Parks and Tourism provides small festival funding opportunities

Small festivals across the state have the opportunity to get some help promoting their events to the public through a grant program established in the last legislative session and run through the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

ADPT is now accepting applications for a new Festival Advertising Grant Program. The deadline to apply is Nov. 13, 2015. The executive director of the Department of Parks and Tourism will appoint a panel to review and approve qualifications of all grant applications. Recommendations by this panel will be made to the executive director or his/her appointee for the awarding of the grants. Recipients will be notified on or before Dec. 31, 2015.

Applicants must be an incorporated Arkansas city or county. The community must have a population of less than 10,500. Grants will be a 2/3 cash match and will be awarded in increments of $50 with a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $2,000.

To be eligible, the festival must:

• be open to the public;

• have no charge for admission;

• be a recurring event in existence for at least one year prior to applying for the grant, and

• be purchasing advertising between Jan. 1, 2016, and June 30, 2016.

Grant guidelines and application materials are available online.