Tourism Development Council Special Event Marketing Grant (September Meeting)

Grant Application Opportunity: Clay County 2025 Non-Profit Funding Program

Are you a registered non-profit organization dedicated to serving the residents of Clay County? The Clay County Board of County Commissioners invites you to apply for the 2024-2025 Non-Profit Funding Program. This new competitive funding process is an excellent opportunity for non-profits to secure funding and expand their impact in the community.

Why Apply?

The Non-Profit Funding Program is designed to support non-profit organizations committed to enhancing the quality of life in Clay County. This new program is part of our ongoing efforts to ensure a fair, transparent, and efficient allocation of resources to non-profit organizations that align with the County’s goals and objectives. This program is perfect for non-profits looking to fund impactful projects that align with Clay County’s strategic goals.

Don’t miss this opportunity to advance your mission and make a tangible difference in Clay County. Apply today and join us in building a stronger, more vibrant community!

Project Details

• Reference ID: Tourism App-001
• Department: Tourism
• Department Head: Teddy Meyer (Director of Tourism)

Meetings & Milestones

Evaluation Criteria

• General Information - Initial Application Requirements (20 Points) (53 pts) —
  1. Organization must provide support services to Clay County residents (10 points)

  2. Must be established for a minimum of 1-year, additional points will be awarded for length of existence (10 points max):

     • 1 year: 1 point
     • 2-5 years: 4 points
     • 6-9 years: 6 points
     • 10 years or more: 10 points
• Organizational Capacity (15 Points) (53 pts) —
  1. Number of Residents Served Annually (10 points max)
     Points will be awarded based on the number of residents served each year:
  • • 1-50 residents: 2 points
    • 51-100 residents: 4 points
    • 101-150 residents: 6 points
    • 151-200 residents: 8 points
    • 201 or more residents: 10 points
  1.  Operating Areas and Schedule, Staffing Levels (5 points)
     Provide details on the following:

  Operating Areas: Geographic locations served

  Operating Schedule: Days of the week and hours of operation

  Staffing Levels: Number of staff, leadership titles and experience

  Volunteers: Number of volunteers utilized annually

• Scope and Design of Project (20 Points) (20 pts) —
  1. Project timeline (5 points)
  2. Project overview (5 points)
  3. Goal number of residents to be served with project funding (5 points)
  4. Overall impact of project (5 points)
• Justification (15 points) (15 pts) —
  1. Justifies and provides documentation for external support from other businesses or matching funds (5 points)
  2. Project is directly benefiting selected theme for the funding cycle (5 points)
  3. Justifications showcases how it correlates with the County Strategic Plan to benefit residents (5 points)
• Sustainability (10 points) (10 pts) —

  1. One-Time Project (5 points)
     The project is considered a one-time initiative.

  2. Ongoing Funding Requirement (5 points max)
     Points are awarded based on the project's need for ongoing funding from the county:

     • No additional funding required: 5 points
     • Requires 1 year of additional funding: 3 points
     • Requires more than 1 year of additional funding: 0 points
• Project vs. Operating Budget (10 points) (10 pts) —
  1. Operational Budget (5 points)
  2. Project budget (5 points)
• Collaboration (10 points) (10 pts) —

  Information provided on any collaboration or support from the following entities that augment funding for this project.

Submission Requirements

• Supplier Information
• Organization Legal Name (required) —

  Please enter your Organization's Legal Name. 

• Remittance Address (required) —

  Please provide your Organization's remittance address. 

  The Address should include: 

  Street Address: This should include the building number, street name, and, if applicable, suite number.

  City, State, and ZIP Code: The city and state should be fully spelled out (unless state abbreviations are standard), followed by the ZIP Code.

  Example of a Complete Address:

  John Doe
  1234 Elm Street, Apt 5B
  Springfield, IL 62704

• Mailing Address —

  Please provide your Organization's mailing address. 

