Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant Program

The Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant Program is a state-funded opportunity authorized by the 2023 Montana Legislature’s enactment of Senate Bill 540. The purpose of the Event Grants is to assist Montana’s communities with Destination Events and new Events that will increase tourism (including regional, national, and international visitors), promote Montana's unique attributes, and generate additional community revenue. 

The Event Grant Program funding cycle will now be extended. All eligible applications must be submitted by Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, by midnight.

Please note, this funding cycle is not likely to launch at the beginning of the new year, so we encourage all eligible applicants that plan to host an eligible event in 2025 to apply during this application cycle.

All eligible Events for this funding cycle must occur before Dec. 31, 2025.

Register or watch the On-Demand Recording for one of the Event Grant Program Workshops for all the details on the program guidelines, application and other available resources:

• Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant Workshop #1 Recording.

WORKSHOP #1 recording

• Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant Workshop #2 Live on Monday, Oct. 7 at 12 p.m.

Register HERE

Resources for Applicants:

• Please refer to the Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant Guidelines to learn about the Event Grant Program.
• Please refer to the Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant Program Application to review application questions. Please note, this is for reference only. The application must be completed and submitted in the Montana Grants and Loans Portal.
• Please refer to the Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant Program Application Scoring Criteria to review Destination MT's application scoring criteria. 
• The Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant Program Budget Template is required to be uploaded in the application for consideration of funding.
• Please refer to the Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant Program FAQs to find quick answers to questions about the funding. 

APPLY HERE

Resources for Grantees:

• The Request for Funds Template is required to be filled out upon completion of event and submitted in conjunction with the Final Event Report.
• The Final Event Report is required to be filled out upon completion of event and submitted in conjunction with the Request for Funds.

  Event Grant Toolkit:

• Non-profit organizations should consider creating a  free Canva Pro Account to aid your organizations in successfully reaching its marketing and advertising goals.
• Eventbrite provides tips and guides to help elevate events - search by event ideas, management, marketing, planning, or simply how to get started.
• Reference the  Event Checklist and Production Process list to help guide your event one step at a time.
• Consider the  Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research for survey kits for a data-driven approach to measure success.
• Visit the Department of Commerce  Tourism Research webpage to explore tourism spending from credit and debit card information in the state of Montana.
• Pick up a safety tip or two for your upcoming event by reviewing the  Event Safety Guide