Eligible Colorado applicants include:

• Nonprofit Colorado destination organizations
  • Recipients of jurisdictional lodging taxes, such as: 
    • Destination marketing organizations 
    • Lodging tax boards, committees, or panels 
  • Other nonprofit tourism leadership organizations that are responsible for promoting tourism on behalf of a destination, such as: 
    • Chambers of commerce or chamber resort associations 
• Colorado tourism industry associations 
  • Registered nonprofit trade organizations that represent a collection of tourism businesses within one or more tourism-related business sectors
• Government entities in Colorado (federally recognized tribes, state entities and local governments) engaged in tourism promotion

Ineligible applicants include:

• For-profit organizations
• Individual attractions, museums, or businesses
• Nonprofit trade organizations that do not represent tourism-related business sectors or that provide services only to individuals, though critically important, are not the intended recipients of these programs

Other considerations include:

• Only one application can be submitted for an individual destination
  • Multiple organizations within a single destination should collaborate on a single grant application
• Only one application can be submitted per applicant unless prior approval is provided. Lead applicants can be a partner in a separate application. 
• Applicants that failed to fulfill Colorado Tourism Office grant award requirements within the past twelve (12) months may be deemed ineligible.

Eligible projects must be new marketing initiatives. Grants will not be awarded to fund existing marketing efforts unless the funds are for new initiatives or outcomes or you are expanding the program into new markets or media. 

Eligible activities:

• Creative executions specific to the marketing and promotional campaign:
  • Creative advertising production (print, digital, out-of-home, video, social, television, OTT streaming, and radio) 
  • Content development (written, video, or audio)
  • Photography
  • Videography and post-production video editing
  • Campaign landing page or microsite
  • Audio development (radio, OTT streaming etc.)
  • Marketing collateral (print and digital brochures, visitor guides, posters, and maps)
  • Fulfillment costs
  • Promotional items (Promotional items must support the grant program goals and contain clear branding such as a call to action (CTA) or logo that features the grant recipient’s destination or organization.)
• Marketing executions specific to the marketing and promotional campaign:
  • Media placement (print, digital, out-of-home, television, social, OTT streaming, and radio)
  • Social media initiatives
  • Influencer programs
  • Public relations initiatives
  • Search engine marketing (SEM) initiatives (SEO/paid search)
  • Crowdriff Stories
  • Email newsletter development and distribution
• Tourism marketing research and data
  • Consumer focused market research
  • Visitor profile studies
  • Inclusive marketing audit
  • Digital audit
• Tourism marketing strategy
  • Inclusive marketing strategy or audit plan
  • Digital marketing strategy
• Trade shows
  • Registration and booth rental fees
  • Airfare/lodging expenses (up to 10% of the project budget)
• Website development, refresh, or restructure
  • Website search engine optimization
  • Website useability, mobile and guest experience
  • Website accessibility
• Other approved projects

Ineligible use of funds:

• Funding can not be used as a match for existing or future opportunities
• CTO advertising including co-op marketing opportunities (see Conditions of Funding for additional details)
• General administrative costs such as personnel costs, office supplies, website maintenance costs
• Grant writing or grant management costs
• Items for resale and gift cards
• Travel expenses, except for trade show attendance, as specified above
• Food or alcoholic beverages
• Tourism-related projects that develop, enhance, or manage visitor experience in Colorado (see Tourism Management Grant)

The applicant can financially match the project cost at a higher amount if the cost exceeds grant dollar limitations.

Applications will open on July 9, 2024. Please sign up for the Colorado Tourism Office email updates.

Apply through the OEDIT online portal by 4pm on Tuesday, September 10, 2024.

Although not required, applicants are encouraged to submit a brief LOI (available July 8)  before completing a full application so that CTO staff can learn more about the proposed project and what the destination or tourism industry sector hopes to achieve through grant funding.

The application process is as follows:

1. Verify your eligibility by reading through the guidelines carefully.
2. Prepare your application materials by filling out this Tourism Marketing Grant Application Materials (DOCX- coming soon). This document includes all application questions. 
3. Log in to the OEDIT online portal and submit your complete application in the online portal. Review the instructions for how to navigate the online portal.
4. Applications will be reviewed.
5. Status notification eight weeks after the application closes.

