Juneteenth Grant

Event Funding Guidelines

Eligible areas: Statewide

Eligible applicants: Nonprofit organizations, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), city or county governments. Cities with a population fewer than 50,000 may only receive funding for one Juneteenth event – organizations are expected to work together to ensure a successful event.

Eligible uses of grant funds:

• This grant covers eligible costs and expenses related to development and activation of a 2026 Juneteenth celebration.
• Grant funds may be used to cover costs associated with, but not limited to: venue rental and usage, event marketing and advertising, live entertainment, security, event staging, clean up, food vendors, volunteer support, non-alcoholic beverages, audio/visual equipment. Grant funds cannot be used for staff salaries or to provide compensation to volunteers.
• Administrative costs, such as printing, mailing and material purchases (paper, mailing supplies, etc.) may be covered by the grant, but shall not exceed 10 percent of the total grant amount.
• Publicly accessible works of art related to Juneteenth or that represent Black history and culture in the area in which the work is placed, including murals, markers, plaques and sculptures may also be funded as part of the application process. The cost of such works must be 50 percent or less of the overall amount of the applicant’s grant request. MDT has no local authority; as such, applicants must follow all local regulations in accordance with all ordinances, city codes and other local rules that govern the placement of public art.

Important Dates:

• August 1 – Application submission opens
• September 30 – Deadline for applications
• October 15 – Notifications to awardees will be sent
• November 1 – Disbursements begin
• June 30 – No additional grant expenses may occur
• July 31 – Summary due

Funding Limits: Awards can range in amounts from $5,000 to $150,000. Cities with a population fewer than 50,000 may only receive funding for one Juneteenth event – organizations are expected to work together to ensure a successful event. The number of applicants, available funding at the time of application, projected event attendance, and the application score will be considered in making this determination.

Application/Approval Procedure: Applications submitted to the Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) will be reviewed and scored to determine the eligibility of the event based on criteria below.

Grant funds must be used for an established event of at least three years or an event that has previously received Juneteenth Grant funding from MDT.

• The estimated attendance for the event is 500 people or more, based on attendance history at prior years’ events.
• The event must feature educational components on the historical significance of Juneteenth, including but not limited to lectures, storytelling, interpretive art, etc.
• The applicant must provide a Missouri charter number and be in “good standing” with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office.
• The applicant must be registered in the Missouri Buys system.
• The applicant must be enrolled in the federal E-Verify program or complete an attestation confirming that the applicant organization is staffed by volunteers and has no paid employees.
• Any public art project funded through the Juneteenth grants must be completed on or before June 30, 2026, to be eligible for funding.

The following items will be considered in the application review process and may impact the level of funding available to the applicant.

• The event should draw attendees from more than 50 miles (the standard tourism industry definition of tourism).
• The applicant’s budget provides details on how the event will be marketed outside of the local community (examples of the markets and outlets where advertising will be placed).
• The event spans multiple days and includes multiple events.
• The event features programming for youth ages 18 and younger

In the event an application fails to meet one of the above-posted criteria, but otherwise aligns with the objectives of Juneteenth grant funding, the Division of Tourism reserves the right to provide grant support to that event.

Contact:
Missouri Division of Tourism
301 West High Street, Suite 290
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Email: tourism@ded.mo.gov
Web: Industry.VisitMo.com