Organisers of new events planned to be held in the Clarence and Richmond Valleys during the first part of next year are invited to apply for seed funding from the NSW Government, Clarence Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis has announced. “The Government’s 2019 Incubator Event Fund provides one-off grants of up to $20,000 for smaller-scale events in their first or second year of activity,” Mr Gulaptis said. “The money can be put to a range of uses, such as marketing and venue hire. “The main thing is that the applicants need to show they are likely to attract visitors to our local area, because tourists deliver jobs for locals,” he said. Yamba Rotary’s Eat Street Festival that was held last month is a terrific example of a successful event which received NSW Government support via the Incubator Event Fund. “Yamba was a hive of activity with some 6000 people descending on Coldstream Street for the food and market festival,” Mr Gulaptis said. The 2019 Incubator Event Fund is available to organisers staging an event for the first or second time between January and June 2019. Applications for Round One close on 4 November, 2018. To lodge an application and view the terms and conditions, visit www.destinationnsw.com.au/rfep. Round two applications for events held between July and December 2019 will open in March next year.