(309) 266-5361 Village Hall - 120 North Main Street Morton, Illinois 61550

Tourism Grants


Morton Tourism Grant Program

The Village of Morton uses Hotel/Motel Tax funds to support events in our community. Organizations can submit a request for a grant during the Spring and Fall grant cycles for events held in the Village by using one the applicable form available below.  Members of our Village Board will review the grant applications received  and make a recommendation to the Village Board. The Village Board will act upon the recommendations for the grants at subsequent Board meeting.

Applicants should use the forms linked below:

Morton Tourism Grant Policy

I. Introduction
The Village of Morton offers a grant program that funds up to $10,000 for events which promote overnight visitors and additional traffic to local businesses. The program also offers funding up to $3,000 for community events that have the potential to create overnight stays.  This grant program is made possible through the use of Hotel/Motel Tax funds generated by overnight stays in Morton. These policies and procedures were developed to provide guidance for the administration of the Tourism Grant Program and the award and disbursement of funds.

II. Grant Applications

  • THE COVER SHEET INCLUDED WITH THE GRANT FORM INCLUDES IMPORTANT INFORMATION.  PLEASE REVIEW CAREFULLY.
  • Applications for assistance must be made using the current forms available above.  Applications made in any other manner will not be considered.
  • Applications must be properly completed and executed and must include all requested information and materials. Incomplete applications will not be considered. If additional space is needed for any section, please attach a separate sheet.
  • Do not solely respond “See Attached” to any section of the application. Responses to all sections must be started on the application. Additional pages can be attached if more space is required to complete the response.
  • Applicants must submit one signed, original copy of the application to the Village of Morton prior to the deadline.
  • Applications for assistance for events which have not previously received funding through the Tourism Grant Program may be submitted outside of the established grant rounds. Such applications must be submitted at least 90 days prior to the event.  Applications for assistance submitted outside of the established grant rounds shall be considered by the Village Board of Trustees using the scoring system set forth herein.
  • The Village reserves the right to limit the number of grants awarded and the amount of the grant awards based on the quantity of applications submitted and the amount of grant funds available.
  • Applications must be signed by an authorized individual of the submitting organization.

ADVERTISING & PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
All promotional materials and advertising must contain the tagline “Event sponsored in part by the Village of Morton Tourism Fund”.  A Village of Morton logo is available for use at your request.

ELIGIBLE EVENTS
New and on-going events are eligible. The goal of the grant is to assist organizations in the development of self-sustaining events.

LOCAL PURCHASING
Applicants must utilize Morton businesses for purchases to the fullest possible extent. Those applicants that do so will be given additional consideration.

LOCAL EVENTS
This grant program was established to assist events held in Morton. If parts of your event take place outside of Morton, only expenses for those parts taking place within Village limits will be considered during your grant application review. Applicants must show written permission from public or private property owners granting use of said property for the event.

FOLLOW-UP REPORTING
Applicants will be required to submit reports which indicate the event’s income and expense within six months of the date held or completed. The report will require proof that all grant funds were used for the event. If, for any reason, the event is cancelled, please contact the Village office regarding plans to reschedule or to refund grant funds received.