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This application is for the Indigenous Tourism Alberta MicroFund – ITA members can apply for up to $40,000 in tourism relief funding.

This program is supported in partnership with Travel Alberta and Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan).

Please note that Travel Alberta will be jointly evaluating applications alongside our ITA team.

ELIGIBLE EXPENSES

Expenses must be incurred between April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023. Successful applicants will be required to provide receipts to receive retroactive funding.

• Product Development & Enhancement
• Destination Development

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

**Please note, you must complete your membership survey by December 9, 2022 in order to be considered for this MicroFund.

Applicants must be an ITA members in good standing and fall under 1 of the following categories:

1) A key supplier/operator in the visitor experience

A key supplier/operator in the visitor experience is 1 which provides the infrastructure and services necessary to support a tourism economy, connects tourism products to potential markets, leads planning for sustainable destination development and supports capacity building/skill development in the sector, etc.

2) Part of a defined tourism cluster

A tourism cluster is a geographic concentration of businesses and organizations involved in tourism, linked by common and complementary products and services that are tailored for the visitor economy and supported by a network of services and associated institutions. A tourism cluster can include — but is not limited to — a community or region that is dependent on tourism for economic activity or is transitioning towards a more tourism-focused local economy.

3) An anchor product in a destination

An anchor product in a destination is defined as a key asset that serves as a motivator of travel to the region. It is the activity or product that provides the catalyst for the visitor to visit the destination. Anchor products may be operated by for-profit or not-for-profit organizations.

Eligible applicants need to be part of the tourism ecosystem and will include tourism entities that cater mainly to visitors (not including local residents). The following eligible applicants include:

• incorporated businesses, primarily small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
• not-for-profit incorporated organizations (including tourism associations and destination marketing organizations)
• municipalities, municipal organizations, Crown corporations and related parties
• Indigenous/First Nation/Métis Settlement owned business (including Indigenous sole proprietorships) or an indigenous organization such as Indigenous-led not-for-profits and organizations which include but are not limited to First Nations as represented by their Chief and Council, Tribal Councils, Indigenous Representative Organizations, Métis and Inuit organizations and Settlements as well as Indigenous/First Nation/Métis Settlement owned organizations.

INELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Businesses that are in the following industries are normally not eligible under this initiative:

• restaurants
• retail sector
• hotel chains

Note: In exceptional cases, restaurants and Canadian-owned hotels may be considered for funding if they are an anchor product and the main reason for attracting tourists to the region. These will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

HOW TO APPLY 

Applications are to be made by filling out the fillable word document (click below to download) and submitting to membership@indigenoustourismalberta.ca.

Applications open: Saturday, October 15, 2022
Applications close: December 10, 2022 at 11:50 PM MST

You may complete the application in video, or audio message and email it to membership@indigenoustourismalberta.ca 

Watch the video below for information on how to write your application!

Sample Example of a written project description: