Community Partnership Grant Fund Guidelines & Instructions
VOCABULARY DEFINITION BREAKDOWN: TM: Travel Medford
CPA: Community Partnership Application TMTC: Travel Medford Tourism Council CPGF: Community Partnership Grant Fund TLT: Transient Lodging tax Tourist/Visitor : a person who travels from more than 50 miles from their home or includes an overnight stay. SOSC: Southern Oregon Sports Commission BACKGROUND: The City of Medford collects an 11 percent (11%) Transient Lodging Tax (“bed tax”) on hotels and short-term vacation rentals (“Intermediaries”) within city limits. The tax is applied upon temporary or short-term overnight stays based on the room rate in which a portion is used for promoting the use of the City of Medford’s recreational, cultural, convention and tourist-related services and programs. Travel Medford serves as the official Destination Marketing Organization for the City of Medford and the greater Medford area, promoting the community as a premier West Coast destination. The organization’s purpose is to drive overnight visitation, increasing visitor spending thereby strengthening the local economy. In this role, Travel Medford established the Community Partnership Grant Fund (CPGF) to promote existing events and help to recruit and assist in attracting new events that would provide activities for both day and overnight travelers. Travel Medford works with the Travel Medford Tourism Council (TMTC) to allocate these funds for local groups, organizations, and businesses to encourage and support special events which generate increased lodging occupancy, add economic activity and market Medford as a tourist destination. A “Special Event” is defined as a new or existing organized concert, exhibition, festival, fair, competitive tournament, conference or celebration which is conducted according to a prearranged schedule and with a targeted interest to the general public which may be free or with a predetermined entry or registration fee(s). In your application you will need to specify which ‘category’ your special event falls under. The category options for funding are ‘ High Impact Signature Events ’, ‘ New Events’ , ‘ Community Events ’, ‘ Special Events, Group Meetings, Trade Shows, or Conferences ’, ‘ Sporting Events ’ (If you are seeking sponsorship through SOSC versus our standard CPGF please state that in your application. Our Director of Sports Development will want to meet with you regarding the criteria for SOSC sponsorship) , and ‘ Event Support Without a Grant ’. Please read the criteria for each category to make sure you are applying for the correct category. Each application will be evaluated against established criteria. The number and extent of these grants depend on the availability of designated funds and specific allocations .
TERM Applications must conform to the guidelines specified by Travel Medford. Please review each ‘category’ for events, and ensure your event fits into our criteria. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed or be accepted. Funding requests are subject to approval by the Travel Medford Tourism Council (TMTC). Please be aware that not all applications will receive full funding. Some applicants may be offered partial funding, while others may not receive any funding. This is a highly competitive process and applications will be reviewed and scored on rigorous criteria.
Applications may not be considered for review if:
● The application is incomplete ● The application is not received on time ● The application fails to include the required attachments ● You have been awarded funds in the past, and failed to adhere to the expectations provided by TM.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP GRANT FUND PROCESS 1. Review criteria for event type and guidelines & instructions 2. Gather all necessary materials based for your ‘Event Type’ 3. Fill out application and upload necessary documentation 4. Meet with TM staff to discuss event and application details 5. Travel Medford staff and select members of the Travel Medford Tourism Council will review the criteria and clarify details as needed with applicants. 6. Notification of Travel Medford’s action will be made in writing via email to the applicant. ● We will send you our logo to use in all marketing and “Attendee Survey’ to provide to your attendees. (We have a QR code you can use) 7. If approved, the applicant will send an invoice to the TM team. ● Payment will be sent to you by check within (30) days of our office receiving the invoice. (90% Upfront) 8. If you partner with a local hotel, please make sure to submit your ‘Room Night Certification Forms’. 9. Within (30) days of event conclusion, you will be expected to submit your ‘Post Event Report. (Remaining 10% of invoice to be paid upon completion of this step)
TIMELINE
CPGF Application Opens
July 1st (Review event criterias to see when your application should be submitted.)
Submission Reviewed
Typically within 2-5 days after application is submitted
Mandatory Meeting With TM Staff
Within (4) weeks of submitting an application you will need to meet with one of our staff members to discuss event details. You cannot get approval without meeting with one of our staff either in person, on the phone, or via Zoom to discuss event details. Once this meeting has taken place your submission will then be approved or denied. Within 7 days of meeting with TM staff (Larger funding requests can be delayed based on availability of the TMTC council)
Award/Denial Letter Sent Out
Grant Program Funding Disseminated
Within (30) days of Travel Medford receiving invoice
PROPOSED APPLICATION COMPONENTS Travel Medford recognizes the value of partnering with other organizations in providing services that benefit the community and tourists alike. In order to request the CP funds, applicants must complete an application and submit it with necessary documentation to Travel Medford. Components of application process include the following: Knowyour ‘event type’ (New Event, Community Event, Sporting Event, Etc. the application will ask you what ‘category’ your event falls under) A brief overview of the event marketing plan (How are you marketing the event? What is the scope of your target audience? etc.) All applications must include a comprehensive marketing plan that includes all in-county and out-of-county advertising and marketing. Funds Requested (How much, how will it be used, date money is needed) A complete list of sponsorship packages Event Details (Brief Overview of Event, Time, Date, Location, Attendee Info) Social Media Info (Website/Social Media/Links/Handles) Meeting to discuss event details such as potential partnerships with local hotels, chosen venue, number of room nights, attendee verification, ‘Room Night Verification Form’ expectations, and overall concept of event.
ELIGIBILITY A. Any company, group, or organization that meets the criteria.
B. TM and TMTC accepts Community Partnership Grant Fund applications from organizations promoting a special event that will increase economic activity and/or overnight stays in the city of Medford. C. Event attendees are highly advised to utilize hotel rooms and VRBO/AirBnB located in Medford city limits to generate local Transient Lodging Tax when applicable. D. Event must show marketing efforts by promoting the event to visitors (attendees coming from 50+ miles away)
SCORING Each application will be thoroughly reviewed and judged based on the criteria of the ‘event category’ that your application falls under. Travel Medford also reserves the right to give out a ‘score’ using a point system. All applications are subject to review, approval and/or denial by the Travel Medford Tourism Council. You can earn a maximum of 100points . The point distribution is as follows:
Criteria
Total Available Points
Number of attendees
20
Number of room nights generated in Medford
25
Timing of the event
25
Location of event
20
New or existing event
10
All recipients shall acknowledge Travel Medford in all publicity relating to the event or activity. Acknowledgement includes Travel Medford logos and statements in all advertising and promotional material, media releases and in other promotional contexts. BRAND USAGE If you need some assisting on how to use our logo please see our Brand Guidelines: TRAVEL MEDFORD BRAND GUIDE CHEAT SHEET (FOR TRAVEL MEDFORD SPONSORED EVENTS) SOSC BRAND GUIDE CHEAT SHEET (FOR SOSC SPONSORED EVENTS ONLY)
Please use the following logos for all promotional materials:
SUBMISSION Completed application and all supporting documents may be submitted electronically (click HERE to access application) or mailed to the address below:
Travel Medford c/o TJ Holmes 101East 8 th Street Medford, Oregon 97501
SOSC c/o Darren Van Lehn 101East 8 th Street Medford, Oregon 97501
● For Community Partnership Grant Fund assistance contact TJ Holmes, Travel Medford Senior Vice President, via email at tjh@travelmedford.org ● For inquiries regarding SOSC sponsored sporting events, please reach out to Darren Van Lehn, Director of Sports Development, at darrenv@travelmedford.org
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