  The Address should include: 

  Street Address: This should include the building number, street name, and, if applicable, suite number.

  City, State, and ZIP Code: The city and state should be fully spelled out (unless state abbreviations are standard), followed by the ZIP Code.

  Example of a Complete Address:

  John Doe
  1234 Elm Street, Apt 5B
  Springfield, IL 62704

• Primary Contact (required) —

  Please provide the following details for your Organization’s primary contact person:

  1. Organization Primary Contact Name:
     (First and Last Name)
  2. Organization Primary Contact Role:
     (Position or Title within the Organization)
  3. Organization Primary Contact Phone Number:
     (Include Area Code)
  4. Organization Primary Contact Email Address:
     (Please provide a valid and frequently monitored email address)
• W-9 (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• 501c3 IRS Determination Letter (required) —

  Please upload your Organization's 501c3 IRS Determination Letter. 

• Please list business/organization's current Officers and/or Board members (if applicable)
• Application
• Acknowledgement (required) —

  I acknowledge that all the information requested is required to complete my application. If any of the requested information is not provided, my application may be deemed non-responsive.

• Name of Event (required)
• Date(s) of Event (required)
• Contributes to the Quality of Life- $1,500 (required)
• Multi-Day Event- $1,500 (required)
• Event occurs during Need Period– $500 (required) —

  Events occurring during identified tourism need months: January, February, June, July, August, September, and November

• Amount Requested from TDC (Not to exceed $3,500) (required) —

  The grant request amount cannot exceed what the event qualifies for from questions 2.4 - 2.6.

• Has the Event ever received funding from a TDC? (required)
• If yes, please list destinations, years, and amounts
• Intended use of funds (Refer to Grant Guidelines- Eligible and Ineligible Uses of Funds) (required)
• Event Specific Information
• Describe the Event (required)
• Number of days (required)
• Location of the Event (required)
• Projected number of visitors per day (required)
• Website (required)
• Admission price (required)
• Was a promoter used? (required)
• If yes, please list promoters used
• Provide the previous year’s event information (if applicable)
• Date and location of previous event
• Clay County Volunteer Portal (required) —

  Is your Organization enrolled in the Clay County Volunteer Portal?

• Grant Application Checklist
• I understand that the reimbursement request must be completed and submitted to the Tourism Office with all backup and supporting material no later than 60 business days after the event ends, which will be on (date 60 days after Event ends). If the supporting documentation deadline is not met, a written, formal request must be sent to the Tourism Office before the said deadline. (required)
• I will obtain the signatures of the organization’s designated contact on the proposed grant contract. I understand that I will need to enter into a Grant Agreement with the County Manager signed via Adobe Sign. (required)
• I have included an IRS W-9 Form, and a copy of the Florida Division of Corporations form with the application. A Clay County Supplier Form must be on record. (required)
• I understand that no expenses incurred before the TDC recommends approval of the grant application will be reimbursed under any circumstances. I also understand that no funding has been approved until the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approves the execution of the Grant and that no expenditures will be reimbursed if the BOCC does not approve the execution of the Grant. (required)
• I understand that this event may require a Clay County Event Permit (Event, Amusement, Temporary, Structure, Sales, etc.), and it is up to me to complete that permit request and pay the required permit fee. I have reviewed the Clay County Special Event Permit Flow Chart and will proceed with any required county permits. (Contact: Jason Clark, Event Permit Coordinator– 904-529-4148). (required)
• I have included a list of my business/organization's current Officers and/or Board members (if applicable) with the application. (required)
• I acknowledge that any material made or received by Clay County in connection with my request for Grant funding is a public record and subject to public inspection unless there is a legislatively created exemption that makes it confidential and not subject to disclosure. I acknowledge that I cannot dictate to Clay County what material is open to public inspection or the circumstances under which material is deemed confidential. (required)
• I understand that all funds received are subject to audit by the Clay County Clerk of the Court – Internal Auditor and/or other representative as Clay County may designate. (required)