Request for Funding Consideration from the Chamber

Thank you for taking the time to learn about the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce's funding guidelines and philosophy.

The Chamber of Commerce believes in supporting community groups and programs that help to distinguish Southern Ocean County as a unique and special region to visit or call home.

 A budget is maintained to contribute to organizations that make the Chamber's mission their own. The Chamber is funded almost entirely from business donations and dues, so this budget is limited and many requests cannot be accommodated. The Chamber is a leading force in economic development issues for the area; it serves as the region's most active player in promotion and marketing.

The Chamber is a reliable advocate for enhancing Southern Ocean County's cultural and recreations offerings and will consider funding for programs, events, marketing material, projects and ad initiatives for nonprofit organizations and municipalities. A committee meets three times a year to review all written requests. The Chamber will attempt to fund programs and groups that will make a strong positive impact on Southern Ocean County.  Donation requests will be evaluated based on the following factors:

Promotion/Marketing: Will this project create headlines, generate publicity, underwrite advertising, and burnish the "Southern Ocean Brand" in ways that reinforce Chamber efforts?

Economic Development: Will this project spur new consumption and/or investment, stimulate the local economy or support necessary business development efforts?

Product Enhancement: Does this project represent meaningful expansion of the offerings available to visitors and/or residents within Southern Ocean County? Do these offerings offer competitive advantage in the mission to maximize the region's economic potential?

Our Mission Statement:

The mission of the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce is to foster positive growth, development and tourism in the Southern Ocean County region. The Chamber of Commerce will serve as a business advocate for our member businesses. We will represent and promote member contributions to the civic, social, and general interest of the community. Our goal is to advance Southern Ocean County as a vibrant economic, cultural and recreational area.

All funding requests need to be submitted with completed application and proposed budget.  (A certificate of insurance must be included for projects containing pyrotechnics).

A final report must be forwarded to the chamber within four weeks of the project date, describing impact and coverage of event.

Deadlines for 2013 applications are:

For summer project consideration, applications need to be returned to chamber by  3/22/13

For fall/winter projects, applications need to be returned to the chamber by 8/5/13

For spring project consideration, applications need to returned to chamber by 12/2/13

 Recommendations of Funding Request Committee will be presented to Chamber Board of Directors for approval. Awards will be announced before the end of application deadline month.

Please make sure email and amount request is included on application

Download Funding Request Application here