WESTERN MONTANA'S GLACIER COUNTRY COOPERATIVE MARKETING PROJECT MATCH PROGRAM GUIDELINES

The Cooperative Marketing Project Match Program (CMPMP) is designed to provide 50/50 matching expense funding for projects to promote an area or event on a cooperative basis with a not‐for‐profit tourism‐related organization. The intent of this program is to encourage the development of new or expanded marketing projects, thereby increasing the tourism appeal of the city or region to out-of-area visitors.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants for the program must have an active status as a not‐for‐profit organization with the Montana secretary of state. Proof of registration as a not‐for‐profit corporation, with active standing, registered with the Montana secretary of state must be provided in advance. Tribal governments must provide a letter of approval from the authorized tribal chairman at the time of the project.

• Montana not‐for‐profit organization
• Montana tribal government
• Montana city or county government

The match program is not intended to be a sustainable funding source. The amount and frequency of awards an applicant organization has received will be taken into consideration.

• No “pass through” entities may be utilized to apply for project funding. The applicant organization must own and be legally responsible for the project seeking grant funds.
• No state or federal agencies may apply.

This is a match expense program. The applicant match must be "hard" dollars, an actual money investment in the project. The cash match is $1 or more grantee: $1 WMGC. In‐kind services are not considered a qualified match. The match must be applied to the project as outlined in the application. Glacier Country Montana may provide up to, but not more than, 50% of any one line item within a project application. Under no circumstances will Glacier Country Montana provide more than 50% of the total marketing budget or any line item within the project.

Projects are limited to applicants within the Glacier Country region geographic boundaries: Flathead, Glacier, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli and Sanders counties.

All state of Montana bed tax guidelines/rules/contracts to which Glacier Country Montana must adhere are relevant and required for the cooperative partner. These rules and regulations are law under Montana Administrative Rule (ARM). Glacier Country Montana will be active in every aspect of the project to ensure it meets these legal requirements.

APPLICATION QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: 

Applications must be submitted to Glacier Country Montana's office using the official online tool Submittable. The Cooperative Marketing Program awards funds to not‐for‐profit tourism‐based/related organizations, including officially recognized convention and visitor bureaus, chambers of commerce, economic development corporations, associations, museums, etc. and projects that develop new or expand marketing projects, thereby increasing the tourism appeal of the area or city.

All applications will provide:

• A narrative describing your project/event
• A description of what are you requesting funding for
• A detailed budget
• A description of your short- and long- term strategy for the success and sustainability of the project or event
• Research and statistics, if available, as a baseline to evaluate the success of the project
• Details of how the project will be evaluated in quantifiable metrics

There are two steps in the review phase of the grant.

1. Phase one is project qualification where the organization and project are reviewed to ensure they meet the requirements of the program. 
2. Phase two is committee review where WMGC's Grants Committee reviews and discusses the application. 

These two phases can take two to six weeks. 

Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Any previous breach of contract agreement with Western Montana's Glacier Country may disqualify an applicant from consideration.

New project submissions will typically have precedence over resubmission of projects.

FINANCIAL QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Cooperative marketing match projects must have a total budget of at least $500. The maximum amount of matching funds that Glacier Country Montana will supply per project is $7,000. 

For print projects or for purchase of goods and equipment over $500, a minimum of three bids must be obtained, and the lowest bidder must be used. Original bids or original bid faxes must be on file in the Glacier Country Montana office for all approved cooperative marketing projects. A sample bid request is part of these guidelines.

Sample Bid Request Form:

• Sample Bid Request Form:
• Item to be printed/purchased:
• Quantity:
• Color:
• Paper stock:
• Size and folds:
• Ad sales: Yes or No
• Freight charges: (if none, please state zero)

ELIGIBLE PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES:

Cooperative marketing match program funds are to be used solely for marketing projects. Administrative expenses are not eligible, including wages and travel expenses. In‐kind services are not eligible to be matched. 

