Tourism Advertising Grant Program
**There is a mandatory TAG workshop required for anyone wishing to apply for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. There are three options to attend. The first is at the SC Governor's Conference in Spartanburg on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 at 12:25 in the ballroom of the Spartanburg Marriott. The second option is Wednesday, March 5, 2025 in room 252 of the Edgar Brown Building (1205 Pendleton St, Columbia, SC) at 11:00 am, or the third option is March 7, 2025 in room 252 of the Edgar Brown Building (1205 Pendleton St, Columbia SC) At 11:00 am. The person who manages your Tourism Advertising Grant must attend one of these workshops or an application will not be accepted from your organization.**
Register for the workshop you would like to attend here.
The Tourism Advertising Grant (TAG) is a reimbursable, matching funds grant program whose mission is to expand the economic benefits of tourism across the state by providing competitive, matching grant funds to qualified tourism marketing partners for direct tourism advertising expenditures. The objective of TAG is to leverage and expand the Discover South Carolina brand, while maximizing state and local financial resources to deliver relevant tourism brand and retail advertising messaging to targeted consumers.
Eligibility
- South Carolina Tourism Region Organizations
- 501(c) organizations whose PRIMARY MISSION is tourism marketing– organizations charged with the responsibility of attracting out-of-market visitors to a destination, attraction or festival/event in South Carolina
- Branches/Offices of local government in South Carolina with an established tourism-marketing program
In order to meet eligibility requirements, organizations must meet the following conditions:
- Have a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN)
- Registered in the State’s SCEIS Vendor System
- Are headquartered in South Carolina; with the program operating in South Carolina
- Have been in existence for a minimum of one year prior to the fiscal year start
- Must score at least a score of 70 from the application judging process
Note: Only one application per umbrella organization will be accepted for submission.
Ineligible Applicants
- State Agencies
- Organizations that receive recurring Federal appropriations
- For-profit organizations
- Organizations in operation for less than 1 year
- Organizations that receive other state marketing grant funds, including
- Destination Specific Marketing Grants
- Emerging Destinations Grants
Note: Events which receive funding for paid advertising purchases through a STAR grant are NOT eligible to receive funding for paid advertising through the Tourism Advertising Grant (TAG) program, regardless of which organization applies for grant funding or in which fiscal year the application occurs.
2024-2025 TAG Quarterly Deadlines:
- October 1, 2024
- January 2, 2025
- April 1, 2025
- June 30, 2025 (final reimbursement for the FY)
TAG Important Links
TAG Program Overview and Guidelines
Third-Party Vendor Checklist (Only needed if you use an agency or third-party vendor to place ads for which you're seeking TAG reimbursement)