Supporting documents

You will need to provide:

• Completed Tourism Marketing Grant Financial Worksheet (XLS - coming soon)
• A detailed timeline (coming soon) that includes all milestones and deliverables 
• Letter(s) of commitment showing evidence of required cash match – matching dollars may not come from the State’s General Fund, Federal funds, Colorado Tourism Office funds, OEDIT funds, or other grant funds. Letter(s) of commitment must be on official letterhead and state the amount of cash committed by the organization
• Project support letters – all grant applications need to include at least two letters of support from community partners or tourism industry partners in the community (other than the applicant) that will benefit from the results of the project

Additionally, nonprofit entities must provide:

• A current certificate of Good Standing from the Colorado Secretary of State

Applications are first vetted through an internal compliance review to ensure eligibility and that all required materials have been submitted. Incomplete or ineligible applications may be rejected.

The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) will appoint a committee to review eligible applications. Grants will be awarded based on merit, availability of grant funding, and CTO final approval.

The CTO reserves the right to select and approve project proposals which best meet the objectives and requirements of the program and demonstrate the greatest potential to meet program goals and objectives.

Reviewers will prioritize applications that:

• Include a proposed campaign or initiative that states clear objectives and includes attainable deliverables
• Include a campaign or brand book demonstrating positioning, brand voice, and/or visual identity
• Demonstrate a campaign or initiative with measurable metrics and KPIs
• Contribute to one or more of the below CTO Marketing and International Program Goals that support the CTO’s Strategic Pillars: 
  • Strengthen Colorado’s statewide economic growth and advance the state’s competitive position
  • Create general awareness of Colorado as a four-season premier travel destination.
  • Increase the average length of stay of overseas visitors to Colorado
  • Recover the amount of travel spend by international visitors to Colorado.
  • Generate coverage of Colorado in magazines, TV, radio and newspapers, and digital outlets internationally.
  • Promote and educate on responsible travel and destination stewardship
  • Strive to ensure all feel represented and welcome in Colorado
• Demonstrate industry collaboration with two or more destinations 

The committee will evaluate applications on these criteria:

• Strength of the project overview
• Strength of the project plan 
• Expected impact 
• Demonstrated need
• Capacity to implement

The Colorado Tourism Office reserves the right to award a different amount than is requested in a grant application, to make changes to the Grant Guidelines or to cancel the Competitive Grants Program in its entirety.

All grant awards are contingent until there is a fully executed grant agreement between the applicant and CTO. Execution of a grant agreement with CTO signifies the applicant’s acceptance of the terms and conditions of the grant agreement and the grant guidelines.

Grant funds will be awarded after the executed grant agreement effective date. Expenses incurred or obligated before a grant agreement effective date are not allowable expenses.

The Colorado Tourism Office’s goal is to provide grant funds upfront. Funds are subject to approval by the State Controller’s Office yearly, so we reserve the right to award funds on a reimbursement basis.

Grantees must:

• Complete the work tasks and meet deliverable deadlines outlined within the grant agreement
• Keep the budget updated 
• Submit reports as outlined in the grant agreement including a final report describing what was accomplished with the grant funds, a final budget, and documents for expenses incurred including invoices, expense receipts, and proof of payment
• Request and receive prior approval for any significant refinements, clarifications, modifications, or changes to the grant agreement from the Division in writing. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following: clarification or changes to the scope of work, or deliverables; changes in key personnel, including management staff or vendors; changes in the timeline; and changes in the budget. 

Project requirements:

• CTO grant funds cannot be used as a match for existing or future opportunities including, but not limited to, advertising on the CTO’s owned social media channels, CTO co-op programs (domestic and international), advertising offerings in the CTO Media Kit (including ads on Colorado.com and the Visit Colorado Official State Vacation Guide, sponsored articles and consumer emails), and Brand USA co-op marketing opportunities when a portion of the cost is covered by the CTO.
• Prior to production, publication, placement, and/or distribution, creative assets must be approved by the CTO 
• All materials that are funded in part by Colorado Tourism Office need to include the official Colorado Tourism Office logo unless otherwise directed by the CTO
• Grantees must submit a formal Proposal Change Form if there is a change to the grantee information or the scope of work outlined in the grant agreement
• Unused grant funds or grant funds not used as approved shall be returned to the Colorado Tourism Office pursuant to the grant agreement

The following table outlines the timeline for the grants

• Brand Book: This guide is your compass to navigating the intricacies and nuances of the majestic Colorado brand, ensuring we always Come to Life in a unified, consistent manner. For access to the CTO Brand Book, please reach out to Natazshya Rodriguez.
• CTO Marketing Portal: The Marketing Portal is a valuable hub where destination marketing/management organizations (DMOs) can easily access the CTO marketing information including brand assets, toolkits, and more.