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Tourism Marketing Grant

TOURISM MARKETING GRANT PROGRAM

Are you involved with an event, convention, tournament, or facility that attracts visitors to Mason City? If so, you may be eligible to receive FREE money through Visit Mason City’s Tourism Marketing Grant Program!

The application period for 2023/2024 is now closed. The FY2024-25 application will be available August 1, 2024!

ROUND 1 APPLICATION DEADLINE: 4 PM on September 30, 2024 for marketing projects completed October 1, 2024-September 30, 2025
ROUND 2 APPLICATION DEADLINE: 4 PM on January 31, 2025 for marketing projects completed March 1, 2025-September 30, 2025

PROGRAM OVERVIEW & GUIDELINES
Visit Mason City’s Tourism Marketing Grant provides financial assistance for marketing projects that promote events, tournaments, conventions, activities, and facilities that attract tourism activity to Mason City, Iowa.  Projects must have a focus outside a 90-mile radius of Mason City. Quoted bids or estimates must accompany each application. Grant awards are paid as reimbursements to the applicant upon project completion. Grant recipients are encouraged to use Mason City vendors when possible.

ELIGIBLE PROJECTS & USE OF FUNDING

  • Design, production, and placement costs for marketing that targets visitors who live outside a 90-mile radius of Mason City (brochures, flyers, posters, direct mail, registration materials, e-blasts, websites, print ads, radio ads, television ads, online ads, social media ads/boosted posts, etc.)
  • Purchase of marketing lists, search engine marketing ad words, google ad words, etc., targeting visitors who live outside a 90-mile radius of Mason City.
  • Off-site signage (billboard, wayfinding, trailblaze) targeting visitors who live outside a 90-mile radius of Mason City.
  • Shuttle service for tours within Mason City/Clear Lake, transportation between convention facilities used by visitors who live outside a 90-mile radius of Mason City.
  • Welcome reception food (appetizers/ hors d’oeuvres) and non-alcoholic beverages for visitors who live outside a 90-mile radius of Mason City.
  • Fees must be payable to a third-party vendor. In-kind fees are not eligible.
  • Eligible projects must be completed October 1, 2024-September 30, 2025.
  • Projects that receive funding from the FY25 Regional Sports Authority District program are not eligible.
  • Incomplete applications will not be eligible for funding.

MAXIMUM GRANT AWARD / CASH MATCH REQUIREMENT

  • Minimum Request: $100
  • Maximum Request: $1,000

Grants are limited to a maximum of 50% of eligible costs or $1,000 (whichever is lowest) with a required partner cash match of at least 50%.

All funds requested must be whole numbers between $100 to $1,000 and be in increments of $25. (i.e. $100; $125; $250; $575; etc.)

TAGLINE / LOGO REQUIREMENTS
All awarded tourism marketing projects must include the Visit Mason City logo noted below or the tagline “Sponsored in part by VisitMasonCityIowa.com” with a link from the recipient’s website to www.VisitMasonCityIowa.com.

Either of the following logos can be downloaded and used on your projects.

VisitMClogobVisitMClogo
AWARD NOTIFICATION

Applicants will be notified 30 days after the grant deadline regarding their funding status.

APPLICATION ASSISTANCE
Visit Mason City staff is available by appointment (Monday-Friday, 8 AM-4:30 PM) to provide application assistance. To schedule a meeting, contact Visit Mason City at cvb@VisitMasonCityIowa.com or 641-422-1663 / 800-423-5724. Appointments must occur three business days before the grant deadline. Applications received three business days before the grant deadline will not receive staff application assistance. Incomplete applications will be ineligible.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

  • Priority will be given to projects that focus on attracting visitors to Mason City versus projects that focus on visitors once they have already arrived.
  • Number of visitors attracted to Mason City from outside a 90-mile radius by marketing project.
  • Number of lodging rooms generated in Mason City by marketing project.
  • Distribution Plan and Target Audience.
  • Attract visitors to Mason City during the “off-season,” during the months of September-May
  • Attract visitors to Mason City during the week, Monday-Thursday

EVALUATION CRITERIA

ROUND 1: 4 PM on September 30, 2024 for marketing projects completed October 1, 2024-September 30, 2025

ROUND 2: 4 PM on January 31, 2025 for marketing projects completed March 1, 2025-September 30, 2025

Incomplete applications will be ineligible for funding.