Board of Supervisors approves Tourism Grants for Fiscal Year 2025

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has approved the awarding of the county’s annual Restricted Transient Occupancy Tax Tourism Grants for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025). RTOT grants are designed to support local tourism events and initiatives that drive visitors to Loudoun County.

The county is awarding 12 grants totaling $252,287 for FY 2025. The recipients, the amount of funding and details about the related events and initiatives are as follows:

• BENEFIT, $25,000: BENEFIT hosts the annual Crossroads Music Festival, drawing visitors from Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC and elsewhere to experience more than 30 performers at 11 venues in downtown Leesburg.
  
• Bowtie Strategies, $25,000: Tarara Summer Concert Series has grown into a 19-week season and has established itself as a popular live music venue in the Washington, DC region. This year’s Series will occur between May and September at the scenic Tarara Winery in Leesburg.
  
• Loudoun Ballet Performing Arts Company, $3,500: The dance company plans to create and perform inclusive productions that appeal to all ages.
  
• Loudoun County Bed & Breakfast Guild, $25,000: The organization plans to produce an immersive video and audio podcast series aimed at showcasing the diverse range of accommodations available in Loudoun County.
  
• Milltown Haunt LLC, $20,000: Milltown Haunt is a season event from the last weekend in September through the weekend in November on a 12-acre family farm in Lovettsville.
  
• Purcellville VA Tag Sale, $23,24: The organization plans to use the grant to advertise the upcoming 21st anniversary of the Purcellville VA Tag Sale in October 2024.
  
• Stone Manor Boutique Inn, $25,000: Stone Manor plans to use the grant money to support interactive fantasy-inspired events with performers participating is activities like tabletop games, scavenger hunts, archery, dancing, vendors and a Fantasy Beasts Expo highlighting adoptable pets. The events are set for November 2024 and April 2025.
  
• Sweet Jazz Festival, LLC. $25,000: The Sweet Jazz Festival is a two-day indoor event held at the National Conference Center in Leesburg.
  
• Town of Purcellville, $15,513: The Purcellville Music and Arts Festival celebrates local community, culture and the arts. Out-of-town visitors join local residents every year to enjoy this annual event which includes live performances from four stages, an art show, food and drink, free family-friendly activities, nonprofit organizations and local vendors.
  
• Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association, $25,000: The organization will hold its annual Civil War Conference in October 2024, focusing on the Overland Campaign in Virginia in 1864.
  
• Vineyard Voyages, $25,000: Vineyard Voyages offers guided tours of DC Wine Country.
  
• Wegmeyer Farms, $15,000: The Lincoln Strawberry Festival is expected to draw visitors from all over the region while raising money for local nonprofits and scholarships for local students. 

Loudoun County’s RTOT Tourism Grant Program supports events that bring more visitors to the county, increase overnight stays in Loudoun hotels and enhance the overall attractiveness and marketability of Loudoun County as a destination. These may include new or enhanced attractions, events, programs or marketing campaigns. Nonprofits, municipalities and businesses located in the county are eligible to apply.

Funding from the program is to be spent solely on initiatives that increase tourism or qualifying tourism promotions consistent with state code and the Board of Supervisors’ Restricted Transient Occupancy Tax funding policy. 

Additional information about the process may be found at loudoun.gov/tourismgrants.