Museum Grant Program Application

The Franklin County Tourist Development Council will accept applications from any 501c non- profit corporations and governmental organizations for participation in the TDC's Museum Grant Program. This grant program is designed to provide financial assistance to local museums for operational costs. The TDC has identified $120,000 for this grant program subject to the availability of funds. Annual awards are for up to $20,000, paid in quarterly allotments of up to $5,000.

• Organization must be a 501c3 non-profit corporation or governmental organization located and doing business in Franklin County
• Organizations requesting funding under this program must be identified as an entity, as its primary mission in its corporate documents or, in the case of a governmental entity must be identified that its primary purpose is to operate as a museum by an ordinance or resolution.
• Organizations requesting funding should demonstrate that their museum operation is recognized by one or more state or federal museum organizations.
• Applicants must complete an application requesting funds and provide all documents and information requested by the TDC and submit it to the TDC by the posted deadline.
• Applicant organization must have been in operation for a minimum of two (2) years.
• Grants are designed to insure ongoing operation of the museum facility.

Grant Amount: Match Required
The grant award amount is based on the Grantee's previous year’s budget for operations as verified by an accountant’s report or a standard accounting report including a P&L and Balance sheet up to a total of $20,000. There is a 50/50 match required for this program being that  Grantees must submit an operational budget that reflects an equal amount of organizational funds to the grant amount being requested. Also, the grant awarded under this program is based on hours of operation. The pro rata number of hours per week are as follows:  $20,000 - 30 hours;  $14,000 - 20 hours; $7,000 - 10 hours. These funds may not be used for capital projects.

Application Deadlines
Applicants must submit the required application and supporting documents to the Franklin County TDC Office, located at 731 Highway 98, Eastpoint, Florida, 32328, no later than 4:00 p.m. on August 2, 2024. Applications can also be submitted via email to grants@floridasforgottencoast.com.

Review and Ranking
Grant applications will be reviewed by the TDC Grants Committee at their meeting beginning at 1:30 pm on August 14, 2024, at the Eastpoint Visitor Center. Applications will be ranked by Committee members in accordance with the following ranking methodology:

• Application meets Submission Requirements: 10%
• Documentation of Previous Year’s Budget: 15%
• Discussion of existing Museum Programs: 25%
• Discussion of plans for increasing programs: 15%
• Experience in fundraising efforts to support programs: 20%
• Documentation of involvement with Statewide or National: 15%
• Museum funding or accrediting organizations

Applicants are encouraged to attend the Grants Committee meeting and be prepared to answer questions if requested by the Committee. Applicants are not required or requested to make a presentation.

• Grant Application Period: 06/17 - 08/02
• Grant Application Period Closes: 08/02 at 4 pm
• Grant Meeting: 08/14 at 1:30 pm
• TDC Board Meeting: 08/14 at 2 pm

Payment Schedule
Recipients of the Museum Grants will receive one quarter (1/4) of their awarded amount in four (4) installments at the beginning of January, April, July and October 2025 upon submission of a request for payment and required accounting of expenses and email lists to the TDC office. Please see the Expense Payment Request Form at the end of this packet. Delinquent payment requests made after the 15th day of the month prior to the scheduled payment period will risk not receiving funding in a timely manner.

Application Questions
Applicants may request clarification regarding any provision of this application by emailing deb@floridasforgottencoast.com.

Web Site Linkage and Marketing Coordination
TDC funded grant recipients must participate in an exchange of web links as a condition of funding. All funded grant requests will be promoted by TDC during its annual promotional activities and marketing coordination. In addition, grant recipients must locate, in a prominent location on the grant recipient’s web site home page, a copy of the TDC logo which links directly to the TDC web site. Grantees will include the words “Funded in part by the Franklin County TDC” underneath the TDC logo. High resolution copies of the TDC logo can be obtained by contacting the TDC office at the previously stated email address. All Promotional Print, Television Commercials and social media advertisements and solicitations must include the TDC logo. All radio advertisements must include the phrase “Funded in part by the Franklin County TDC”.

It is the intention that funded museums will be included as an integral part of the TDC’s annual marketing strategy. Successful applicants should plan a meeting with TDC Marketing Vendors to help coordinate the marketing efforts for museum activities. TDC utilizes qualified email address leads as a major component of its marketing efforts. Applicants should identify a mechanism that will successfully capture email addresses and commit to sharing those email addresses. In addition, recipients should provide for the distribution of tourism information about local events and activities at a designated location in their facility.