York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc
YORK COUNTY CONVENTION AND is a public charity based in York, Pennsylvania, that promotes tourism in York County and makes grants for tourism-related efforts. The organization is also known as the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau, doing business as Explore York; Explore York describes itself as York County’s official tourist promotion agency.
Key facts about York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc
In short: York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc gave $2.7M across 33 grants in 2025 (avg $83K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 39% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 23-1604176
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,736,348
- Grants made (2025)
- 33
- Average grant
- $82,920
- Median grant
- $25,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 39% first-time grantees (13 of 33, 2025)
- Total assets
- $6,354,544
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (94% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The website directs prospective applicants to the program’s guidelines, frequently asked questions, application checklist, and informational video. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- The 2026 Round 2 application cycle ran June 1–July 15, 2026, and is past.
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$6.4M
+2.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$2.7M
+33.1% YoY
Grant Count
33
+3.1% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$83K
+29.1% YoY
Is York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc open to new grantees?
39%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 33 grantees (39%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $23K; repeat grants $122K. How we count
Medians: $20K first-time, $31K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). 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 Bureau’s stated mission is to plan and promote programs that increase tourism and convention business in York County. Explore York’s strategic focus includes promoting the county as a place to visit, encouraging overnight stays to maximize tourism expenditures, improving the visitor experience, and building relationships with tourism, industry, and community economic-development stakeholders.
The Bureau’s filing says it selects organizations that further its purpose of promoting tourism in York County and monitors recipients’ projects through completion to evaluate tourism impact and inform future resource allocations. Its 2025 grants included support for tourism and cultural organizations, rail-trail promotion, agricultural and event facilities, and sports-related organizations. For example, the York County History Center describes its mission as using inclusive, authentic storytelling and preservation to understand the past and illuminate the future. The Cultural Alliance of York County says it works to enrich quality of life through leadership, collaboration, and sustainability in the arts and community. Accountability for Life describes its work as mentoring at-risk adolescents through an athletics-based platform.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the organization reported 33 grants totaling $2,736,348. Grant amounts ranged from $7,000 to $958,700, with a median of $25,000. The largest listed awards included $958,700 to York County Convention & Visitors, $591,142 to York County Agricultural Society, and $165,000 to York County History Center. Other notable recipients were York County Economic Alliance ($150,000), York County Rail Trail Authority ($100,000), Northern Central Railway ($88,000), RRFT Enterprise Corporation ($70,000), Accountability for Life ($50,000), and Cultural Alliance of York County ($37,500).
Explore York and the York County Commissioners describe the Tourism Grant Program as a matching grant program for initiatives intended to generate broad and substantial tourism benefits. The program defines a tourist as someone visiting from outside a 50-mile radius of the county. The website encourages applicants to consult with its Director of Business Resources and says that grant recipients must integrate the York County Destination Brand into their marketing and promotional plans. Budget templates and financial-reporting forms are available for existing events, new projects, and post-grant closeout.
Review Cycle
The 2026 Round 2 application cycle ran June 1–July 15, 2026, and is past. The 2027 Round 1 cycle is listed for January 1–February 15, 2027.
How to Apply
The website directs prospective applicants to the program’s guidelines, frequently asked questions, application checklist, and informational video. Consultations are highly encouraged. The grant program is described as matching; the website also states that destination-brand integration is required for recipients.
