General Program Overview

The Kawarthas Northumberland Partnership Allocation Program was launched in April 2013 as an additional tool for Regional Tourism Organization 8 (hereinafter referred to as “Kawarthas Northumberland”) to encourage partnerships, provide strategic coordination and leverage regional resources. The Program provides matched funding of up to $25,000, which is allocated from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport (MTCS).

The Ministry’s objectives in providing this opportunity are to:

  • Enhance tourism across the province
  • Support the RTO as a leader in regional tourism
  • Maximize support for tourism at a regional level by encouraging strong partnerships, expanding the breadth and diversity of funding partners
  • Encourage RTOs to engage industry partners to broaden their financial base to extend reach
  • Support a coordinated approach that aligns planning, marketing, product development, investment attraction, and increased competitiveness of tourism across the province
  • Assure the transparency and accountability of funding through the transfer payment agreement process

To be clear, the Partnership Allocation Program is NOT a grant program. Please keep this in mind when submitting your application and corresponding with Kawarthas Northumberland. The Partnership Allocation Program is designed to assist Kawarthas Northumberland in delivering on their objectives. They will only enter into partnerships when projects align with their mandate and goals, target audiences, segments, and activities as outlined in the current Business & Operational Plan, which will be posted on rto8.com as soon as it is approved by the Ministry.

The Partnership Allocation Program is also an opportunity for Kawarthas Northumberland to collect information that attempts to measure how successful the initiative has been as it relates to increasing tourism to the region. Some metrics to help measure this include: regional awareness, visitation, and tourist spending. The data collected from partners may then be aggregated with other data in the longer term to provide a clearer picture of the state of tourism within the region, informing future decision making. Partners must be prepared to commit to and follow through on the collection of jointly determined data related to the projects undertaken.

The types of data that partners might be required to include in their final report to assess performance depends on the project and the objectives in question.

Program Objectives

The Partnership Allocation Program is an initiative with an overall goal of making Kawarthas Northumberland a premiere travel destination. This can be achieved by:

1)Creating targeted innovative programs, research, packages and marketing tactics that directly generate awareness, interest and measurable tourism revenues by increased consumer purchases in the region

2)Extending the reach, breadth and depth of partner, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and Kawarthas Northumberland marketing efforts

3)Utilizing partner synergies to drive tourist across the region, extending length of stay and visitor spending

Priority will be given to proposals that:

1)Support one or more of Kawarthas Northumberland’s objectives

2)Promote overnight visits, increasing the length of stay

3)Include two or more partners that are financially committed to the project in addition to Kawarthas Northumberland

4)Have clearly defined and measureable goals

Partner Eligibility

Partnership Allocation Applications will be considered fromDMOs, tourism operators, and municipalities with a role in tourism delivery services, within the geographical boundaries of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and the City and County of Peterborough.

In order to be considered, businesses or organizations must be an established legal entity and be able to demonstrate the capacity (financial and otherwise) to execute the project in partnership. They also must have appropriate Commercial General Liability insurance, with Regional Tourism Organization 8 listed as an entity covered by the policy.

Joint projects with other RTOs will be considered; however, each RTO has their own structure for Partnership Allocations.

Partners may submit a maximum of 3 applications per organization; multiple Photography/Videography sessions may be submitted as 1 application.

Conditions of Partnership

Professional Development

A representative of all eligible project partners will be required to complete the free Kawarthas Northumberland Service Excellence Dynamics online training program (1 hour online course) prior to project award and submit a copy of the Certificate of Completion to Kawarthas Northumberland.

Incremental Growth

The project/event/activity/initiative must be new or adding an enhancement or something incremental to an existing project/event/activity. Partnership Allocation cannot be used to fund something that isbeing (or has already been) done or that would happen without the support of the Program.Funding cannot be used to offset existing operational and marketing activities of the partner.

Funding Restriction / Criteria

Kawarthas Northumberland is bound to the funding guidelines as set forth by the MTCS. First and foremost, the funds are only available to partners that are able to provide matching monies. The Ministry has the following definition of Partner:

“In the context of the funding model, “partnership” is defined as the agreement of the RTO to work with one or more entities on a specific project in support of the RTO’s business plan. The RTO is the project lead and the partner contributions “flow into” the RTO – they do not “flow through” to the partner(s).”

Partnership Allocation projects may receive up to 50% for their eligible project with a minimum contribution of $500.00 and up to a maximum contribution of $25,000 from the Kawarthas Northumberland Partnership Allocation Program.

Kawarthas Northumberland is accountable for all of the spending that takes place to support the project. Using checks and balances against agreed upon expenses, Kawarthas Northumberland pays all invoices associated with the project. Reimbursements to partners will not be issued.

Kawarthas Northumberland is responsible for all procurement related to the project, and will adhere to Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport procurement policies. Partners may provide recommended suppliers for consideration.

Please note that all paid work must be completed by third parties, and that suppliers must have a valid HST registration number and WSIB coverage, as required by provincial regulations.

