Advisory board sets subcommittee and clarifies rules for special events marketing grants

Board members reviewed the special events marketing grant and agreed to create a subcommittee to score and recommend applications ahead of the June 9 funding decision.

Staff said the next application window opens May 1 and closes May 31 for events occurring between July 2026 and June 30, 2027. They explained that the program currently funds "strictly marketing" (advertising) and not content ownership or travel to create content; local vs. out‑of‑market advertising caused confusion in the first round and the board asked staff to clarify how to present budgets and the requested amount on the application.

The board discussed administrative details including receipts, final grant reports (due 60 days after an event) and whether applicants with outstanding reports may apply again. Staff said final payments may be delayed (some checks from the first round will not be issued until 2027 because reports are due after events) and that unspent funds from round one would be returned to marketing for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Members agreed that future guidance should better distinguish local advertising from outside‑market placements and clarify that the applicant must submit the full marketing budget in addition to the grant request. The board also asked staff to circulate the GrantDrive folder and the online guidelines to the full panel to reduce judgment calls during scoring.

A subcommittee was appointed to review the next round (appointed members named in the meeting); the committee will score applications individually, then meet as a group to finalize recommendations before the board acts at its June meeting.