The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau (HVAB), in conjunction with the Centre County Board of Commissioners, will begin accepting applications for the 2024-25 Tourism Grant program on Feb. 15.
The annual Tourism Grant program funds marketing, tourism development and, in some cases, facility improvement projects designed to generate visitation to Happy Valley – with a particular emphasis on overnight stays – and that enhance the overall visitor experience, according to a news release on Monday.
Applications will be accepted until close of business on April 15, with funding awarded in late May/early June. The application and information about the program will be available at happyvalley.com.
Funded by the county’s hotel occupancy tax, last year the program awarded more than $840,000 to a record 73 projects out of 82 applications.
“Continuing the trend of robust growth, the 2024-25 grant pool is expected to reach nearly $1 million,” HVAB President and CEO Fritz Smith said in a statement. “This is tremendous news for our ability to support eligible tourism projects at meaningful levels. The health of the grant program is directly related to the strength of Centre County’s visitation economy, which is close to being a $1 billion industry.”
The HVAB and commissioners expect another competitive year as new ideas emerge, and as event organizers and other returning applicants take steps to reach new audiences and elevate their offerings, according to the release.
“The size of the grant pool allows for some big thinking, for creativity, for projects that will push visitation’s impact over that $1 billion target,” Smith said. “We expect 2024 will be another banner year for Happy Valley tourism. We look forward to this year’s application process, and to helping our eventual grant recipients realize success with their projects, initiatives and events.”
Tourism Grant Marketing Summit
The HVAB will hold a marketing summit for grant applicants from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 5 at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center. Registration will open at 7:30 a.m.. Email LesleyK@happyvalley.com to attend or for more information. The summit registration deadline is Feb. 28.
