More than $581,607 in matching grant funds will be awarded to 108 small businesses, destination marketing organizations, downtown business associations, and chambers of commerce as part of the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Microbusiness Marketing Leverage Program, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced last week.
This funding program is designed to leverage local marketing dollars with matching state funds to increase visitation and traveler spending in the off-season. This funding cycle, local partners will commit more than $700,168 in private-public sector funds to match the VTC funding, providing more than $1.29 million in new marketing focused on increasing off-season visitation to Virginia’s small tourism-oriented businesses and events. The funding will be awarded to 108 marketing programs, ultimately impacting 432 combined partners, and supporting more than 1,050 full-time and part-time jobs.
Among the grants, several have been earmarked for local projects, including $2,500 each to Camp Cardinal RV Resort and River Mutt, LLC, both at Gloucester Point. The RV Resort grant is for a Winter Romantic Weekend Escapes project, with the River Mutt grant for a Virginia Ice Cream Trail.
Gloucester’s Main Street Preservation Trust was awarded $4,500 for “Discover Gloucester: Stories of Heritage & Harmony,” and the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission was awarded $6,500 for Hunters Lodging Escape.
Looking a little outside the immediate area, the Middlesex County Economic Development Authority and the Town of Kilmarnock were each awarded $10,000 grants. The Middlesex EDA grant is for “Touch Down & Take It In: Virginia’s River Realm by Air” while the Kilmarnock grant is for “Tapp Into Restaurant Week.”
“Tourism is a powerful economic driver and VTC’s grant programs are an important part of Virginia’s growth trajectory toward becoming an all-season destination,” Youngkin said. “By leveraging public-private partnerships, these programs support Virginia’s creative, outdoor, and small business-based tourism economy and will draw thousands of additional visitors to Virginia.”
The VTC Microbusiness Marketing Leverage Program is designed to increase visitor spending by leveraging limited marketing dollars to stimulate new tourism marketing through partnerships, and to extend the Virginia is for Lovers brand to drive off-season visitation. Using the hub and “spoke” [smaller surrounding businesses] tourism model to create multi-day itineraries, five Virginia entities partner financially to apply for funding. Partners may consist of Virginia cities, towns, counties, destination marketing organizations, chambers of commerce, museums, attractions, cultural events, and other tourism-related businesses. The matching marketing dollars will be used to encourage visitors to come to Virginia and support tourism-oriented attractions and small businesses during the holiday, late winter, and spring break season.
VTC will have additional Marketing Program grant and sponsorship rounds opening throughout 2025. Organizations and businesses that are interested in applying may visit vatc.org/grants for more information.