TAC Sponsorship Guidelines
Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) Sponsorship
The City of Holyoke’s Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC), under the direction of the City’s Office of Planning and Economic Development in collaboration with the Local Cultural Council, has available funds designated from the Mass Gaming Mitigation Funds to support events related to tourism in the City of Holyoke.
The Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) will support projects that demonstrate a clear public benefit to Holyoke. These funds can be used for event costs including talent booking, space rental, event level sponsorship and general costs associated with event planning.
The Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) typically receives funding requests that exceed the amount of money available. To support as many eligible initiatives as possible, TAC aims to provide partial funding rather than serve as the sole financial source for ongoing projects. Most recurring projects receive only partial funding and for no more than three [3] consecutive years.
Our goal is to allocate funding across the widest range of community tourism needs possible.
Guidelines
- Funding must be spent within the one-year period (June 2025 – May 2026) following the April 2nd, 2025 application deadline.
- Deliverables include: a one-page narrative with accompanying documentation, receipts for purchases of goods and/or services, and five [5] pictures of the sponsored project, program and/or activity that TAC will have permission to use for future marketing purposes. The deliverable deadline is 90 days after the event or program ends.
- If you are hoping to work with a particular venue, indoor or outdoor, for a live presentation, a letter of permission from the venue will strengthen your application.
- The TAC will consider projects designed for virtual, hybrid, or in-person presentation.
- Marketing efforts are not eligible for funding; instead, we encourage applicants to use ExploreHolyoke.org to promote their projects and programs. However, the TAC will consider funding out-of-market advertising for projects and programs that demonstrate a significant regional impact.
- Approved requests for sponsorship up to $2000 must allow for the Holyoke Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) and Explore Holyoke to place their logo in a program or sponsorship banner.
Types of grants: The TAC may approve grants for a broad range of projects, programs, and activities, based on local priorities.
Program eligibility: Applicants may apply for grants for projects, programs and/or activities that take place during the 12-month window of eligibility between June 2025 and May 2026.
Applicant eligibility: Applicants must reside or be located in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The TAC may accept applications from anyone included in the following list:
- Individuals. Individual applicants must work with a fiscal agent or community partner and show that a public benefit results from the project for which they are applying.
- Incorporated nonprofit organizations. Organizations incorporated as nonprofits with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
- Unincorporated associations. A group of individuals coming together with a common purpose (e.g., local community band, theater group) that do not have nonprofit status.
- Incorporated for-profit organizations. For-profit organizations incorporated with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. This includes corporations, partnerships, and Limited Liability Companies (LLC). Applicants must show that a public benefit results from the project for which they are applying.
- Municipal government organizations. This includes any governmental entity such as public schools, libraries, and other municipal agencies.
- Religious organizations. The TAC cannot fund activities that are “inherently religious” such as religious worship, instruction, and proselytization. Religious organizations or groups with a religious affiliation are eligible to apply for funding for a project or program that:
- Is available to the general public; and
- Has the purpose of benefiting the public, not the religious organization.