Cooperative Investment Fund

• Foster community alignment around a shared vision for tourism
• Support regional promotional strategies aimed at growing visitation and driving cash flow to tourism businesses
• Support a diversified and sustainable visitor economy through attraction and planning of cultural events, business events and major sporting events

• Municipalities, destination marketing/management organizations, not-for-profits, chambers of commerce, and industry associations with a focus and/or mandate in tourism development and promotion    
• Non-municipal partners must have been in operation for a minimum of three (3) years

• Individual tourism businesses, and partnered consortiums
• Business improvement areas
• Communities who are represented by a destination marketing organization
• Hotel consortiums and Destination Marketing Fund groups (DMFs)
• Retail businesses
• Restaurants

Destination Promotion

• Targeted online ads as part of an integrated, multi-faceted marketing campaign
• Creative development + agency support
• Radio/tv/print advertising that presents a unified tourism message
• Social strategy and implementation (including costs related to contracted community management)
• Media and public relations
• Content development including photography, video and written content (shot list must be included with the application)

Destination Development:

• Attraction of business events
• Destination planning and research aimed at growing the visitor economy
• Workforce development including educational seminars and building destination capacity
• Destination animation programming available to visitors on a regular, scheduled basis (daily, weekly, monthly) and demonstrate how it is designed for long term availability
• Membership fees (i.e. TIAA)

• Salaries or wages as well as management fees
• GST/HST expenses
• Website development
• Travel Alberta will not invest in destination development/promotion efforts led by a community which duplicates the efforts of an existing destination organization

Expenses must be incurred between April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024. Expenses will need to be invoiced by a qualified third party and documented in the financial reconciliation.

• Economic impact generated from hotel nights, experience sales, ticket sales, and/or package sales that showcase a return on investment equal to or greater than the investment.
• Number of business supported through the development/promotional initiative

• Create an account or log in to the new Grant Management Tool (GMT), to access the Rural Development and Promotion application form.
• Complete application in its entirety.
  • Note: the system will allow you to save your application if you need time or additional information before submitting. Only one application per organization, per funding year will be accepted.
• It is the sole discretion of Travel Alberta to manage funding requests and decline projects that may not qualify or if the program is oversubscribed.
• Upon review and evaluation, a letter of decision will be sent regarding the status of your application.
• Approved projects will receive a Travel Alberta Grant Agreement for review and signature.
• The funding will be sent via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).
• Upon approval of the project and receipt of all required documentation, 100% of approved funds will be released to the organization.  
• Investment decisions will not be made for approximately six weeks following the closing date of March 6, 2023.

• Events and festivals that are two or more days in length and target overnight visitation
• Events and festivals that charge an admission fee
• Events and festivals which showcase collaboration with other Alberta tourism partners

• Private sector Alberta based tourism businesses, Indigenous businesses, not-for-profit organizations and municipalities with a focus on tourism
•  Non-municipal partners must have been in operation for a minimum of three (3) years

• Charitable and fundraising events
•  Amateur sport tournaments
•  Consumer and trade shows
•  Political events
•  Events common across multiple communities such as Canada day celebrations
•  Events not accessible by the public
•  Local community events
• Business improvement areas

Logistical and production cost

• Performers, artists and artisans fees
• Rental of security barriers, toilets, tents, lighting, sound equipment, venue
• Permits and insurance
• Hiring of a production company
• Costs associated with climate action initiatives for the festival

Promotional support

• Targeted online ads as part of an integrated, multi-faceted marketing campaign
• Creative development and agency support
• Radio/tv/print advertising that presents a unified tourism message
• Social strategy and implementation (including costs related to contracted community management)
• Media and public relations
• Content development including photography, video and written content (shot list must be included with the application)
• Website development and/or E-commerce platforms

• Event sponsorship
• Salaries and wages of employees, purchasing of goods and services for resale, purchasing of equipment, alcohol permits
• Accommodation
• Hosting
• Ticket surcharges
• Prizing and gifting including volunteer apparel/swag

Expenses must be incurred between April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024. Expenses will need to be invoiced by a qualified third party and documented in the financial reconciliation.

Pre and post event impact calculator analysis generated from tickets sales, accommodation, food, transportation, and retail.

• Create an account or log in to the new Grant Management Tool (GMT), to access the Events and Festivals application form.
• Complete application in its entirety.
  • Note: the system will allow you to save your application if you need time or additional information before submitting. Only one application per organization.
• For all events and festivals projects, applicants must be able to provide a minimum of 25% of total project costs.
• It is the sole discretion of Travel Alberta to manage funding requests and decline projects that may not qualify or if the program is oversubscribed.
• Upon review and evaluation, a letter of decision will be sent regarding the status of your application.
• Approved projects will receive a Travel Alberta Grant Agreement for review and signature.
• The funding will be sent via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).
• Upon approval of the project and receipt of all required documentation, 100% of approved funds will be released to the organization.  
• Investment decisions will not be made for approximately six weeks following the closing date of March 6, 2023.