Eligible Projects and Activities: (All service providers must be preapproved by Glacier Country Montana)

• Workshops and trainings (customer service, hospitality, marketing)
• Travel trade and conference exhibit space and/or display booth
• Strategic planning, destination and experiential product development and packaging
• Professional design services; total cost of services cannot be over 20% of total project budget with services itemized on final billing
• Paid regional or national print and digital advertising; audience must be out of area to the host community
• Survey Kits from the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research; the survey kit is a service (for a nominal fee) by the ITRR that helps Montana communities gather information about their visitors and/or attendees of a specific Montana event
• Marketing display
• Promotion of special events
• Brochures, rack cards, maps, etc.; must include long‐term distribution plan and, if a print piece, must also be available in online digital format
• Contracted distribution services
• Costs to erect outside information areas and/or official wayfinding signage
• Case‐by‐case project
• Must meet the Montana Tourism Advisory Council Rules and Regulations

INELIGIBLE PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES:

Examples of ineligible projects and activities include, but are not limited to:

• Applicant's personnel costs including wages, travel, per diem
• Administrative overhead/indirect costs
• Office supplies including but not limited to postage, photocopies, telephone or internet charges
• Costs of promotional items (pens, pencils, t‐shirts, hats, general merchandise, etc.)
• Annual subscriptions/membership costs
• Projects that do not contribute to increased out-of-area visitor capacity and expenditures
• Projects where the investment could be considered a regular cost of doing business
• Webpage development, domain registration and website hosting
• Social media posts, Google AdWords and press releases
• Routine upkeep and maintenance expenses
• Infrastructure of any kind
• Relocation information of any kind

APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Applications will be reviewed upon receipt. Projects and activities will be evaluated on a case‐by‐case basis. A review committee consisting of Glacier Country Tourism board members and the Glacier Country Tourism President CEO will review applications and make recommendations to the authorized authority. If approved, application will be considered a contract between WMGC and applicant. 

• Applications are accepted until the funding pool is allocated.
• Beginning July 1 of Glacier Country Montana's fiscal budget year, the grant process is on a first-come, first-served basis. The grant program is open until all available funding is allocated for the respective budget year.
• The grant project must positively impact out of area visitation - promote accessibility, activities and amenities that are available in that area or community or positively impact media or nonresident visitors with information and images
• The project funding pool is $50,000 (FY 2024)
• The maximum award is $7,000
• Applications will be evaluated on a pass/fail rating system
• No state or federal agencies may apply
• Payment is issued as direct payment to vendors for services rendered at no more than 50% of actual up to the award amount. 

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND FINANCIAL COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Proof of registration as a not‐for‐profit corporation, with active standing, registered with the Montana secretary of state must be provided in advance. 
• Projects must be completed within six months of award date. Grantee is required to submit supporting documentation to verify project completion and project performance as outlined in the original application.
• Project evaluation results must be submitted to the Glacier Country Montana office upon completion of the project. All cooperative marketing projects are subject to an annual review of compliance.
• A list of implementation, marketing, financial and performance tracking compliance requirements will be outlined upon award. 

Documentation includes, but is not limited to:

• Copies of original invoices
• Accounting of all project revenue and expenses
• Media performance reports
• Photos of travel booth, signage
• Example of printed material
• Digital copy of video or audio

SUBMITTABLE:

Submittable is the same online grant submission tool the Montana Office of Tourism and many other organizations use. Most of you have created an account with Submittable; you are able to utilize the same login credentials and track all of your applications in one easy location.

If you have not used the program previously, you will need to set up your own account. Please note your username and password for future applications through Submittable. This is a third‐party application, and they will be the only ones who will be able to reset your login credentials if you forget.

All correspondence and reporting related to the grant will be conducted via the Submittable program messaging tool on the right‐hand side of the window.

We would also encourage you to “whitelist” Submittable to receive notifications without having them lost in your filter settings.

