Tourism Grant Program

VisitHATTIESBURG's Tourism Grant Program is a competitive annual grant program designed to enhance visitor and tourism promotion efforts in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. VisitHATTIESBURG is the operating name of the Hattiesburg Tourism Commission. The program supports projects and events intended to fulfill VisitHATTIESBURG's tourism mission and ultimately increase overnight travel to Hattiesburg. Since the Tourism Grant Program launched in 2018, it has supported more than 190 tourism-friendly local events and initiatives, including concerts, sports tournaments, expos, and cultural festivals. VisitHATTIESBURG reports that more than $320,000 has been reinvested in the community through the program to date. The Tourism Grant Program provides funds for marketing and other qualified expenses associated with projects and events that promote Hattiesburg's tourism industry to out-of-town visitors. Applicants should seek to generate overnight travel and economic stimulus to the city, and the target audience for a proposed activity should come from outside the immediate Hattiesburg area, defined by the program as more than a 50-mile radius or out of state. Qualified projects fall into three broad groups: festivals or events; attractions or public-use facilities such as museums, historical buildings, meeting spaces, and sporting facilities; and other organizations or associations whose primary objective is promoting tourism in Hattiesburg. The supplied material does not state individual award minimums or maximums, the total FY2027 allocation, a required applicant match, or the number of awards expected. Eligible applicants may include an organization, event, or project whose objective is to promote Hattiesburg's tourism industry to out-of-town visitors by generating overnight travel and economic stimulus. Qualifying entities may include attractions, associations, organizations, or agencies that promote their events, products, or services to visitors from outside the area. Proposed projects must take place between October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2027. Applications must also be received at least 60 days before the project or event for which funding is requested. The supplied information does not establish specific nonprofit tax status requirements, for-profit eligibility rules, fiscal sponsorship requirements, or a more specific governmental entity classification. Applications for FY2027 opened on August 6, 2026. Applicants submit through the Official TGP Application, which is provided as a Google Forms application. The priority application deadline is September 1, 2026 at 5 p.m. Applications submitted by that deadline receive priority in funding decisions. VisitHATTIESBURG states that, if available TGP funding is not fully awarded during the initial review, applications will continue to be accepted throughout FY2027 or until the allocated TGP funds are depleted. This continuing acceptance is also constrained by the requirement that an application be received at least 60 days before the proposed project or event. The supplied material does not provide the individual application questions, required uploads, or a detailed scoring rubric. VisitHATTIESBURG identifies September 15, 2026 as the target date for notifying applicants of their status. The FY2027 fiscal year and eligible project period begin October 1, 2026, and proposed projects must occur no later than September 30, 2027. The source identifies September 30, 2027 as the deadline for final reporting for FY2027 awards. It also indicates that grant reporting materials will be provided for awarded applicants, while the prior-year report may be reviewed as a general framework. The page separately references a final report as due within 30 days of project completion, although the displayed FY2026 date language is associated with prior-year reporting and should not be substituted for the stated FY2027 final reporting deadline. The Tourism Grant Program is expressly described as an annual allocation, so future rounds are expected to recur. For the current FY2027 round, the priority deadline remains September 1, 2026, with subsequent applications considered only if funds remain. Applicants should therefore prioritize timely submission rather than relying on later availability. Questions may be directed to the TGP team, but the supplied material does not provide a named individual, email address, or telephone number. VisitHATTIESBURG provides separate FY2027 eligibility and project requirements and an official application link for prospective applicants.

Submit by the September 1, 2026 priority deadline to receive priority in funding decisions; demonstrate that the project targets visitors from more than 50 miles away or out of state and supports overnight travel and economic stimulus in Hattiesburg; submit at least 60 days before the proposed project or event; later applications depend on remaining TGP funds