The East Staffordshire Borough Council Tourism Development Grant has been established to support organisations in developing new and enhancing existing visitor activities, initiatives, and events across East Staffordshire. These activities should promote East Staffordshire as a visitor destination by improving capacity, developing new initiatives, or enhancing the quality of the visitor experience.
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to support new activities, events, and initiatives designed to increase visitor numbers and tourism revenue in East Staffordshire. Applications should align with East Staffordshire Borough Council’s corporate priorities:
- Creating a prosperous East Staffordshire
- Developing a Green New Deal for East Staffordshire
- Protecting our heritage
- Standing up for our communities
Through these grants, East Staffordshire Borough Council aims to support organisations that share its vision of developing the visitor economy and can propose projects that contribute to making East Staffordshire a premier visitor destination.
Who is eligible to apply?
Organisations working in or supporting the tourism, events, and hospitality sector and classified as one of the following may apply:
- Registered businesses
- Charities
- Social enterprises
- Registered Community Interest Companies
Other organisations may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Please discuss eligibility with the Tourism Development Officer before applying.
Tourism Development Grants are available to support projects that:
- Increase capacity for visitor attractions in East Staffordshire
- Develop new initiatives, activities, or events to encourage more visitors
- Launch targeted marketing campaigns to promote East Staffordshire as a visitor destination
- Develop digital initiatives to promote East Staffordshire or improve visitor intelligence
The Council particularly welcomes applications for initiatives, activities, or events that enhance the visitor experience and help extend the tourism season.
Tourism Development Grants are not available to support:
- Existing event, activity, or marketing costs
- Employee salaries or ongoing staffing costs
- Repair and maintenance costs
- Refreshments, clothing, or footwear costs
- Replacement of existing operational budgets
- Planning application fees
- Consultation costs or management fees
- Projects not aimed at improving the visitor economy, such as community events
- Activities or events supporting a political agenda or party
- Acts of religious worship (cultural events, activities, or festivals may be supported that don’t involve an act of worship)
- Any other event or activity deemed unsuitable for Council support
- A second event that conflicts with an existing event
Grant Criteria:
- Funding must be used for an activity, initiative, or event specifically designed to increase visitor numbers, revenue, experience, or intelligence in East Staffordshire.
- Applications must demonstrate clear value for money by detailing how grant funds will be spent and their direct impact on the visitor economy.
- Applications must align with East Staffordshire Borough Council’s priorities.
- Projects must be new or a development of an existing initiative that attracts new visitors. If developing an existing project, applicants must demonstrate its progression or how it will attract new visitors.
- The maximum grant available is £5,000, with only one open award allowed per organisation at a time. The Tourism Development Grant is a one-off funding scheme and will not fund ongoing commitments or repeat applications for the same activity.
- The grant cannot be used to fund projects or activities retrospectively.
- The grant applications opens on April 1st and closes on January 31st each year or when funds are fully allocated. Grants are awarded at the Council’s discretion.
- Match funding is not required but encouraged to strengthen applications. Any match funding should be in place before applying.
- Applicants must demonstrate a clear understanding of their target visitors and how they will attract them to the area.
- Applicants must outline how they will evaluate the impact of their project, including capturing visitor data and using it to develop future events.
- The Council reserves the right to withdraw or reclaim funding if grant conditions are not met or to modify the scheme at its discretion.
- Successful applicants must sign a Grant Agreement before receiving funds.
- All supporting documents must be included in the application; incomplete applications will not be processed:
For grants up to £3,000, a minimum of one written quote is required for each area of the application.
For grants over £3,000, three written quotes are required to demonstrate best value. Quotations must exclude VAT. (For event companies, this is not applicable).
How grants are assessed:
- Past performance of the organisation
- Credibility and accuracy of financial projections and timelines
- Impact on business growth and the visitor economy
- Market need and demand for the project
- Beneficiaries of the application and focus on visitor economy
- Marketing and promotion plans to maximise uptake
- Value for money – funding request vs. visitor impact. Return on Interest.
- Project deliverability within the permitted timescales
- Applicant’s skills and experience in project delivery
- Submission of reasonable quotations
- Inclusion of equality, diversity, and sustainability considerations
Grant Processing:
- Applications are reviewed monthly by an awarding panel. There is no guarantee of funding until reviewed by the panel. The panel’s decisions are final. Unsuccessful applicants cannot reapply for the same project.
- Applicants are notified of outcomes within two weeks of the relevant panel meeting.
- Payments are made via BACS to the organisation listed in the application.
- Individuals cannot be reimbursed; funds must go to the named organisation.
- All grants must be paid within the current financial year (ending March 31st).
- Successful projects must provide documentation such as photos, invoices, or reports to confirm completion.
- Grant recipients must display the Discover East Staffordshire and East Staffordshire Borough Council logos on promotional materials. Please request from Tourims@EastStaffsbc.gov.uk
Permissions and Licenses
It is the responsibility of event organisers to obtain necessary permissions and licenses. These must be secured before payment of awarded grant monies will be made.
Full details are available on the East Staffordshire Borough Council website Licence and permits | East Staffordshire Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council website Permissions and licences – Staffordshire County Council.
Starting Your Application
Before applying, we encourage you to consult with the Tourism Development Officer for guidance. Once ready, complete the application form in full and submit all required documentation.
Your application will be judged against the above criteria and presented to the panel for consideration.
Due to the application process you will need to submit your application at least three months before your event. Grant funding will not be paid in retrospect.
Submission of an application does not guarantee grant funding. The panels decision is final.
For further information or an informal discussion before applying, please contact tourism@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
Other East Staffordshire Borough Council Funding:
Councillor Community Fund Councillor Community Fund | East Staffordshire Borough Council
Community Regeneration Fund Community Regeneration Fund | East Staffordshire Borough Council
Boosting Business Programme Boosting Business Programme | East Staffordshire Borough Council