Newry, Mourne and Down District Council: Tourism Events

Overview

• Threshold: Grants are between £5000 minimum and £15,000 maximum
•  Indicative budget for the theme is £75,000. 

Please note this is subject to change. Projects must evidence £15,000 minimum spend from other funding sources in the budget breakdown when applying to this fund. Council will fund 100% of total eligible event costs up the maximum award granted. 

Examples of match-funding: 

• Scenario 1 - Total Event Cost is £20,000 
  • Applicant applies for £5,000 from fund (i.e. minimum award from this call) 
  • Applicant needs to show evidence of £15,000 available to spend on event as part of application process 
  • If all costs are deemed eligible for grant funding under this call Council will fund up to 100% of each eligible invoice to a maximum of £5,000 
• Scenario 2 - Total Event Cost is £30,000 
  • Applicant applies for £15,000 from fund (i.e. maximum award from this call) 
  • Applicant needs to show evidence of £15,000 available to spend on event as part of application process. 
  • If all costs are deemed eligible for grant funding under this call Council will fund up to 100% of each eligible invoice to a maximum of £15,000 

Latest project end date: All project activity MUST be completed no later than 31st March 2026 

Please note: Claims must be submitted within six-weeks of the chosen project end date or the letter of offer will automatically be withdrawn, and the funds redistributed.

Aim:

To support events that:

• Attract visitors that normally reside outside of the district or outside of Northern Ireland and were the event has played the key role in attracting them to visit the District.
• Acts to positively showcase the District on a regional or international scale as a unique tourism and cultural destination. This would include generating positive media coverage both pre and post event.
• Have total visitor numbers greater than 1,000.
• Have at least £15,000 of funding to deliver the event (excluding any monies from this fund). Events must have an overall minimum expenditure of £15,000 before receiving any monies from this fund.

Objectives:

Events must support:

• The District becoming one of the premier tourism destinations on the island of Ireland. Evidence can include marketing plans, promotional material, events plans, and proposals to engage the local businesses and communities in the event.
• Provide evidence of contribution to the four main themes of the Council’s Tourism Events Programme, i.e. Giant Adventures; Activity Tourism; Music & Cultural Events; Economic Support of Local Businesses; Arts Events. Again, evidence can include marketing plans, promotional material, events plans, and proposals to engage the local businesses and communities in the event.
• Must fit with ERT Tourism strategy which can be downloaded from: www.newrymournedown.org/newry-mourne-and-down-district-council-tourism-strategy
• Visitor numbers greater than 1,000
• The event must have the ability to attract visitors and participants from outside the town/city where the event takes place.
• The event must have the ability to deliver visitor spend and participant spend to the economy.
• All applicants must clearly demonstrate how events / performances / activities will be delivered in event management plans, risk assessments and public liability insurance etc. Successful applicant will have to have these documents on file and available for review, if requested.

Eligible Costs

Funding will only be allocated towards developmental aspects of the event.

The applicant must demonstrate how their proposals relate to the aims of the themes.

The following list of costs is not exhaustive:

• Marketing Costs – Advertising / PR activities / Flyers / Posters / TV or video production / Signage / Media Monitoring / Programmes / Merchandising / Dispatch of brochures / Performance fees.
• Health & Safety Costs – First aid / Stewards
• Venue Costs – Venue Hire / Venue preparation / Marquee hire
• Production Costs – Staging / Sound / Lighting / Equipment hire / Communication (radios) / Toilet hire / Bin hire / Volunteer accreditation and/or training costs / Security costs / Event evaluations or research costs.