JCTA COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY
Effective Date: November 18, 2025
Purpose
The Johnson County Tourism Authority (JCTA) allocates funds from its annual budget to award grants using lodging tax revenues to support tourism promotion and events that generate measurable overnight stays in Johnson County.
An “event” is defined as a “new or existing organized festival, fair, conference, artistic performance, meeting or sports exhibition that is conducted according to a pre-arranged schedule and in which public interest is manifested.” For this grant program, while the public interest should include Johnson County residents, the principal focus should be toward those living outside Johnson County who would consider visiting and staying overnight to observe or participate.
Funds are intended solely for expenses identified in the Allowable Expenses section of this Policy provided the applicant demonstrates that the activity will increase visitation, overnight lodging and/or boost the local economy.
The emphasis of the Community Grant Program is to develop and nurture new events/activities that boost the local economy by increasing visitor spending in hospitality, retail and dining. Accordingly, priority will be given to newer events/activities and applicants will typically be expected to become self-sufficient after three years.
Facilitation
The JCTA Board shall establish a Grant Facilitation Subcommittee of board members and staff to manage the Community Grant Program. The Subcommittee will be responsible for:
- Soliciting and reviewing grant applications
- Providing orientation/training to ensure applicant understanding and compliance
- Reviewing/scoring grant applications and making recommendations to the JCTA Board for grant awards
- Meeting with grant recipients prior to events to review their plans for use of their grant award
- Making recommendations to the JCTA Board for any requested advance payments
- Conducting post-event reviews with grant recipients to assure reimbursement requests and post-event reports are complete
- Making final grant award and reimbursement recommendations to the JCTA Board
Eligibility
Grants are available to:
- Nonprofit organizations
- Municipalities
- For-profit event organizers
- Community event committees
Events must:
- Demonstrate ability to attract out-of-county visitors
- Show a clear plan to generate overnight stays (e.g., hotel room blocks, camping promotions, or partnerships with lodging providers)
- Boost the local economy by increasing visitor spending in hospitality, retail and dining
- Align with Johnson County’s tourism priorities and brand values
- Submit required post-event reporting documenting attendance, visitor origin and economic impact
Funding Tiers
Tiered structure encourages growth & cash-flow support
| Tier | Request Size | Requirements |
| Micro | Up to $1,000 | Simplified application; no match required |
| Standard | $1,001–$7,000 | Marketing plan, measurable room-night goals |
| Major | $7,001+ | Expanded reporting, lodging partner coordination, funding match required (see below) |
While approved funds are typically paid by reimbursement only, up to 50% may be released as an advance upon contract execution for Standard and Major awards.
Allowable Expenses
✅ Allowed (must tie directly to visitor generation):
- Advertising & marketing outside Johnson County
- Digital paid media targeted primarily for out-of-county regions
- Event production costs: staging, lighting, sound, permits, venue or site rental
- Entertainer/talent fees
- Visitor-facing collateral/visitor engagement materials; Examples:
- Printing of flyers, brochures or rack cards that promote events encouraging overnight stays
- Website development and online platforms that capture visitor leads or promote future travel to Johnson County
- Videos, newsletters and email marketing that build engagement and drive visitation
- Event signage and displays that promote future events, overnight stays or capture visitor data (e.g., QR code surveys)
- Hotel room-block deposits and lodging guarantee support
- Ticketing and registration platforms
- Contracted services that develop tourism
- Trade/travel show registration fees for tourism partners
🚫 Not Allowed:
- Items for resale, souvenirs, or giveaways
- Internal organizational operations not tied to tourism
- Scholarships unrelated to overnight visitation
- Building construction, renovating and/or remodeling expenses
- Debts incurred prior to grant awards that are unrelated to the current event grant request
Advertising solely within Johnson County may be approved only when part of a broader campaign targeting out-of-county audiences. Advertising efforts using media that is distributed solely in Johnson, Campbell, Sheridan or Natrona counties may not exceed 25% of the total marketing reimbursement.
Match Requirement
All applicants for a Major award (i.e., $7,001+) must provide a 1:1 cash or in-kind match (documented fair market value). The match must be clearly defined in the grant application and included in the post-event report and substantiated in the reimbursement request. Micro and Standard level grants will not require a cash or in-kind match, but inclusion of a match in grant requests can be considered by JCTA in its award decisions.
Application Process
Applications shall be submitted on-line via the JCTA website.
Applications must include:
- Description + target audience
- Marketing strategy
- Room-night projections (required)
- Budget + match
- Timeline
- Performance measurement approach (description of surveys to be used and metrics to be gathered to demonstrate success from a tourism/economic perspective)
Grant requestors shall be required to provide a presentation of their application either in-person or via live video meeting at a time and place coordinated by JCTA. JCTA may also choose to accept a pre-recorded 20-minute presentation, if requested.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be assessed using a transparent scoring rubric. Points will be awarded for each category using the criteria listed below, with higher scores awarded for greater economic impact and lodging potential. The awarded points will be multiplied by the assigned weight for each category to derive a total score. The maximum total score is 300 points.
| Category | Point Range | Weight | Criteria |
| Budget Detail | 1 – 4 | 10 | 4 = Full, Detailed budget with quotes; 1 = Minimal or incomplete information |
| Event/Brand Reach | 1 – 4 | 20 | 4 = National/multi-state reach; 1 = Local reach only |
| Lodging Impact | 1 – 4 | 30 | 4 = 100+ room nights; 3 = 75 – 99 room nights; 2 = 50 – 74 room nights; 1 = < 50 room nights |
| Visitor Volume | 1 – 4 | 20 | 4 = Thousands over multiple days; 3 = Thousands for single day or hundreds for multiple days; 2 = 100+ for a single-day event; 1 = Fewer than 100 or no estimate or proven history |
| Recognition of JCTA | 1 – 4 | 10 | 4 = Marketing plan shows how JCTA will be showcased in media; 3 = JCTA is part of larger sponsor group; 2 = Limited marketing materials to recognize JCTA; 1 = No plan provided to recognize JCTA |
Higher priority: A higher priority will be considered for off-season events, new events, multi-day events, and established event growth.
Award & Payment Requirements
A funding agreement is required.
Payments:
- Up to 50% advance (Major grant tier only)
- Final payment released only after post-event reporting
Applicant must submit within 30 days of the event:
- Invoices and receipts
- Report of actual room nights
- Attendance counts
- Attendee survey results and performance metrics
- Media sample or screenshots of campaign delivery
- Any additional information requested by JCTA as part of the grant award
Unused funds must be returned to JCTA within 90 days.
Compliance
Events not executed as approved may result in:
- Funding reductions
- Ineligibility for future awards
- Repayment of advanced funds