Tourism Destination Enhancement Grant Program

The Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau (HCVB) Tourism Destination Enhancement Grant is designed to elevate Huntingdon County's tourism ecosystem by funding projects that address three major priority areas: driving non-peak seasonal visitation, welcoming all visitors through inclusive, accessible tourism development or providing design or engineering funds as a local match to larger tourism related projects.

 

Funding Application Deadline: October 31, 2026

 

1. Core Priority Funding Tracks
Track A: Winter Tourism Stimulus (Non-Peak)

Projects designed to develop or enhance visitor experiences, events and targeted marketing campaigns that specifically attract tourism activity and overnight stays during the non-peak season (January 1st through March 31st).

  • Signature Winter Events: Planning and operational seed money for winter-specific festivals, historical/culinary events or competitions.
  • Winter Experience Assets: Purchasing non-permanent equipment to enable winter recreation (e.g., snowshoe or cross-country ski rentals, temporary event heating/lighting).
  • Targeted Winter Marketing: Promotional campaigns targeting prospective travelers residing outside a 50-mile radius of Huntingdon County.

 

Track B: Year-Round Accessibility & Sensory Enhancements (Priority ADA)

Projects supporting tourism-facing businesses, public parks, municipal trails and organizations to become highly accessible and welcoming for individuals with mobility, physical and sensory special needs.

  • Mobility Infrastructure: Retrofitting historic properties, restaurants, attractions or public spaces with ramps, widened doorways, automated doors, ADA-compliant restrooms or specialized paved pathways.
  • Sensory-Friendly Accommodations: Creation of sensory-calming quiet zones, purchasing sensory toolkit supplies (noise-canceling headphones, weighted lap pads, fidget sensory tools) or designing tactile maps and Braille signage.
  • Inclusive Communication: Implementation of auditory tour devices, assistive listening systems, closed-captioning displays or specialized web accessibility software for online travel booking.

 

Track C: Engineering and Design as Local Match for larger grant projects

Larger projects identified in master plans for public lands in Huntingdon County or for moving or constructing new trail segments to remove existing trail alignments from busy roadways often need larger grants than HCVB can provide and often those grants require local match in the form of engineering and/or design. To be considered for funding under this track, a project must:

  • Be identified as a priority in Huntingdon County’s Comprehensive Plan, Southern Alleghenies RPO Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and/or the master plan of a public land management agency or other comparable plan pertaining to Huntingdon County.
  • Have identified government, private or foundation funding sources that can fund the construction of the project once designed and whose funding requires local match due to funding maximums or eligibility.
  • Provide design cost estimates from reputable firm(s) certified in producing executable engineering or architectural designs required for the project. If design certifications are not required, HCVB encourages outreach to area post-secondary educational institutions to create designs for the project as a cost-savings and educational opportunity.

 

2. Eligible Applicants

To be eligible, applicants must operate within Huntingdon County and fall under one of the following categories:

  • Tourism-Facing For-Profit Businesses: Lodging properties, restaurants, breweries, recreation outfitters, private parks, historic attractions and specialized retailers.
  • Non-Profit Organizations: 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) entities with a public-facing tourism, historical, cultural or environmental recreation mission.
  • Municipal Governments: Local governments upgrading public tourism spaces, community parks or shared outdoor trail facilities.

 

3. Grant Award Details and Matching Requirement
A. Award Thresholds
  • Minimum Request: None (No minimum request limit)
  • Maximum Request: $25,000
 
B. Required Matching Funds

All requested grant funds must be matched with at least a 25% contribution from the recipient.

  • Example: If requesting a $7,500 grant, the total project budget must be at least $10,000, with the applicant demonstrating $2,500 in matching funds.
  • Matching contributions may be a combination of Cash Match (organizational reserves, bank loans, municipal funding, other grants) and/or In-Kind Match (volunteer labor valued at the current federal rate, donated professional trades or materials specifically required for the enhancement).
 
C. Disbursement and Reporting

Grant awards will be disbursed within 30 days of approval of the application by the board of directors of the Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau. The grantee is responsible for maintaining receipts for all expenditures related to the project including grant funds and matching funds and submitting copies of receipts and invoices with a grant closeout report within 60 days of the completion of the project. Failure to provide this documentation may result in recall of the grant funds.

 
4. Application Review & Scoring Rubric

To satisfy the directive of the Board of Directors, applications will be mathematically prioritized toward Winter Tourism or Accessibility. The 100-point evaluation system is weighted as follows:

1. Strategic Priority Alignment (40 Points)

How strongly does the project target one or both of the three core priority pillars?

31-40 Points: Direct alignment. The project explicitly expands winter programming (Jan 1 – Mar 31) or permanently improves year-round physical or sensory ADA accessibility or provides a required match to already awarded construction grant(s) from other sources.

16-30 Points: Moderate alignment. The project benefits the overall tourism experience but has minor direct impact on winter tourism volumes or ADA standards or increases the likelihood of funding from other sources.

0-15 Points: Weak alignment. A general tourism enhancement project with no winter element and no specialized accessibility improvements, other funding sources not clearly identified

 
2. Projected Tourism Impact & Experience Enhancement (25 Points)

Does the project successfully generate overnight stays, meaningfully expand access/inclusion for disabled travelers and their families or provide applicants with a significantly increased likelihood of receiving other funds to construct a larger tourism related project?

21-25 Points: Clear, data-supported projections. High economic multiplier potential.

11-20 Points: Positive projected impact, but lacks specialized data or tracking methodologies.

0-10 Points: Negligible impact on overnight stays or visitor volume.

 
3. Financial Sustainability & Viability (15 Points)

For events: Does the project showcase a credible plan to transition into a self-sufficient model by Year 2 and Year 3 without continued HCVB support? For infrastructure: Is there a long-term maintenance plan in place?

11-15 Points: Outstanding long-term business plan or maintenance schedule.

6-10 Points: Realistic plan, but heavily reliant on continuous volunteer efforts or unspecified future sponsorships.

0-5 Points: Highly dependent on recurring annual grant cycles to survive.

 
4. Local Collaboration (10 Points)

Does the project feature active partnership with local non-profits, disability advocacy groups or multiple tourism businesses?

8-10 Points: Strong multi-partner collaboration with documented shared responsibilities.

0-7 Points: Sole applicant executing the project with little local integration.

 
5. County Commissioners’ Support (5 Points)

Has the applicant submitted an official letter or resolution of support from the Huntingdon County Commissioners?

5 Points: Letter/resolution of support attached.

0 Points: No letter/resolution attached.

6. Alignment with HCVB Marketing (5 Points)

Does the project actively tie into the Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau's regional marketing campaigns or destination strategies?

5 Points: Direct strategic integration.

0 Points: Independent project with no alignment.