Tourism Grant Program for Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro
WAYNESBORO VA– Greater Augusta Regional Tourism (GART) announces the release of the spring grant program applications today, January 17, 2017. GART, which incorporates tourism efforts from Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro, will focus on businesses operating within those localities. The program enables up to four grant awards of $2,500 maximum per grant.
Judges for the GART grants will include all GART Board Members as well as one independent representative. The deadline to turn in applications is February 26, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. Grant recipients will be announced on March 17, 2017.
Applications will be evaluated based on the degree of impact upon tourism in the region, use of new initiatives applied to the tourism sector, and strength of partnerships and creativity. Tourism impact can be defined as promoting the GART region in order to increase the number of visitors.
“The short-term impact of these grants is that our tourism partners are able to better market themselves to visitors. The long-term impact is that the revenue generated by tourism benefits the entire local economy,” said Courtney Cranor, Assistant Director of Economic Development and Tourism in Waynesboro and current GART Chair.
“We are delighted to be able to offer GART grants to the businesses and organizations that partner in our tourism efforts. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved,” said Rebekah Castle, Augusta County Marketing Assistant for Economic Development and Tourism.
Those interested in applying for the GART grant may contact Courtney Cranor, GART Chair, at CranorCS@ci.waynesboro.va.us or 540-942-6644.
GART applications can be found online here
About Greater Augusta Regional Tourism (GART): GART serves as the regional tourism initiative for Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro. Founded in 2003 and formalized in 2007, the program includes the development and execution of marketing to promote the region as a destination encompassing all three jurisdictions.
