Marketing Grants
MOT Grants for Maine's Tourism Regions, Special Events and Targeted Tourism Efforts
The Maine Tourism Marketing Partnership Program was developed to provide marketing funding to Maine’s eight designated tourism regions as well as to special events and targeted tourism-marketing efforts within Maine. Hannah Collins, the Senior Tourism Officer, oversees these grant programs.
You can contact Hannah at:
Phone: 207-624-7456
Email: hannah.collins@maine.gov
Regional Grant Program
This grant distributes money to permanent, non-profit, incorporated organizations whose primary purpose is to promote and expand tourism in each of the eight designated tourism regions.
2019 Annual Grant Award
$1.2 million was awarded to Maine’s eight regional tourism organization to support marketing projects attracting visitors to those areas.
Special Events Grant Program
This grant funds major events that have an impact on travel in at least two or more regions and/or generates national and/or international press coverage for the State. The events must have the ability to create multi-regional and/or statewide economic impacts that draw tourism-related activity inside Maine and from beyond its borders.
Spring Cycle FY 2019 Grant Recipient
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens/Gardens Aglow – $50,000
The highly successful Gardens Aglow event has been a model for attracting visitors during the shoulder season in Maine Mid Coast. While cross promoting Boothbay’s Festival of Lights, the coordinated marketing plan hopes to bring over 90,000 visitors to the region during late November and December.
Tourism Enterprise Grant Program
This grant provides money to smaller or focused tourism-marketing projects by permanent, non-profit 501C3 or 501C6 incorporated organizations whose primary purpose is to promote and expand tourism in Maine.
Fall Cycle FY19
Visit Freeport – $8,250
Maine’s Pumpkin Trail is growing again. Two new partners, Visit Freeport and the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, have joined forces in 2018 with the founding members, Maine Maritime Museum and Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta. Now in entering its fourth year, the partners plan to leverage each other’s assets to increase new visitors, visitor spending and encourage longer stays.
Contact: Kelly Edwards, Visit Freeport
Bates Dance Festival – $10,000
The Bates Dance Festival is a contemporary dance presenting, training, and outreach program that engages audience members through world class dance performances while advancing the work and life of dance students and professional artists by cultivating opportunities for learning, creativity and connection in a supportive and diverse dance and performance environment. Funding will support efforts to build cultural tourism in the Lewiston/Auburn.
Contact: Lindsay Hancock, Bates Dance Festival
William A. Farnsworth Library and Art Museum – $9,250
The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine, seeks to brand Rockland as a major art destination for travelers to Maine by promoting the city as Rockland – Art Capital of Maine. The goal for this project is to build upon and strengthen previous efforts and present unique Rockland – Art Capital of Maine-branded activities and sites.
Contact: David Troup, Farnsworth Art Museum
Wesserunsett Arts Council – $3,877.50
A strategy within the Somerset County Rural Cultural Plan, the 2019 Cheese, Brews, and Bread event will expand from an afternoon of sampling cheese at to a full day of local food experiences, demonstrations, and workshops that will culminate in a festival in downtown Skowhegan.
Contact: Mary Haley, Wesserunsett Arts Council
Abbe Museum – $10,000
Expand the reach of the Abbe Museum Indian Market, both before and after the event – contributing to the wider tourism goals of the region. Projects include a podcast and online press room.
Contact: Stefanie Muscat, Abbe Museum
Northern Forest Center – $2,450
This project grows from the Moosehead Community Destination Academy (CDA) delivered in Spring 2018 by the Northern Forest Center, Maine Office of Tourism, Piscataquis County Economic Development and Destination Moosehead as part of their collaboration through the Maine Woods Consortium. The Northern Forest Center, in partnership with the Moosehead Event Marketing Committee, will coordinate and support the cooperative marketing of 10 events that attract visitors and boost visitor spending to the Moosehead Lake region.
Contact: Mike Wilson, Northern Forest Center
Main Street Bucksport – $2500
Main Street Bucksport will utilize funding to promote the 4th annual International Maritime Film Festival (IMFF) scheduled for September 27-29, 2019. The goal of this project is to grow the festival audience and financially stability.
Contact: Brook Minner, Main Street Bucksport
Spring Cycle FY19
Portland Museum of Art/Art in Bloom – $5,000
Art in Bloom will attract visitors to the Portland area during February to view innovative floral arrangements inspired by art through digital and radio-broadcast efforts in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.