§ 153 — Explore New York state grant program

§ 153. Explore New York state grant program. 1. The department shall\ncreate a new grant program designed to encourage an integrated thematic\napproach to tourism promotion. The program shall provide state matching\nfunds to eligible entities not to exceed fifty thousand dollars\nannually. Eligible entities shall include two or more counties, or a\nseries or collection of thematically related entities, choosing to\nmarket multiple, thematically related assets or activities in a single\nmarketing campaign. The commissioner is directed to establish guidelines\nand an application process.\n 2. The New York state tourism advisory council shall review requests\nfor proposals and will recommend project applications deemed to meet the\nintent of the program to the department.\n 3. Grantees will report semiannually to the department on activities\nand progress of the grant. The department shall report annually pursuant\nto subdivision three of section one hundred fifty-one of this article.\nNothing in this article shall prohibit any county, or any entities\nwithin the counties of the state from receiving multiple grants under\nthe program in a single year provided that they are for separate and\ndistinct marketing campaigns.\n