Hamilton County Tourism Inc
Hamilton County Tourism Inc. is a not-for-profit organization based in Carmel, Indiana, and is classified as a public charity. It promotes tourism and development in Hamilton County and supports tourism-focused community development, including grants to local organizations and funding for tourism-related capital projects.
Key facts about Hamilton County Tourism Inc
In short: Hamilton County Tourism Inc gave $1.0M across 16 grants in 2024 (avg $63K), mostly in Indiana. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 35-1803805
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,013,000
- Grants made (2024)
- 16
- Average grant
- $63,313
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $5,605,797
- Primary geography
- Indiana (88% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Deadline
- The listed Tourism Gives deadline is March 14, 2027.
- Next open deadline
- March 14, 2027 (Tourism Gives Grant Program)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$5.6M
+0.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.0M
-32.8% YoY
Grant Count
16
+33.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$63K
-49.6% YoY
How Hamilton County Tourism Inc gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is “to promote and encourage visitors to Hamilton County, Indiana.” Its 2024 filing describes its programs as community development and advertising and promotion of the county.
The Tourism Gives program supports tourism-focused nonprofits, art districts, events and festivals. Since 2024, its grants have been organized around four Inspire Hamilton County areas: Planet (sustainability and environmental initiatives), Prosperity (economic development and business growth), People (community engagement and social inclusion), and Place (destination development and community vitality).
The organizations it supports span parks, history, arts, culture, sports and community events. For example, Friends of Hamilton County Parks says its mission is to promote and maintain public parks and green spaces; Conner Prairie says it inspires curiosity and learning through historic experiences; and Carmel Christkindlmarkt says it conducts cultural and educational activities and an annual festival. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not Hamilton County Tourism’s.
The BEST Investment Fund, established in 2024, supports tourism-related capital projects such as attractions, facilities, museum experiences, event venues, and recreation and entertainment infrastructure.
Grantmaking
The 2024 filing reports 16 grants totaling **$1,013,000**. Individual awards ranged from **$6,000 to $448,000**, with a median of **$10,000**. The largest listed awards were $448,000 to the City of Westfield for Grand Park capital improvements, $150,000 to Friends of Hamilton County Parks for operating support, $132,500 to Conner Prairie Museum for operating support, and $100,000 to Hamilton County Economic Development Corporation for operating support.
Review Cycle
The listed Tourism Gives deadline is March 14, 2027.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Hamilton County Tourism Inc
Ready to take the next step with Hamilton County Tourism Inc?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization and its grant programs focus on Hamilton County, Indiana, including Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield and surrounding areas. The 2024 filing reports that 88% of grant dollars went to recipients in Indiana; the state for the remaining 12% is not identified.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $330K (2021) to $1.5M (2023). In 2024 it made 16 grants totaling $1.0M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was City of Westfield ($448K). Together the top 10 received $961K.
Grant Size Distribution
44 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 22 grants of 44 (50%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City of Westfield Westfield, IN | Grand Park Capital Improvements | $448,000 |
| Friends of Hamilton County Parks Carmel, IN | Operating Supportoperating Support | $150,000 |
| Conner Prairie Museum Inc Fishers, IN | Operating Supportoperating Support | $132,500 |
| Hamilton County Economic Development Corporation Carmel, IN | Operating Support | $100,000 |
| Nickel Plate Rail Road | Operating Support | $50,000 |
| Hamilton County Parks and Recreation | Operating Support | $35,000 |
| Carmel Christkindlmarkt Inc Carmel, IN | Operating Support | $15,000 |
| Carmel Dad's Club Carmel, IN | Operating Support | $10,000 |
| Hamilton County Community Tenis Association | Operating Support | $10,000 |
| Noblesville Youth Sports Noblesville, IN | Operating Support | $10,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,605,797 | $8,719,122 | $8,788,722 | $1,013,000 |
| 2023 | $5,553,480 | $8,188,898 | $8,304,538 | $1,507,250 |
| 2022 | $5,681,053 | $8,453,088 | $5,839,194 | $527,040 |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $5,605,797 | $5,553,480 | $5,681,053 |
| Revenue | $8,719,122 | $8,188,898 | $8,453,088 |
| Expenses | $8,788,722 | $8,304,538 | $5,839,194 |
| Net Investment Income | $127,042 | $41,858 | $1,259 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 13, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 9, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 31, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Scott Spillman as chairman, Vincent Dora as vice chair, and Norman Burns as immediate past chair. It also lists Jeffery Brown, Bob DuBois, Kayla Arnold, Mark Truett, Jimia Smith, Chris Stice and Andrew Newport as directors.
Hamilton County Tourism Inc is led by Brenda Myers, Former CEO & President since 2024 (on filings since 2019); 2 of 15 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Brenda Myers
Former CEO & President
CEO & President → Former CEO & President, 2024
On filings since 2019
60 hrs/week
$136K (2019) → $116K (2024)
Scott Spillman
Chairman
Director → Secretary & Treasurer, 2022
Secretary & Treasurer → Chairman, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Newport
Director
Director at Large → Director, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bob Dubois
Director
Chairman → Chairman & President, 2022
Chairman & President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeffery Brown
Director
Vice Chairman → Director, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jimia Smith
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Truett
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Stice
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kayla Arnold
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Adam Hoffman
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Balcom
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Miller
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karen Radcliff
Chief Strategy Officer
On filings since 2019
50 hrs/week
$116K (2019) → $151K (2024)
Norman Burns
Immediate Past Chair
Secretary & Treasurer → Vice President, 2022
Vice President → Immediate Past Chair, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Vincent Dora
Vice Chair
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (10)
- Former: Kelly Sujka (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Vince Dora (2023) — Director
- Former: Toby Miles (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Charles Trice (2022) — Director
- Former: Angie Frazier (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Gary Miller (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Jackie Dikos (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Robin Turner (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: John Hughey (2019–2020) — Past President
- Former: Jeremy Geisendorff (2019) — Director at Large
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $151K, to Karen Radcliff (Chief Strategy Officer). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 37 East Main Street, Carmel, IN 46032
Phone: (317) 848-3181
Website: https://visithamiltoncounty.com
Frequently asked questions about Hamilton County Tourism Inc
How much does Hamilton County Tourism Inc give each year?
Hamilton County Tourism Inc gave $1.0M across 16 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $1.5M across 12 grants.
What is Hamilton County Tourism Inc's typical grant size?
Hamilton County Tourism Inc's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $63,313, across 16 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Hamilton County Tourism Inc give grants?
Hamilton County Tourism Inc gives mostly in Indiana: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Carmel, IN (5 grants), Fishers, IN (2 grants) and Noblesville, IN (2 grants).
Does Hamilton County Tourism Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 94% of Hamilton County Tourism Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Who are Hamilton County Tourism Inc's largest grantees?
Hamilton County Tourism Inc's largest 2024 grantees include City of Westfield ($448,000), Friends of Hamilton County Parks ($150,000) and Conner Prairie Museum Inc ($132,500), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 72% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Hamilton County Tourism Inc?
Hamilton County Tourism Inc reported $5.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $8.7M.
What does Hamilton County Tourism Inc fund?
The organization’s stated mission is “to promote and encourage visitors to Hamilton County, Indiana.” Its 2024 filing describes its programs as community development and advertising and promotion of the county. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Hamilton County Tourism Inc?
Hamilton County Tourism Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check visithamiltoncounty.com for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Hamilton County Tourism Inc's EIN?
Hamilton County Tourism Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 35-1803805. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Hamilton County Tourism Inc by hand.
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