Mini Grant

The Granville County Tourism Development Authority Mini Grant Program provides supplemental funding for tourism-related marketing initiatives that promote Granville County, North Carolina as a destination and encourage visitation from outside the county. The program is designed for established events, programs, and tourism-related initiatives that can demonstrate measurable tourism impact and economic benefit through visitor spending. Projects should have the ability to grow and become sustainable over time with reduced reliance on grant funding. Established projects typically have been in existence for at least three years, although exceptions may be considered case by case when a project demonstrates strong tourism impact and readiness. New or first-time events may instead be better suited for the GTDA Sponsorship Program, which provides up to $500. Mini Grant funding is restricted to marketing and promotional expenses and is evaluated based on the project's marketing budget rather than its total event or project budget. Funding may not exceed $5,000 per application. Grant support is typically limited to 25 percent of the project's total marketing budget, although requests exceeding that percentage may be considered case by case with GTDA Board approval. Funds may not be used for administrative or clerical costs, general operating expenses, or production and operational expenses unrelated to marketing. Grant funds should primarily promote the project outside Granville County, although up to 25 percent of an awarded grant may be used for marketing within Granville County. Awards are generally reimbursement-based, but advance or milestone payments may be considered case by case, particularly for marketing expenses requiring pre-payment. Eligible applicants include registered nonprofit organizations based in or operating within Granville County, including 501(c)(3), 501(c)(6), and other nonprofit entities; municipalities and public entities located within Granville County; and for-profit tourism-related businesses or organizations considered case by case when the proposed project demonstrates clear tourism impact and visitor draw. Projects must take place in Granville County, promote travel and visitation from outside Granville County, and align with the GTDA mission of promoting the county as a tourism destination. Visitors may include people from neighboring counties and regional markets as well as travelers coming from longer distances. Primary consideration is given to projects demonstrating clear tourism impact, attracting out-of-county visitors, encouraging day trips and/or overnight stays, and supporting off-peak or shoulder-season visitation when possible. The application requests applicant and organizational information, eligibility confirmation, a project or event description, dates or project timeline, and location. Applicants must describe their target audiences, expected visitor origin, potential overnight stays, and how the project will attract people from outside Granville County. A required marketing plan addresses marketing methods, platforms, target markets, geographic reach, marketing timing, and whether activities are paid, organic, or partnership based. Applicants must provide the total marketing budget, amount requested from GTDA, percentage of the marketing budget covered by GTDA funds, other marketing funding sources, and a breakdown of proposed grant-funded marketing activities, target markets or locations, and estimated costs. The application also addresses project readiness, GTDA recognition, and whether advance or milestone funding is requested. Applications are evaluated on the ability to attract visitors from outside Granville County, potential to generate day visitation and/or overnight stays, strength of the marketing strategy and out-of-market reach, community and economic benefit, project readiness, and compliance with program guidelines. All organizational types are evaluated using the same criteria, with no priority based solely on organizational type. Final funding decisions are made by the GTDA Board and remain subject to funding availability. Award recipients must acknowledge GTDA support on major marketing materials using the GTDA name or logo and the required funding acknowledgment. Recipients also must collect visitor-origin, attendance, and overnight-stay information, with reasonable estimates permitted when clearly explained. The program operates on two funding cycles for fiscal year 2026-2027. Cycle 1 covers projects from July 1 through December 31, 2026, with applications accepted April 30 through June 5, 2026 and awards announced in July 2026. Cycle 2 covers projects from January 1 through June 30, 2027, with applications accepted September 1 through October 9, 2026 and awards announced in November 2026. The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. on the applicable closing date. Completed applications may be submitted by mail to Granville County TDA, Attn: Director Angela Allen, P.O. Box 820, Oxford, NC 27565, or submitted as a digital PDF, including supplemental materials, by email to angela.allen@granvillecounty.org. Program questions may be directed to Angela Allen at 919-693-6125 or angela.allen@granvillecounty.org. Mini Grants are normally paid after completion of the project or event and submission of required documentation. Within 90 days after project or event completion, recipients must submit a Post-Award Impact and Evaluation Report, copies of marketing materials showing GTDA acknowledgment, and receipts and proof of eligible expenses, including the final marketing budget documentation required by the application. An optional PowerPoint presentation may accompany the required documentation, and GTDA may request a recipient to present at a board meeting after evaluation review. Approved changes to project scope, timeline, or marketing plan require written notice to GTDA, and written approval is required before grant funds are reallocated. GTDA may revoke or recover funds when project changes are made without prior approval, and failure to provide required post-project documentation may affect eligibility for future GTDA funding.

Emphasize measurable tourism impact and out-of-county visitor draw; quantify expected attendance, visitor origin and overnight stays; present a clear out-of-market marketing strategy with target markets and paid, organic or partnership methods; tie requested funds specifically to eligible marketing and promotional expenses; demonstrate project readiness and community/economic benefit; plan for GTDA acknowledgment and post-project visitor-data reporting