Who We Are
Tourism Grant Program
VisitHATTIESBURG’s mission is to actively position Hattiesburg as a year-round premier leisure and business destination in the Gulf South.
What is the Tourism Grant Program
VisitHATTIESBURG’s Tourism Grant Program (TGP) is an annual allocation designed to enhance visitor and tourism promotion efforts in Hattiesburg. TGP provides funds for marketing and other qualified expenses for projects/events that fulfill VisitHATTIESBURG’S mission and, ultimately, increase overnight travel to Hattiesburg. The priority deadline to submit applications for FY25 is September 5, 2024.
Qualifying Programs and Events
Eligible applicants for funding include an organization/event/project whose objective is to promote Hattiesburg’s tourism industry to out-of-town visitors by generating overnight travel and economic stimulus to the city. The target audience should be outside the immediate Hattiesburg area (over 50- mile radius or out-of-state).
Qualifying entities may be attractions, associations, organizations or governmental agencies which promote their event, products and/or services to visitors from outside the area. Qualified grant projects should be classified in one of the following categories:
- Festival / Event
- Attraction / Public Use Facility:
- Museums, historical buildings, meeting space, sporting facilities, etc.
- Other organizations/associations with a primary objective of promoting tourism in Hattiesburg
FY2024 Qualifying Programs and Events
VisitHATTIESBURG is proud to announce the following as recipients of the FY2024 Tourism Grant Program
- Big Rip Classic 2023 Discraft Big Rip Classic
- Twin Forks Rising CDC 18th Historic Mobile Street Renaissance Festival
- Hattiesburg Civic Chorus and Concert Assoc. (HCA) Your Cheatin Heart: a Centennial
- Celebration of Hank Williams
- JCI Hattiesburg Jaycees Taste of the South Food Truck Fest
- Mohawk Steel & Glass Hot Glass Fall Festival 2023
- All 4 US Entertainment, LLC "Beyond the Label" Movie Premiere
- Halloween at The Lucky Rabbit
- The Boujee Boss Pop Up Market 12th Annual Holiday Expo and Christmas Market
- Twentieth Star Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Give Me
- Liberty! Meet at the Tree!
- Christmas Downtown at The Lucky Rabbit
- Midnight on Front Street
- 2024 Krewe of St. Catherine Parade
- HUBFEST
- Hattiesburg 1/2 Marathon, 10k, 5k
- 2024 Mississippi Pinnacle Awards
- The Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival, presented by the USM School of Library and Information Science
- Hattiesburg Historic Neighborhood Association's Downtown Crawfish Jam Music Festival
- Extra Table Farm to Fork - Ride, Run, Crit
- Midtown Merchants Association's Midtown Sounds
- Hattiesburg DAV Chapter #62 VetFest 2024
- Mississippi High School Activities Association 2024 Softball State Championships
- Hub City Service Dogs, Inc., Dog Days 10k, 5k, and 2 mile walk at FestivalSouth
- Ray-E Foundation Hattiesburg Juneteenth Festival
- Hub City Wine Festival, presented by The Little Wine Shoppe
- Diamond Dynasty Group, LLC., 2D Sports Southeast Cup
- Special Pop-Up at The Lucky Rabbit
- HFC Spring Classic and Labor Day Classic presented by Hattiesburg Futbol Club
- RISE 2024 Hot Air Balloon Festival
- South Mississippi Trail Alliance Accelerator Trail Development
- Emerge Events Connect & Emerge: Event Planning Conference
- Southern Miss Alumni Association Friday Night at Spirit Park
- The Spectrum Center Pine Belt Pride 2024
- Live at Five
More qualification details are available in the Eligibility Requirements PDF.
TGP FY2025 Eligibility Requirements
For questions, please contact the VisitHBURG team.
Complete the official TGP Application
Priority deadline for FY2025 ends September 5, 2024.
Download the Final Report FY2024 PDF
Only applies to those awarded a VisitHBURG Tourism Grant. Deadline for reporting is Sept. 30, 2024. FY2025 report will be available Oct. 1, 2024.
More Resources
Our Team
HTC Annual Reports & Audits
VisitHATTIESBURG Strategic Plans