Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) Grant Program

The Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) Grant Program offers funding to make a promotion or event come to fruition. The grant reimburses Wisconsin nonprofit organizations for qualified promotional costs. There are five categories of JEM grants.

Why You Should Apply

Organizations can receive up to $39,550 in reimbursement.
A JEM grant is often a catalyst for communities, giving them the means to make an impact on their economy and create jobs for its residents.
It could be just the thing to bring an idea to life.

Guidelines

The Department can reimburse up to 75 percent of a project’s first year eligible promotional costs.
For some categories, we offer grant support during subsequent years (50 percent for the second year, 25 percent for the third year).
The promotional plan must be consistent with the current statewide marketing plan and target markets beyond the local area.
JEM Applications are available for the following projects:
- New Event: An event that has not previously been held in the area. It’s an event the applicant intends to repeat regularly and is a project beyond the scope of daily operations. The maximum award is $39,550 and three years of funding are available.
- Existing Event: This project may be awarded funding for promotion in a new geographic market, targeting a new demographic audience or promotion in a new medium. New markets, media and audiences should be chosen based on their potential to increase event attendance. The maximum award is $39,550 and two consecutive years of funding are available.
- Sales Promotion: These must offer significant incentives for a limited period of time (usually 6-8 weeks) to persuade a targeted market to visit the area. Applications should include a list of participating businesses and the proposed incentives. The maximum award is $39,550 and two consecutive years of funding are available.
- One-Time/One-of-a-kind: These projects publicize an event of major significance that has the potential to generate media coverage at least throughout the Midwest. Anniversaries and birthdays are excluded. The maximum award is $28,250 and funding is limited to one year.
- Destination Marketing: Projects must include a partnership of at least three municipalities or communities who all benefit from increasing visitor expenditures. There are two facets within this grant: a development option and marketing option.

The development option provides financial resources to commission or purchase research. Qualifying research includes:

Discovering a region’s differentiation qualities in order to define a brand and focus a marketing strategy.
Securing data to measure the impact of the visitor on the local economy.

The Marketing Option funds efforts that apply previous research. The campaign time frame should occur during the off-season or when the region needs tourism business. The maximum eligible award is up to $10,000 per municipality, or $39,550 for the project total. Destination Marketing applications are reviewed twice each year.

Please see JEM Grant Guidelines for complete grant requirements.

Complete Application Information:

JEM Grant Administrative Rules (pdf)

Tracking Expenditures (pdf)

Contact your Regional Tourism Specialist or Grant Coordinator for more information or questions.

Apply for a JEM grant

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism now accepts all grants online with our electronic grant system. To apply for a JEM grant, go to grants.travelwisconsin.com.

Application Previews:

If you haven’t used the system previously, please contact the Grants Coordinator to assist with setting up your organizational account. See the Electronic Grant Program User Manual for additional instructions.

For further questions or additional applications reach out to the Grants Coordinator.

JEM Grant Deadlines

New Events, Existing Events, Sales Promotions and One Time/One-of-a-Kind Events applications are due by 11:59 PM on February 1, April 1, August 1 and November 1 each year.

Destination Marketing applications are due by 11: 59 PM on April 1 and September 1 each year.

Applications must also be submitted at least 90 days prior to the first day of expenditures using the grant funds; for example, if your first JEM funded expenditure is November 1, your application should be submitted by August 1.