FAYETTEVILLE -- Just more than a dozen groups or organizations this fall will get some money from the Advertising and Promotion Commission.
Commissioners selected 13 recipients for grants Monday. The commission doles out money twice yearly, once in the fall and once in the spring, to help pay for events that help promote the city or bring in outsiders.
Fall grants
Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, Arkansas Flower and Garden Show — $5,000
Community Creative Center, 10-year celebration — $4,500
Fayetteville Public Schools, Weekend of Champions — $10,000
Hogeye Events Inc., Razor Run — $3,000
Little Craft Show — $2,500*
Michael Hoerman, Crossover poetry event — $1,000 (targeted ad)
NWA Center for Equality, Pride — $7,000
Open Mouth Reading Series, 2018 Poetry Series and Festival — $1,000 (targeted ad)
Ozark Off-Road Cyclists, Playing in the Dirt — $5,000*
Power Yoga Retreats, Fayetteville Yoga Fest — $5,000
SONA, season marketing support — $4,500
Spark Foundation, Nutter Runner 5K — $3,000
Walton Arts Center, Artosphere — $15,000
Total: $64,500 (plus $2,000 for targeted ads)
*denotes event this year.
Source: Fayetteville A&P Commission
The recipients will get $64,500. Additionally, two of them, a poetry event organized by Fayetteville resident Michael Hoerman and a poetry festival from Open Mouth Reading Series, will each get $1,000 to put specifically toward advertisements.
Last fall, commissioners gave out $104,934 to 21 recipients out of 37 that applied. This year, 17 groups applied to receive $172,110.
Executive Director Molly Rawn said the commission honed in on trying to stick to its mission of promoting the city when considering the amounts.
"I can't speak to why we had fewer applicants," she said. "I hope that we will continue to get more qualified applicants with solid proposals that speak directly to tourism."
Rawn presented the commission a list of recommended amounts. The only change the commission made was for the Walton Arts Center, which requested $15,000 for Artosphere. Rawn recommended $5,000, and commissioners decided to grant the entire $15,000 requested.
"I think it helps us as a regional player with Walton Arts Center, which whatever they're going to do, it's always going to be a regional endeavor," Commissioner Robert Rhoads said.
A new event, the Fayetteville Yoga Fest, received $5,000. Event organizers hope to bring in about 300 people in May.
Rawn said the commission had money left over from the spring grants. The commission budgeted $110,000 and awarded $96,000.
Two applicants, Ozark Off-Road Cyclists and the Little Craft Show, have events scheduled at the end of this year. The leftover money will be used for those two events, Rawn said.
Rawn also suggested the commission find a way for applicants to submit proposals electronically and to host an open seminar early next year on how to fill out the applications.
The commission will consider its overall budget and finalize the grant amounts during next month's meeting. The commission's 2017 budget was $4.2 million.
The commission receives half the 2 percent sales tax on hotel, motel and restaurants in the city.
NW News on 10/17/2017