Sponsorships

The Rockbridge Regional Tourism Board approved a sponsorship initiative allocating funds to support local events.

SPONSORSHIP REQUEST GUIDELINES & DEADLINES

• Tourism sponsorship funds will be allocated exclusively to opportunities occurring within Rockbridge County, Buena Vista and Lexington.
• Businesses/Organizations applying for funding must be in compliance with the jurisdiction in which it operates, and possess the proper licenses, permits, and insurance to host events.
• Event organizers may request a sponsorship utilizing one of the two rounds of requests per year—for events occurring January-June and for events occurring July-December.
• Event organizers may apply for a maximum of $3,000.
• The Tourism Board will review requests and award funds based on the strength of the request and how the event aligns with tourism's mission and marketing efforts to attract out-of-town visitors. The total available funds may, or may not, be fully awarded based on the number of applicants per round.
  
• Events receiving a sponsorship must submit to Tourism a invoice in the amount of the award, in addition to a W9.

ROUND 11: Events occurring July 1–December 31, 2026
Available Round 11 Funds: $10,000
Application Opens: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Application Closes: Sunday, May 3, 2026 (midnight)
Award Announcements: Monday, May 25, 2026
Sponsorship Invoices + W9 Submitted to Tourism: Friday, May 29, 2026
Award Distribution: by June 30, 2026

CRITERIA FOR AWARDS

• Tourism sponsorship funding requests must complement the Rockbridge Regional Tourism Board’s mission and marketing goals to attract visitors from out-of-town.
• The event must be in partnership with Rockbridge Regional Tourism and provide a final report. Failure to do so will negate future applications.
• Additionally, the final report will be evaluated on overall marketing results—performance must be satisfactory in order to qualify for future applications.

APPLICATION (Round 11 Applications Open April 1, 2026)
Application Updates (3/27/26)
As interest in funding continues to grow, the application process has become increasingly competitive. To support the Board of Directors in thoroughly evaluating and scoring event opportunities, we have enhanced the application with additional questions focused on marketing strategy, audience development, and economic impact.

We encourage applicants to plan ahead and allow time to thoughtfully prepare their responses. Strong, competitive applications will include a detailed marketing plan with a defined budget; clearly identified target audiences and their geographic origins; estimated attendance by audience segment; and intentional strategies to generate economic impact, such as overnight stays and partnerships with local businesses.

Our goal is to provide you with the opportunity to present your event in the strongest possible way, and we appreciate the time and effort invested in developing a comprehensive application.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION
Applicants should be prepared to complete the application in a single session. Please see the application questions for reference.

• Click to view application questions
• Click to fill out the application

APPLICATION CONFIRMATION
Upon successful submission of an application, applicants will see a Confirmation Screen with instructions AND will receive an Email Confirmation.

• Look for an email from Jotform with the Subject Line "Submission Confirmed: Tourism Sponsorship Application" (or similar) in your Inbox or check your Junk/Spam folder.
• If you do not receive these confirmations, your application has not been successfully submitted.