Ministry Procurement Rules
RTOs are expected to meet Ministry procurement guidelines as follows:
Tendering for Goods and Services and Disposal of Assets
  1. The Recipient will manage the Initiative wisely and prudently achieving value for money.
  1. The Recipient will acquire all supplies, equipment and services, including any advertising-related services, purchased with the Funding through an appropriate competitive process.
  1. Where the purchase price exceeds $5,000, the Recipient will, at a minimum, obtain at least three written quotes unless the Recipient can demonstrate that the supplies, equipment or services the Recipient is purchasing is specialised and is not readily available.
  1. In carrying out a competitive process, the Recipient must:
  1. Develop a clear description of the product/service which includes sufficient details concerning the requirements; and
  2. Apply consistent, transparent and objective evaluation criteria.
  1. The Recipient will not without the Province’s prior written consent sell, lease or otherwise dispose of any assets purchased with the Funding, the purchase price of which exceeds $5,000.

Procurement and project expenses/payment

  • Partners may provide in-kind contributions to projects, but may not be reimbursed for project expenses, i.e., all paid work must be completed by third parties
  • MTCS requires Kawarthas Northumberland to be responsible/accountable for administration of project funds. Kawarthas Northumberland cannot pay or reimburse the partner.
  • Kawarthas Northumberland will invoice the partner for their contribution to the Partnership Allocation Project. Cheque payment is due upon receipt of the invoice (prior to the project commencing).
  • All funds quoted include HST and so should your application and project budget. For example, if a minimum project contribution is $10,000, that includes HST
  • There will be no reimbursement of payments made prior to the project start date.Supplier invoicing and payment cannot take place until all parties have signed the Partnership Allocation Agreement and conditions are met.
  • Kawarthas Northumberland will only fund items agreed to and specified in the approved budget. Changes to project deliverables and budget must be approved in writing by Kawarthas Northumberland prior to changes being made.
  • All invoices must be addressed to “Regional Tourism Organization 8” or “RTO8” and submitted to or mailed to Regional Tourism Organization 8 175 George Street N, Peterborough ON, K9J 3G6.

Ineligible Costs

1.Grants and flow-through to other organizations;

2.Charitable fundraising;

3.Donations to political parties or lobby groups;

4.Capital expenses (except for wayfinding signage projects);

5.Prize money;

6.Expenses that do not relate directly to the delivery of the Partnership Allocation Agreement

7.Funding from Ontario government programs, such as Celebrate Ontario, or Ontario government agencies, such as the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation, or other RTOs;

8.In-kind donations

9.Funds used for advocacy work, fundraising, hiring a lobbyist, capital expenses, or as prize money;

10.Funds given to other organizations for operational funding, such as salaries and wages, or to a political party.

Acknowledgements

In entering into partnership with Kawarthas Northumberland, all recipients are required to acknowledge the support received with the use of:

  • The “Ontario Yours to Discover” logo on all consumer related materials (such as consumer websites, social media sites, advertising campaign materials, brochures, videos, etc.)
  • The Ontario trillium logo on industry related materials (such as industry websites, newsletters, training sessions and materials, image bank, reports, etc.)
  • The Kawarthas Northumberland logo on all developed materials, both consumer and industry related
  • The Kawarthas Northumberland logo with an active link to kawarthasnorthumberland.ca and the “Ontario Yours to Discover” logo will be included on partner websites for a period of one (1) year at minimum

Ontario – Yours to Discover logo

OTMPC has a logo for the Canadian (domestic) audience that is available in both English and French and a logo for international audiences. Versions of the Ontario Yours to Discover logo can be requested and downloaded for free from the OTMPC’s image database at Low-resolution versions of the logo can be found using the search word “logo.” Higher resolution versions required for print must be ordered through the site and upon check out you will be asked to outline the purpose of its use.

Ontario Trillium Logo

When using the Ontario trillium logo please note the following:

  • The Ontario logo should be used only as provided. The visual or structural relationship may not be changed in any way.
  • There is no colour version of the logo. In most applications, the Ontario logo appears in a black against a white or light background.
  • When accompanying other corporate logos, the Ontario Logo should be the same size.
  • The two most commonly used recipient taglines are: “Funded by the Government of Ontario” or “Funding provided by the Government of Ontario”.
  • Using a tag line is not a requirement.

Kawarthas Northumberland Logo

When using the Kawarthas Northumberland logo, the coloured version is preferred. However, for esthetic and design purposes, a black logo on a light background or white logo on a dark background may be considered. These versions of the logo can be provided by request by emailing .

Written approval of all Kawarthas Northumberland and Province of Ontario logo placements and acknowledgement of support is required prior to release.

Final Report

The Final Report will follow the guidelines/templates provided by Kawartahs Northumberland and will include but not be limited to:

  • DMO/Partner to complete Final Report within 30 business days following the project/event/ activity
  • Description of the activities linked to the Project Description as outlined in the Application
  • Proof of acknowledgment of Kawarthas Northumberland funding support
  • Report on performance measures/metrics
  • Final expenditures and revenues
  • Explanation of variance between anticipated expenditures/achievements and actuals
  • Copies of alladvertising products produced using the funds, including hard copies of materials developed, URLs etc.
  • Any other details that may be requested by Kawarthas Northumberland
  • The DMO/Partner will not be eligible for future funding if no report is submitted.

