Goals
Morgantown Event Advancement Fund
- The goal of the fund is to stimulate events and attract people to the downtown area.
Monongalia County Tourism Advancement Fund
- The goal of the fund is to attract destination-branding and tourism-driving events that attract the majority of visitors from outside of the destination (50+ miles outside of Morgantown, WV)
Guidelines
Morgantown Event Advancement Fund
- Must occur in Morgantown city limits;
- Must share event data (i.e., detailed revenue & expenses, number of attendees, etc.);
- Must link to VisitMountaineerCountry.com, Morgantownwv.gov and VMCCVB’s and the City of Morgantown’s social media on all promotions, including the event’s website;
- Must complete a post-event report containing the above information;
- Must abide by event best practices (security, traffic control, safety, budgets, etc.).
- The grants are primarily intended for large events that would attract hundreds of attendees to the downtown.
- Applicants may not apply for a grant for more than 30% of their event expenses, and grant awards will vary.
- Morgantown has allocated $75,000 of its America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to fund the MEAF.
Monongalia County Tourism Advancement Fund
- Majority of visitors must come from outside of the destination (50+ miles outside of Morgantown, WV)
- Event must positively impact the local economy with data to back up application
- Event must generate at least 100 hotel/motel room nights
- Applicants must apply a minimum of 6 months prior to the first date of your event in order to successfully promote the event and the grant program
- Events must highlight Mountaineer Country as an events destination
- Applicants are urged to carefully consider the details of their application before submitting, as second half of funds are dependent on application and post-report accuracy. Please take into account impacts of acts of God, unforeseen circumstances, etc.
ALL EVENTS MUST FOLLOW EVENT BEST PRACTICES
Process
- Applicants will be notified via email 8-10 weeks after their application submission. Morgantown Event Advancement applicants may be notified sooner.
- If approved, applicants will receive 50% of their awarded grant funds via check in person at the Visit Mountaineer Country CVB.
- Upon completion of the event, recipients will complete their final grant report.
NOTE: You must re-upload your event budget spreadsheet with the updated post-event fields completed (i.e., Amount spent, vendors, vendor location.) - Applicants will receive their remaining 50% once their final grant report has been successfully received with the required supporting information. NOTE: If you do not submit your post-event report within 30 days of the last day of your event, you will forfeit the remaining 50% of the awarded funds.
All Monongalia County Tourism Advancement Fund applications require an 8-10 week turnaround time for review and processing purposes. Please ensure you have reviewed all application materials to streamline the process.
Promotion Kit - Required
Morgantown Event Advancement Fund
When receiving funds from the Morgantown Event Advancement Fund, you are required to credit both the City of Morgantown and the Visit Mountaineer Country Convention and Visitors Bureau in all event promotions. The required promotional logos are below and acceptable for you to download. Please reference your Promotion Contract for best practices and guidelines.
Monongalia County Tourism Advancement Fund
When receiving funds from the Monongalia County Tourism Advancement Fund, you are required to credit both the Monongalia County Commission and the Visit Mountaineer Country Convention and Visitors Bureau in all event promotions. The required promotional logos are below and acceptable for you to download. Please reference your Promotion Contract for best practices and guidelines.
Apply
Events Supported