COMMUNITY EVENT MARKETING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
 

The Community Event Marketing Assistance Program, offered through Western Montana's Glacier Country  (WMGC), assists communities within the Glacier Country region to promote out-of-area attendance and increase nonresident visitor commerce and community revenue. This program is for either 1) existing events that have been consistently held in a community and have a demonstrated history of economic impact for that community or for 2) new events that can demonstrate through the submission process the event will generate out-of-area revenue coming into the community. This program is paid for and managed by Western Montana's Glacier Country. Events, creative and target markets must align with Glacier Country Montana’s brand and strategic plan. Funding is strictly used for paid promotions on Facebook and Instagram.
 

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY:

The community event must be held in the Glacier Country region, which includes Flathead, Glacier, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli and Sanders counties. The event organizer must be an eligible entity based in-region and be either a tribal government; a primary, registered nonprofit 501(c) organization; a city government; or a county government. Eligible entities are limited to two submission events per fiscal year, one in the warm season (June – October) and one in the off-season (November – May). The eligible entity must also be the primary organizer of the community event. Events are not eligible for assistance in back-to-back years.
 

EVENT DETAILS:

The purpose, content and/or material aspect of the community event must be suitable for audiences of all ages. Some event-based activities are not eligible to be considered for funding, including but not limited to county and community fairs, school and league tournaments, high-school and family reunions, professional events, or sporting and/or other events that are not identified as an interest to nonresident visitors, as well as members-only events.
 

MARKETING ASSISTANCE DETAILS:

Each awarded event will receive $500 of in-kind marketing assistance; a match is not required, however, the eligible entity may contribute additional funds to the campaign. Additionally, awarded events will be promoted on GlacierMT.com with a 30-day event package worth $700 in-kind value.

• Featured event listing on glaciermt.com/events for the month ($75 value)
• Run-of-site banner ads on glaciermt.com for the month ($120 value)
• 728 x 90, 300 x 250 and 320 x 50 (ad specs)

Facebook and Instagram paid event and/or click to web ads for one month ($500 paid promotion)

• Ads placed through Glacier Country pages
• Linked to Facebook event or event webpage
• Promoted to your target audience (geographic markets, demographic, interests and behaviors)
   

ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AWARD CYCLE:

The Event Application Cycle is ongoing with two event packages per month awarded. Submissions are considered, reviewed and awarded on an ongoing basis until 24 events are awarded for the upcoming fiscal year (July 2024 – June 2025). A determination of award and award amount will be made within 30 business days from the date of completed submission. A high level of concentration will be given to events held in rural communities. Glacier Country Tourism will provide detailed reporting of the media placements.

SUBMITTABLE: 

Submittable is the same online grant submission tool the Montana Office of Tourism and many other organizations use. Most of you have created an account with Submittable, you are able to utilize the same login credentials and track all of your applications in one easy location. If you have not used the program previously, you will need to setup your own account. Please note your username and password for future applications through Submittable. This is a third-party application and they will be the only ones who will be able to reset your login credentials if you forget. All correspondence and reporting related to the grant will be conducted via the Submittable program messaging tool on the right hand side of the window.

We would also encourage you to “whitelist” Submittable to receive notifications without having them lost in your filter settings.
 

All parties interested in being a Glacier Country Regional Tourism Commission (WMGC) board member need to fill out an application with references. Applicants will be interviewed by one or more members of the nominations committee. Final candidates will then be presented as a nomination to the full board for approval at our December board meeting each year. You must be a Glacier Country Montana partner in order to be considered for the position.

Our partners consist of entities in the tourism industry that have an interest in the stimulation and promotion of the travel and tourism industry within our eight counties. Partnership in WMGC is open to any business or organization that directly or indirectly provides a product or service related to travel and tourism and/or an individual who supports tourism. 

The WMGC Board of Directors is made up of 16 to 30 members, with no more than four voting board members from any one county. 

The WMGC board determines the basic policies of the organization, while the executive committee guides the affairs of the commission and selects a President CEO charged with the general supervision and management of the business affairs of the Commission. The President CEO is responsible to the executive committee and Board, and is supported by full-time and part-time paid staff members. Staff members perform their duties under the direction of the President CEO.