DRIVE High Point

DRIVE High Point Foundation

Founded in 2017 by Visit High Point , the DRIVE High Point Foundation is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 and is funded through private donations and partnership with the Visit High Point sponsorship and advertising programs. DRIVE High Point was created to broaden opportunities to serve the High Point community through destination development. DRIVE stands for Destination: Renew and Innovate the Visitor Experience. The mission is to form partnerships, seek funding, and enhance educational, artistic, scientific, and historical activities relevant to tourism in High Point. The DRIVE High Point Foundation works closely with Visit High Point to enhance visitor experience by developing new amenities and providing more attractors in High Point to get more outside visitation year-round.

Progress Report
Final Report
Drive High Point Foundation logo

Destination Development Grants

The DRIVE High Point Foundation Board has formulated a new grants program called Destination Development Grants. The program is designed to provide resources for partners who embark on projects and initiatives that will complement key strategies outlined in the ten-year strategic destination plan for tourism adopted by the Visit High Point Board in August 2019.

Impactful requests may include funding for signature, first time, or multi-day events; capital enhancements (renovation or additions) that create more visitor activity and an enhanced visitor experience; public art projects that create visitor engagement; and projects that create an opportunity to attract specific groups or mass visitors to High Point.

Destination Development Grants will be awarded by the DRIVE High Point Foundation Board. The board has crafted guidelines and scoring derived from the matrix outlined in the destination plan.

The Drive High Point Foundation Announces Micro Grant Award Winners

The grant cycle is closed at this time.

Browse our 5-step strategy

See our Ten-Year Destination Strategic Plan, expanding on these five strategies

Continuing to Elevate Our Home Furnishings Brand
We will continue to embrace our roots as the “Home Furnishings Capital of the World”!™, and build upon our traditional furnishings legacy by placing a special emphasis on the design aspect of home furnishings in order to service a broader designer visitor base. This includes initiating B2B marketing efforts targeted towards designers and utilizing the abundance of available exhibition space for furniture related tradeshows and industry events. We are also enhancing our relationships with area showrooms to encourage year-round access to designers and furnishings businesses, therefore creating foot traffic 365 days a year.
Focus on Niche Sporting Opportunities
Hosting various sporting events and tournaments brings significant economic and tourism-related benefits to our city. The strategy is to concentrate on niche sporting events that are not saturated in the marketplace. From rowing and boxing to cricket and drone races, there is an opportunity for High Point to attract visitors by positioning our destination as the leading host for these types of niche events. Our first strategy included investing $98,000 for a floating dock and buoys needed to become more competitive in a Tri-State area to host more rowing competitions on Oak Hollow Lake.
Kickstarting Concentrated Marketing Efforts in our Core City
To make High Point a year-round destination, our core downtown will continue to support the needs of the High Point Market while aiming to also cater to locals and visitors outside of Market. We see our role as supporters of a broad spectrum of development, and we plan to partner with organizations who are spearheading concentrated marketing efforts in our core city, including adding wayfinding signage, commissioning public art that reflects our city’s branding and innovation and conceptualizing transportation plans that will allow for the linkage of our city’s multi-faceted districts.
Making High Point Event Centric
Our city, working closely with Visit High Point has shifted its focus from simply accommodating events and festivals to actively seeking out and planning them. We cultivate new specialized events and expand our current signature events like the John Coltrane International Jazz & Blues Festival to encourage visitation during times of the year where business needs are most prominent. The future Congdon Event Center will be a vital part of this as it will serve as the city’s dedicated events space and, in addition to specialized events, can accommodate small trade shows and meetings throughout the year.
Leveraging High Point University
High Point University (HPU) is a growing economic impact driver to our city. We want to support their growth as their increased assets, programs, and visitors merits a college town atmosphere. The plan encourages city leaders to complement High Point University’s growth of increased visitation and assets on campus with supporting infrastructure such as hotels; restaurants and other amenities that enhance the experience of their guests. Other strategies include capitalizing on the “Premiere Life Skills University” brand.