Claire d’Loon Giveback Grant

Claire d'Loon Giveback Grant Mercer Wisconsin

The Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the creation of our Claire d'Loon Giveback for 2023. The purpose of this grant is to provide the support to our local non-profit organizations for tourism development and promotion of the Mercer area.

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Grant Purpose

The Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the creation of our Claire d'Loon Giveback for 2024. The purpose of this grant is to provide the support to our local non-profit organizations for tourism development and promotion of the Mercer area.

The Mercer Chamber Board of Director's will be designating $5,000 to award to Mercer non-profit applicants to assist with developing the Mercer Community.

Applicants must provide evidence that their efforts would focus on bringing people to the area or create future development projects within the destination. The Board will consider applications from non-profit groups and organizations that offer activities or events that would encourage commerce in Mercer. Organizations must be a member of the Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce.

The applicants will be reviewed through a series of questions that look at their ability to articulate their future plans.  Can they explain how the project or event fits within the current tourism landscape?  How will they evaluate their event or project for effectiveness? What is their marketing plan and proposed budget to accomplish their proposal?  These are a few of the objectives for the grant application. Those that are able to specify how the funding will help the destination will be ranked higher during the review.

Grant Eligibility

State Code governs the use of revenues derived from the Hotel/Motel Tax, a tax collected from the renting of any and all rooms where accommodations are furnished to transient guests for rent. All entities receiving funds, excepting governmental entities, must be non-profit as recognized by the Internal Revenue Code of the United States to be eligible for the consideration of the allocation of these funds. All recommendations on allocations shall be subject to the approval of the Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Eligible applicants include any non-profit organization whose project has a beneficial impact on the community of Mercer. The Board encourages creative projects that enhance the attractiveness of Mercer, encourage tourism to the area, or promote events that draw visitors to Mercer as a destination.

This grant program supports projects that include, but are not limited to:

  • Developing and/or expanding tourism programs, events, or tools
  • Building partnerships and cooperative efforts among tourism providers and attractions
  • Enhancing initiatives and efforts to attract visitors to the community

Grant requests should not exceed $1,000. Matching funds are preferred, but not required. A Final Report must be completed and returned to the Mercer Chamber of Commerce upon project completion. Failure to submit a report within 30 days of project completion will jeopardize future funding. 

 

Ineligible Projects/Components

This grant program does not support:

  • Projects that do not have a beneficial impact on Mercer
  • Annual or recurring operational expenses
  • Projects with full funding already in place
  • Individual fundraisers or donations
  • Grants or scholarships to individuals or businesses
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Funding Overview

Room tax funds are received from the communities of Mercer. The grants are reviewed by the Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors ("board").

The room tax grants will be distributed on an annual basis. Funding is devoted to community groups and organizations for tourism development and promotion of Mercer. The Board will consider applications from non-profit groups and organizations that provide marketing and focus on bringing people to the Mercer area along with developing the destination. The Board will also consider applications from non-profit groups and organizations that offer activities or events that will encourage people to stay longer. If funds are granted, the Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce logo will need to be present at events and all development projects as the grantor.

The Board will not provide room tax funds for an organization's operating expenses, volunteer pay, or stipends. All payments will be made directly to the expenses provided through invoices approved in the grant process.

Evaluation Criteria

Projects will be evaluated using certain criteria including but not limited to:

  • Potential reach of project, including number of visitors and overnight guests generated by project
  • Financial need of project and percentage of project funding being requested
  • Quality of project and likelihood of achieving stated goals
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Application Deadline

The 2024 grant application is open as of November 15, 2023. The Mercer Area Chamber Room Tax Grant deadline is January 31, 2024. Grant recipients will be notified no later than February 28, 2024. Any applications submitted prior to the start of the application process or after the deadline, will not be reviewed.

The board will review the applications and request any missing information - which would be due two days prior to the review meeting.

 

Application Process

Funds granted are for the Fiscal Year they are approved.

You will need to resubmit the application if you intend on requesting monies in subsequent years.

Claire d'Loon Giveback Grant

Grant application is open on November 15, 2023.

Application only available online through google forms. 

Application Deadline January 31, 2024. 

Grant recipients will be notified no later than February 28, 2024. 

If you have any questions in regards to the grant or the application process, please email info@mercercc.com (this is our preferred method of communication)

Contact Form

If you have any questions when filling out the application or reviewing the information above. Please feel to contact our office by phone at 715.476.2389, email at info@mercercc.com, or by using this contact form.

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