CONNECTICUT COMMISSION ON CULTURE & TOURISM
TO TRAVEL STATE TO SHARE GRANT PROGRAM DETAILS
 AND COOPERATIVE MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES
More than $8 million Expected to be Awarded for 2009 Grants

HARTFORD, Conn. (September 5, 2008) – During the months of September and October, the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism (CCT) will travel throughout the state to share details about its grant programs and cooperative marketing opportunities.
 
CCT staff will visit the five regions throughout Connecticut during September 2008 to present information on the Culture & Tourism challenge grants and co-operative grants. Sessions will take place in Middletown, Norwalk, Litchfield, Norwich and Branford and are hosted by Connecticut’s five tourism regions. The marketing grant program will fund over $900,000 in marketing projects that will create greater partnerships among constituents, support product development efforts, encourage job development and extend the Commission’s strategic marketing efforts.
 
In addition to the marketing grants, CCT offers many other grant opportunities for culture and tourism organizations throughout the state. CCT staff will share this funding information during "Show & Tells" to be held at five locations across Connecticut during October 2008. Included will be information about CCT’s Organizational Support Program (operating and project support grants), Creative Collaborations, Culture & Tourism Partnership Grants, Cultural Capital Grants, Connecticut Arts Endowment Fund, Local Arts Agencies program, and Strategic Initiative Grant Program. Sessions will take place in Torrington, Guilford, Willimantic, West Hartford and Norwalk.
 
The October Show & Tell workshops are aimed at arts, cultural and tourism organization personnel including management staff, grant writers, education program coordinators, development directors and board members. Individuals associated with other non-profit organizations offering cultural programming are also invited to attend.
 
"In Connecticut, we offer tremendous funding opportunities that are enriching our state’s rich historical, arts and cultural landscape through support to hundreds of non-profit cultural and tourism groups. This funding helps bring these organizations’ vision to life and serves to enhance their offering to visitors," said Karen Senich, executive director of the Commission on Culture & Tourism. "I strongly encourage these organizations and groups to learn about all of the CCT grants programs available to them by attending the workshops or visiting the CCT website."

The CCT Marketing Grant & Cooperative Marketing Opportunities Workshops schedule is as follows:

Monday, September 15, 2008	Wadsworth Mansion Long Hill Estate 421 Wadsworth Street Middletown, CT	1:30 – 3:30 pm	Central Regional Tourism District 860.244.8181 x 254 Debroah Giantonio
Tuesday, September 16, 2008	Lockwood Mathews Mansion 295 West Avenue Norwalk, CT	9:30 – 11:30 am	Fairfield County CVB 203.853.7770 Pat Palombi
Tuesday, September 16, 2008	Litchfield Inn 432 Bantam Road Litchfield, CT	1:30 – 3:30 pm	Northwest Connecticut CVB 860.567.4506 Drew Harlow or Laura Rydingsword
Wednesday, September 17, 2008	Holiday Inn 10 Laura Blvd Norwich, CT	9:30 – 11:30 am	Eastern Regional Tourism District 860.444.2206 x 227 Eliza Cole
Wednesday, September 17, 2008	Blackstone Library 758 Main Street Branford, CT	1:30 – 3:30 pm	Greater New Haven CVB 203.777.8550 x 101 Amy Goldberg

The Show & Tell Workshops schedule is as follows:

Monday, October 20, 2008	Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education, 84 Main Street, Torrington	10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	For directions and parking information, go to: www.warnertheatre.org
Tuesday, October 21, 2008	Guilford Community Center, 32 Church Street, Guilford	10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	Directions from I 95 North or South: Take Exit 58 (Route 77). Head South on Route 77 for one mile. Building on right with parking.
Thursday, October 23, 2008	Windham Arts Collaborative, 886 Main Street, Willimantic	10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	For directions, go to: www.windhamarts.org
Monday, October 27, 2008	Saint Joseph College, The Carol Autorino Center for Arts & Humanities, 1678 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford	10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	For directions, go to www.sjc.edu
Wednesday, October 29, 2008	Norwalk Community College, 188 Richard Avenue, Norwalk	1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.	For directions and parking information, go to: www.nctc.commnet.edu

CCT Grant Deadlines

*CCT marketing grants

About the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism
The Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism brings together tourism, film, history and the arts. Its mission is to preserve and promote Connecticut’s cultural and tourism assets in order to enhance the quality of life and economic vitality of the state. The Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism is located at One Constitution Plaza, 2nd floor, Hartford, Connecticut. For more information, log on to www.cultureandtourism.org.

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Contacts:
Karen Senich                                             Jenny Smith/Kathleen Stevens      
Executive Director                                      Pita Communications
Connecticut Commission                              (860) 293-0157, exts. 15/25
on Culture & Tourism                                  jenny@pitacomm.com
(860) 256-2727 (Leigh Johnson)                   kstevens@pitacomm.com