Ready to take the next step with York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The grant program is intended to benefit tourism in York County, Pennsylvania. In 2025, 94% of grant dollars went to recipients in Pennsylvania; the remaining reported shares went to Maryland (3%), Ohio (1%), Georgia (1%), and Delaware (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 33 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $664K (2021) to $2.7M (2025). In 2025 it made 33 grants totaling $2.7M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was York County Convention & Visitiors Bureau DBA Explore York ($959K). Together the top 10 received $2.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
122 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 83 grants of 122 (68%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| York County Convention & Visitiors Bureau DBA Explore York York, PA | — | $958,700 |
| York County Agricultural Society DB York, PA | Tourism Asset Fundin | $591,142 |
| York County History Center York, PA | — | $165,000 |
| York County Economic Alliance York, PA | — | $150,000 |
| York County Rail Trail Authority Seven Valleys, PA | Refreshing Promotion | $100,000 |
| Nothern Central Railway New Freedom, PA | — | $88,000 |
| RRFT Enterprise Corporation Eden, MD | — | $70,000 |
| Accountability for Life York, PA | — | $50,000 |
| Heritage Hills Associates York, PA | — | $50,000 |
| Susquehanna National Heritage Area Wrightsville, PA | — | $40,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $6,354,544 | $5,064,036 | $5,981,001 | $2,736,348 |
| 2024 | $6,220,424 | $5,207,585 | $5,129,846 | $2,055,096 |
| 2023 | $6,560,034 | $5,091,019 | $5,000,902 | $2,266,163 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $6,354,544 | $6,220,424 | $6,560,034 |
| Revenue | $5,064,036 | $5,207,585 | $5,091,019 |
| Expenses | $5,981,001 | $5,129,846 | $5,000,902 |
| Net Investment Income | $42,421 | $54,114 | $34,815 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 4, 2021)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 20, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dan Johnson as chairman, Robert Berkebile as treasurer, Glenn Smith as vice chair, Laura Wagner as president, and Jason Schultz as secretary. Directors listed were Joseph Scarcelli, Joanne Ekeledo, Meagan Hess-Given, Mike Jones, and Sam Terroso.
York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc is led by Laura Wagner, President on every filing since 2022; 1 of 15 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Laura Wagner
President
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$112K (2022) → $150K (2025)
Dan Johnson
Chairman & Director
Vice Chairman → Chairman, 2024
Chairman → Chairman & Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joseph Scarcelli
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Meagan Hess-Given
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Glenn Smith
Vice Chair & Director
Secretary → Vice Chair, 2024
Vice Chair → Vice Chair & Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joanne Ekeledo
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jason Schultz
Secretary & Director
Director → Secretary, 2024
Secretary → Secretary & Director, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sam Terroso
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julie Wheeler
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leah Nadu
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Dejulia
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mike Jones
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patrick Ball
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jada Richardson
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Berkebile
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (18)
- Former: Christina McCullough (2019–2024) — Immediate Pa
- Former: Murray Small (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Nate Tile (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Sharee McFadden (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Bryan Blair (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: David Potter (2019–2023) — Immd Past Ch
- Former: Douglas Hoke (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Kristin Phillips-Hill (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Stephanie Shelton (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Julie Groff (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Laura Gurreri (2019–2021) — President
- Former: Mark Sindicich (2019–2021) — Immediate Pa
- Former: Gregg Marzano (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Kerry Ritz (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Anne R. Druck (2019) — President
- Former: Katarina Macmillan (2019) — Director
- Former: Melanie Myers (2019) — Director
- Former: Melissa Leonard (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $150K, to Laura Wagner (President).
Contact
Mailing address: 60 East North Street, York, PA 17401
Phone: (717) 852-9675
Website: https://yorkpa.org
Frequently asked questions about York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc
How much does York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc give each year?
York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc gave $2.7M across 33 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $2.1M across 32 grants.
What is York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc's typical grant size?
York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $82,920, across 33 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc that year got $23K on average.
Where does York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc give grants?
York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were York, PA (15 grants), Hanover, PA (3 grants) and New Freedom, PA (2 grants).
Who are York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc's largest grantees?
York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc's largest 2025 grantees include York County Convention & Visitiors Bureau DBA Explore York ($958,700), York County Agricultural Society DB ($591,142) and York County History Center ($165,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc?
York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc reported $6.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $5.1M.
What does York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc fund?
The Bureau’s stated mission is to plan and promote programs that increase tourism and convention business in York County. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc?
The website directs prospective applicants to the program’s guidelines, frequently asked questions, application checklist, and informational video. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc's EIN?
York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-1604176. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching York County Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc by hand.
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