Kankakee County Convention/Visitors Bureau Investing in Tourism-Related Projects; Grants Available

The Kankakee County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Board of Directors is proud to continue investing in Kankakee County tourism efforts by expanding on the good work done to drive visitation. Since the Bureau’s inception, Kankakee County and its municipalities have benefited economically from growth in tourism visitation. As the county emerges from the pandemic, the organization desires to stimulate more progress and growth.

To achieve this, the Community Tourism Action Plan (CTAP) grant program has been updated from its initial launch in 2016. This current program increased its capacity to work cooperatively with governments, businesses and community organizations on both small and large projects that will impact the county’s visitor economy. While there are many purposes for these CTAP grants, the primary purpose is to add vibrancy to the communities in Kankakee County and to generate new economic impact through visitation by non-residents. Other purposes include:

• Expand the tourism product in Kankakee County.
• Expand existing or create new visitor experiences in Kankakee County to attract new visitors and extend the length of stay of current visitors.
• Provide co-op marketing assistance to support new signature events that will generate overnight visitation to Kankakee County.
• Generate overnight visitors and measurable hotel room nights in Kankakee County.

CTAP grants are investments in tourism-related projects that will foster and stimulate increased visitation and visitor spending within Kankakee County. Examples of desired projects include, but are not limited to, the development or expansion of visitor attractions and venues, hands-on experiences and activities, high-impact traveling exhibitions, public shows that are uniquely qualified to extend a visitor’s stay, and multi-day new signature events that are likely to generate overnight hotel stays.

Through this grant program that will assist the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, two different levels of grants will be offered through a competitive application process. The first offers grants in the amount of $5,000 – $24,999 that require a 25 percent applicant match. The second offers grants from $25,000 to $500,000, which require a 50 percent applicant match. The board expects to dedicate as much as 25 percent of its annual budget toward grants.

In addition, two cycles will be offered in 2023. For the first cycle, the application period opened February 1, with applications due March 15. Applicants will be notified March 31. The second cycle will begin August 1, with an application deadline of September 15, and applicant notification by September 29.

Further questions should be directed to Nicole Gavin, executive director at [email protected]