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Tourism Grant Request

Fruita Tourism Advisory Council
325 E. Aspen, Suite 155
Ph: (970) 858-3663 Fax: (970) 858-0210
www.fruita.org

Mini Grant Application
Guidelines for Funding Requests

The Fruita Tourism Advisory Council welcomes the opportunity to partnership with individuals, organizations and businesses in promoting the tourism opportunities in the City of Fruita. Following are the guidelines to consider when applying for support. This application must be completed and submitted to the Tourism Advisory Council on or before the advertised deadline.

Please submit this application to: Chair, Tourism Advisory Council, City of Fruita, 325 E. Aspen, Fruita, CO 81521.

A. Applicant Name: Colorado National Monument Association

B. Affiliation: The CNMA is the non-profit organization that supports the educational, scientific, and
visitor programs of the National Park Service at Colorado National Monument.

C. Contact Person: Denise Hight

D. Address: Colorado National Monument Association, Colorado National Monument, Fruita, CO 81521

Phone: 858-3617 ext. 308 Fax: 858-0372
e-mail: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

E. Type of Project: Colorado National Monument Association informational web site with text and photographs designed to entice visitors to Fruita’s primary tourist attraction: the spectacular scenery of Colorado National Monument.

1. Project Description: Fruita is the gateway to the Colorado National Monument. The CNMA web site project is designed to show visitors and potential visitors to the area some of the attractions of the Colorado National Monument. Unlike nearby national parks such as Arches and Canyonlands, the Colorado National Monument is not primarily a “destination” park. If visitors have advance knowledge of Colorado National Monument and Fruita, they may decide to stay in the area for a longer stay.

The only information currently available on the internet about the Colorado National Monument is on the park service official web site. It contains only a limited amount of information about the monument. We would like to build a web site that has regularly updated information about events at the monument of interest to visitors and local residents, particularly our interpretive programs. The CNMA sponsors Spring and Fall Walks & Talks; a series of lectures and hikes about the flora, wildlife, climate, and geology of the Colorado National Monument, that we would publicize on the web site. In addition to information about things to do at the monument, we would also provide information about the CNMA, the services we provide, how our services benefit visitors to Colorado National Monument, and a membership form to join the CNMA.

We also intend to include a limited number (twenty or so) of selections from our bookstore. People wanting to plan their trips to the monument would be able to purchase books and maps beforehand. A printable order form that can be faxed or mailed in will be provided. We would also provide a contact link for potential visitors to request free information such as park maps.
Another feature of our web site would be links to other organizations in the area. In addition to a link to our partner, the National Park Service, we would provide links to government agencies including the Bureau of Land Management and the USDA Forest Service, which have visitor sites in the area. Links to tourist information sites such as the Fruita Chamber of Commerce would also be provided.

2. How will funding this project enhance tourism for the City of Fruita? The web site would be available to potential visitors from all over the world. The links to other area web sites would make the CNMA web site easy to find. We will also list our web site on the major search engines so that anyone searching for visitor and recreational information on Fruita, Colorado National Monument, western Colorado, and public recreational sites in the area would find our web site. The CNMA web site, in conjunction with the other web sites that contain information about attractions in the Fruita area, would give tourists plenty of information with which they could plan their vacation. The Colorado National Monument Association web site, designed to entice visitors to the major tourist attraction in the area, could attract visitors from all over the country and all over the world to the Fruita area.

3. Who is your target market? Visitors and potential visitors to the Fruita area. The web site will also be useful to local residents wanting more information about our local national monument.

4. How will you sustain this project? If we are awarded the mini-grant, the initial design fee will be split between the CNMA and the FTAC. Ongoing fees, including the monthly hosting charge and maintenance fees to update the web site will be paid by the CNMA.

5. How will you acknowledge those that provide you support in this project? We will include an acknowledgment at the bottom of the Home page of the web site that reads: “Funding for the design of this web site was provided by a grant from the Fruita Tourism Advisory Council.”

6. How will you report your results? The hosting company provides a service that enables web sites to not only see how many “hits” there have been on a web site, but also what country and what server the hits originated from. This service, included in the price of hosting, is far more accurate and detailed than the counters that are seen on many web sites. We can report the results to the FTAC on a regular basis. We can also report how many requests we receive for information from the web site and how many purchases are made.

7. How will you leverage other resources:

PROPOSED BUDGET

Categories Cash Match Request Totals

Web Site Design $300 $300 $600
Domain Name Registration $ 20 (2 years) $ 20 $ 40
Hosting $240 (1 year) $ 0 $240
Site Maintenance $100 (1 year) $ 0 $100

Totals: $660 $320 $980

8. When will you need the funds? We estimate that we can complete the project in about ninety days after receiving word that the project will be funded.

9. Who will have ownership and/or copyright of the products created? The Colorado National Monument Association will hold all rights.

10. Following are the criteria that the Advisory Council considers when evaluating all proposals.

Community benefit Consistency with Tourism Council priorities
Clear purpose and measurable outcomes Ability to sustain at level in second year
Experience of applicants Demonstration of partnership
Success with other projects Uniqueness and innovativeness in approach