will be time-stamped when received via email.
The CACVB encourages local media to provide information about this program to the community it serves. “We make every effort to get this information out to the greater Charlottesville community about this vitally important funding program,” said Kurt Burkhart, CACVB Executive Director.
This year, the CACVB will offer a bonus point addition to the scoring matrix if the festival or event is Virginia Green Certified. To find out more about how to become Virginia Green Certified, interested applicants can go to www.visitcharlottesville.org/virginiagreen and click-on, “learn more and application”, under the Festivals & Events heading on that page.
Information that will be provided at the July 7 meeting is now available on the CACVB’s website, www.visitcharlottesville.org/festivalfunding .
About the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB):
In addition to serving as the global resource for marketing the tourism assets of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia, through www.visitcharlottesville.org, the CACVB assists tour operators, meeting planners, reunions and other groups in planning visits to the destination. CACVB’s mission is “to enhance the economic prosperity of City and County by promoting, selling and marketing the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle, as a destination, in pursuit of the meetings and tourism markets.” CACVB operates the Downtown Visitor Center (610 E Main St) which is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and a second visitor center, the Albemarle Tourism and Adventure Center in downtown Crozet (5791 Three Notch’d Rd) at the historic train depot; it is open Wednesday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The CACVB also provides a touch-screen kiosk at Monticello’s Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center. The official website of the CACVB is www.visitcharlottesville.org. In addition, the organization manages powerful social media channels; ExperienceCharlottesville on Facebook, @VisitCVille on Twitter, CVilleVA on Pinterest, and @CharlottesvilleVA on Instagram and Vimeo.
