ARTS & TOURISM UNITE
TO PROVIDE GRANT FUNDING
Up to $20,000 to be Awarded to Eligible Organizations
ATLANTA - Georgia Tourism and Georgia Council for the Arts, both divisions of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, have combined resources to offer Tourism Product Development (TPD) Grants for the state's 2012 fiscal year. The TPD Grant, worth up to $20,000, is designed to financially support tourism development activities at the local level that sustain and create jobs within Georgia's hospitality industry. The grant program also supports the role of the arts in tourism by providing financial assistance to Georgia's Creative Economies with an emphasis on professional Georgia artists and the non-profit arts industry.
"The funding will support non-profit arts organizations and individual artists in a way the Council has not been previously able to do," said Karen L. Paty, Georgia Council for the Arts Director. "It creates the opportunity as well as provides the resources to support and generate increased visibility of the role of the arts industry in the State's economy."
Examples of projects that will be considered for funding include new tourism product development, such as murals or products for sale, created by professional Georgia artists; an arts project or program, such as a festival or performance, that involves a local arts organization, attracts tourists and strengthens visibility of the local arts; or historic preservation projects that add to the local tourism product portfolio. Although the grant does not fund administration fees or salaries, some related expenses may be eligible. For instance, individual artist fees are not considered administration or salaries and are therefore eligible. Additionally, music equipment or stage lighting for a performance at a festival are also examples of acceptable expenditures.
"We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with the Georgia Council for the Arts to support the role of the arts in the tourism industry," said Bruce Green, Tourism Product Development Director for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. "Tourism Product Development grants seek to financially support tourism development activities at the local level in both urban and rural areas."
The submission deadline for all application materials is September 30, 2011. Guidelines and additional information are available for download and review via the websites for the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Georgia Council for the Arts.
About GDEcD
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a destination for arts events and location for film, music and digital entertainment projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development
GCA Contact:
Jhai James
Public Information Officer
404.962.4839
GDEcD Contact:
Stefanie Paupeck
Communications Specialist
404.962.4075
