Rural Nevada, Carson City to receive a half-million dollars from state tourism

Rural Nevada is the recipient of more than $500,000 in grants from the Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT) to aid in the marketing efforts of local tourism organizations, announced Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison.

“The NCOT grant program supports rural Nevada in its efforts to increase overnight visitation, a vital economic component in so many of our state’s communities,” said Hutchison, the NCOT chairman. “Programs that drive overnight visitation bring room tax revenue to these rural communities as well as to the state, and NCOT strongly supports rural Nevada in those efforts.”

Carson City organizations received more than $21,000 in grants from the NCOT, the December rural programs report from the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs (NDTCA) shows, including about $11,000 awarded to the Carson City Visitor's Bureau for the promotion of the Carson City Trails and Reflections From The Great Basin marketing campaigns. The Brewery Arts Center is receiving around $7,500 in grant funds to aid in the promotion of its outdoor concert series and TEDx Carson City event.

The Mile High Jazz Band Association, a Carson City-based nonprofit music organization that hosts the annual Jazz and Beyond Festival in August around the Nevada State Capitol, is slated to receive $1,500 in grant money for its promotional efforts, while the Carson City Symphony has been tagged for $1,250 in grants through the NCOT.

Also receiving grant funds is the Stewart Indian School in South Carson City, situated on the Stewart Indian Reservation. The NCOT is granting $1,500 to the school for the promotion of the 2017 Stewart Father's Day Pow-Wow, an annual event and cultural tradition going back more than two decades.

The Northern Nevada Railway Foundation, whose membership includes the historic Virginia and Truckee (V&T) Railroad line, will also be receiving grant funds through the NCOT, approximately $7,750 for V&T web site improvements and to aid its co-op marketing campaign with Virginia City.

Piper's Opera House in Storey County is also receiving $10,000 in grants through the NCOT to help fund its Chinese Heritage and its artists, writers and musicians tours, the NDTCA report shows.

More than $11,000 has been awarded to organizations in Douglas County, including over $10,000 to fund a tourism analysis and economic impact study through the Carson Valley Vistors Authority.

Meanwhile, the Carson Valley Arts Council will receive about $1,350 for arts and antiques advertising.

Up at Lake Tahoe, a grant of about $7,500 is earmarked to fund the Tahoe Rim Trail Association's web site redevelopment project, and around $1,900 will go to the Tahoe Art League for its 2017 Artists Studio Tour.

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority is receiving around $21,000 to help fund the costs of special event advertising and to put on the AMGEN Professional Cycling Race.

In total, the NCOT awarded funding to 89 marketing projects designed to increase overnight stays, boost brand awareness and expand marketing programs for communities in rural Nevada. Grants are awarded twice a year, and this recent distribution is the second of fiscal year 2017.

A total of $1.4 million was awarded during fiscal 2017.

“Nevada’s rural tourism community continues to demonstrate ingenuity and sound strategy in its efforts to attract overnight visitors, and we’re pleased to see an increase in the applicant pool during this latest round of grants,” NDTCA Director Claudia Vecchio.

The NDTCA oversees the Nevada Division of Tourism — popularly known as TravelNevada — whose advisory body is the NCOT.

Grants are given to nonprofit entities for tourism marketing projects that will result in overnight stays, ultimately increasing room tax revenue for the state.

Grant recipients must provide a 50-50 match in funds or volunteer hours unless a waiver is approved. NCOT distributes the grants in the form of reimbursements to the recipients after the projects are completed and labor and funding details are documented.

Funding for the NCOT's Rural Grants Program does not come from the state general fund. TravelNevada receives three-eighths of one percent of room tax revenue as its operations budget. A portion of those funds is used to offer the Rural Grants Program.

For a complete listing of grant recipients by territory, click here. For more information about state tourism, visit the TravelNevada web site here.