Other

The DMO/Partner will permit Kawarthas Northumberland, if required, to verify/audit information submitted (at the discretion of the Province) to ensure that it is complete and accurate, and that funds were used for purpose(s) intended.

Applicants should be aware that Kawarthas Northumberland, through funding agreements with the Province, is bound by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.f 31, as amended from time to time, and that any information provided to Kawarthas Northumberland in connection with their application may be subject to disclosure in accordance with the requirements of that Act.

2016-17 Partnership Priority Areas

New for the 2016-2017 fiscal year, Kawarthas Northumberland is implementing a more streamlined approach to the Partnership Allocation Program. This includes entering into partnerships that relate to specific priority areas, or “focuses.” The 2016/17 fiscal year will focus on supporting initiatives in the following areas:

  • Experience Development/Enhancement
  • External Marketing
  • Translation
  • Wayfinding Signage
  • Memberships – Attractions Ontario, Resorts of Ontario and Feast ON
  • Photography/Videography

The projects must align with Kawarthas Northumberland’s focuses which include: Fishing and Angling, Culinary, Performing and Visual Arts, Trent-Severn Waterway, Trans Canada Trail, Cycling, the Butter Tart Tour, Craft Breweries, Indigenous Experiences, Canada’s 150th Anniversary, and the Samuel de Champlain Route.

Experiential development / enhancement

A key driver for the success of Kawarthas Northumberland and the tourist industry in the region is having marketable experiences that encourage tourists to come to the region, and return again and again. In order to have a thriving industry, Kawarthas Northumberland wants to help DMOs and tourism partners build unique and authentic experiences for the region that will increase visitation, length of stay and visitor spend. Preference will be given to projects that have two or more partners.

External Marketing

To increase overnight stays and visitor spend within the Kawarthas Northumberland region, potential visitors need to know what we offer. Kawarthas Northumberland will work with DMOs and tourism partners to implement strong marketing campaigns directed at target markets within a 2 hour drive radius and Upstate New York. The Partnership Allocation will increase the ability to access digital and print advertising that may otherwise be cost prohibitive.

Translation Services

To meet the needs of international visitor and enhance the accessibility of tourism-related online and print materials, Kawarthas Northumberland is offering a partnership opportunity to access translation services. This year, the focus will be on French, Mandarin and German.

Wayfinding Signage

With a goal of increasing tourism to the region, it is only logical to support visitor navigation of our communities once they arrive. Enhancing wayfinding signage will strengthen the tourist experience and encourage people to see more, do more, and stay longer. Kawarthas Northumberland will work with Municipalities, DMOs, and partners to develop tourism-related directional signage.

Memberships

In addition to projects that focus on marketing campaigns, Kawarthas Northumberland is also dedicated to building our critical mass in tourism-driven markets. This year, the focus will be on memberships for Attractions Ontario, Feast ON and Resorts of Ontario for eligible tourism partners.

The deadline for expressing interest for the Attractions Ontario membership is December 15, 2016. This will allow partners to get the most benefit from this opportunity by commencing their year-long membership on January 1, 2017.

Photography/Videography

Enhancing available imagery to promote Kawarthas Northumberland and tourism partners is key for digital advertising and marketing campaigns. The Partnership Allocation will allow partners with an interest in tourism-related promotion to access high-quality photo and video production at a reduced cost.

Application Process

Please call Marie Lummiss at Kawarthas Northumberland (705-874-8505 ext. 103) to have a pre-consultation prior to submitting your application. This will ensure your understanding of the Partnership Allocation Program and that your proposal meets eligibility requirements, etc.

Applications must be completed on the template included in this package. They must clearly define project deliverables, roles, responsibilities, resource requirements, timelines and performance measures in addition to a detailed budget outlining all sources of funding and clearly indicate which expenses are part of the Partnership Allocation project.

  • Partners must thoroughly review Guidelines and Application. Signing the application signifies that the applicant has read and understands all of the information, requirements and responsibilities outlined in the documents.
  • Partners/DMOs must complete and submit their Partnership Allocation Application and Partnership Allocation Budget to . Please also include a scanned copy of the final signature page.
  • Applications are reviewed by Kawarthas Northumberland staff to ensure completeness and that it aligns with Kawarthas Northumberland’s strategy.
  • Final approval of Partnership Allocation projects will be made by Kawarthas Northumberland’s Board of Directors.
  • Partners will be contacted immediately upon approval of their project and a meeting will be scheduled to go over the Partnership Allocation Agreement contract details, budget, and project requirements.
  • The Partnership Allocation Agreement will outline the initiative’s terms and conditions and requires signatures by all parties – among other things the agreement outlines:
  • Project timelines which must be adhered to (all projects must be completed by March 1, 2017)
  • Performance measures and expectations
  • Acknowledgement of Kawarthas Northumberland and Province of Ontario support
  • Completion of final report outlining performance measures and outcomes within 30 days of project completion.
  • Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until January 1, 2017 (unless otherwise indicated), or until all funds have been allocated.

Standard Conditions