Tourism Grant Program
- Finance
- Grants and Loans
- Tourism Grant Program
About
Williams County tourism grant awards are made available from the Visitor Promotion Fund for the purpose of promoting, encouraging, and attracting visitors to come to Williams County and use the travel and tourism facilities in Williams County. The application is located at the bottom of this page.
Grant Program Overview
The Williams County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is pleased to make a total of $85,000 available from the Williams County Visitor Promotion Fund for the purpose of tourism grants in 2024. The Tourism Grant Program aims to promote, encourage, and attract visitors to come to Williams County and use the travel and tourism facilities within Williams County.
A total of $60,000 is available for capital projects and a total of $25,000 is available for events and advertising.
Timeline
| Application Open | 9 am CT on Feb 12, 2024 |
| Application Deadline | 9 am CT on Mar 25, 2024 |
| Application Review Period | Mar 25 – Apr 12, 2024 |
| Award Date | Apr 16, 2024 |
Eligibility
Any grant of money must be for supporting, increasing, or enhancing tourism in Williams County. Applicants that have been previously awarded a Williams County Tourism Grant are eligible to re-apply in 2024, provided that the Applicant’s previous or current award is in good standing and the application is not for an expense that has been previously awarded or that is or has been incurred prior to the date of the 2024 award.
One Tourism Grant Program application, either a Capital Application or an Events & Advertising application, will be accepted per organization. The application may contain several types of expenses and the total amount requested in any application may not exceed $20,000 for a capital project application or $5,000 for an events and advertising application.
Grant funds may only cover up to 80% of the total cost of the proposed project.
- For example, if the total cost of a project is $10,000, then the applicant can request up to $8,000 and $2,000 must be able to be covered by other funding sources.
- If the application is awarded $8,000, but the recipient only spends $9,000, then 80%, or $7,200, will be reimbursed and the remaining funds will be retained by Williams County.
- Similarly, if the applicant ultimately spends $11,000 (more than the anticipated amount), then only the award amount of $8,000 will be applied.
Additionally, the Applicant must meet the following criteria:
- Must be a public, private for-profit, or private non-profit entity that, if required by law to have a business license, has a business licensed to conduct its operations in the State of North Dakota
- If a private for-profit or non-profit entity required by law to be registered with the North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office to transact business in the State of North Dakota, then the entity must be duly registered and be in good standing at the time an application is submitted and remain in good standing throughout the term of the grant award, if any, and any reporting period
- If a property owner in Williams County, must be current on real property taxes incurred in Williams County and must be in compliance with applicable Williams County or applicable city zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations, and amendments thereto
- Must be requesting grant funds for costs that have not yet been incurred as of the grant award date
- Must be requesting funds related to tourism in Williams County
- Must be located, or the event must be taking place, outside of the city limits of the City of Williston, but within Williams County
- Must be able to enter into written agreement with Williams County, subject to terms and conditions acceptable to Williams County, to receive and expend the funds
- Must complete application in its entirety to be eligible for consideration
Ability to accept electronic transfers is preferred
Grant Award Details
Tourism grants are for the purpose of promoting, encouraging, and attracting visitors to come to Williams County and use the travel and tourism facilities in Williams County. Applications that can clearly and directly demonstrate that they contribute to expanding tourism experiences or generating overnight stays in Williams County will be prioritized.
Below are the specific requirements for capital grants and events and advertising grants. Any category of expense not specifically listed below may still be eligible for a grant award, but the proposed expense must be for tourism purposes and the decision to include the expense will be at the discretion of the BOCC. In addition, whether a particular expense falls within the requirements below or otherwise will be at the sole discretion of Williams County.
Requirements for Capital Grant
- Funds can be used for the purchase, installation, and/or improvement of equipment, infrastructure, or a facility that relates to tourism, including drawing visitors to, or serving visitors in, Williams County
- All expenses must be related to tourism
- The applicant can request up to $20,000 in which the grant can cover no more than 80% of the total project cost
Requirements for an Events & Advertising Grant
- Funds can be used to offset costs related to advertising (e.g., for an event or a facility), attracting or hosting an event located outside the city limits of the City of Williston, but within Williams County, marketing strategies and technologies including websites, signage, or other means of advertising tourism-related events or facilities in Williams County
- All expenses must be related to tourism
- The applicant can request up to $5,000 in which the grant can cover no more than 80% of the total project cost.
Distribution of Grant Funds to Awardees
- Expenses can be incurred over a multi-year period, subject to approval by the BOCC and as stated in awardee’s written agreement with Williams County.
- Unless otherwise agreed upon by Williams County, any grant funds not requested for reimbursement by December 1, 2024, using a template provided by Williams County, for expenses that were expected to be, or actually, incurred in 2024 will be retained by Williams County and redistributed by the BOCC for tourism purposes in Williams County.
- Extensions for the expense date may be requested in writing by the awardee. An initial 6 month extension can be administratively granted by the Williams County Community Engagement Coordinator as long as the awardee is in compliance with the grant terms stated in the written agreement between Williams County and the awardee. Any additional extension will be presented to the BOCC for consideration. Any extensions granted by the Williams County Community Engagement Coordinator or the BOCC will be documented in the form of a written amendment to the original agreement.
- Grant funds will be disbursed as expenses are incurred on a reimbursable basis, unless otherwise approved by the BOCC.
- Documentation such as a receipt or copy of payment transaction will be required to receive grant funds.
- Grant funds will be disbursed by Williams County in the same manner as vendors are paid.
Accountability and Demonstrated Impact
Capital Grant
- Two Impact Statements are required after the grant is awarded. The first is required within 30 days after completing the project and a second is due one year after completing the project. The Impact Statements are intended to explain to the BOCC the impact the project has had on tourism in Williams County. A template will be provided by Williams County.
Events & Advertising Grant
- Within 30 days after the event or completion of an advertising campaign, the awardee must submit an Impact Statement to the BOCC stating the impact the event or the advertising campaign has had on tourism in Williams County. A template will be provided by Williams County.
Awardee must be compliant with the Impact Statement schedule, the criteria set forth above in submitting an application, as well as the terms of the written agreement between Williams County and the awardee, in order to remain in good standing with the grant award and receive, and continue to receive, reimbursement for expenses.
Taxes
It is the responsibility of each awardee to determine the impact of a grant award on their finances and tax status. Williams County will provide a 1099-G at the end of each year for the funds disbursed to the awardee.
Review Process
- Administrative Review: The Williams County Community Engagement Coordinator will review each application to ensure its completeness and verify that the basic eligibility requirements are met.
- Application Dissemination: Eligible and ineligible applications will be forwarded to the Tourism Grant Application Review Committee for an initial review and also to the BOCC. The Tourism Grant Application Review Committee will meet to review and discuss applications.
- Recommendation: The Tourism Grant Application Review Committee will provide a recommendation of awardees and the amount of funding to each awardee to the BOCC.
- Final Decision: The BOCC will make the final decision of awardees and amount of funding to each awardee at a regular BOCC Meeting.
| County Commissioners | Tourism Grant Application Review Committee |
| Steve Kemp, Chairman Beau Anderson, Vice-Chairman Cory Hanson David Montgomery Barry Ramberg |
Barry Ramberg, Williams County Commissioner Amy Kruger, Williston CVB Katie Ogden, Lewis & Clark State Park Staff Contact: Lindsey Harriman, Williams County |
Submit Your Application
Applications are due no later than 9 am CT on Monday, March 25, 2024