The City of Greenville is seeking applications for its Tourism Funds to provide financial investment for tourism capital projects, marketing projects and/or events that promote and develop tourism through the generation of publicity and substantially increase travel (overnight stays or day visits) to the City of Greenville for reasons of recreation, or leisure. Each application/proposed project will be reviewed individually to determine its potential economic impact on local accommodations and restaurants.
Donor Name: City of Greenville
State: South Carolina
City: Greenville
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 03/11/2022
Details:
Funding Priorities for Greenville Tourism Funds
As required by the South Carolina Accommodation Tax Law and the Local Hospitality Tax Act, projects must attract visitors to the City of Greenville.
Priority also will be given to expansive and unique projects that:
- Generate additional tourism-related tax dollars within the City of Greenville;
- Promote dining at restaurants and other eating and drinking establishments in the City of Greenville;
- Generate overnight stays in City of Greenville lodging facilities;
- Construct new or enhance existing recreation facilities to include amenities and trails;
- Promote and highlight the City of Greenville’s historic and cultural venues,recreational facilities, trails and events, and the uniqueness and flavor of the local community;
- Advertise and promote tourism so as to develop and increase tourist attendance through the generation of publicity;
- Promote arts and cultural events;
- Demonstrate additional government or private sector support is available to the project in an amount at least two (2) times the grant amount. (For “start-up” organizations that have not previously received City funding, a demonstration of funds from non-City sources in an amount equal to the City requested amount (1 to 1 match) may be accepted.)
- Facilitate the acquisition, final-stage design, construction, repair, renovation, rehabilitation, or other capital improvements of historic and cultural venues, recreational facilities, and trails.
Accommodation and Hospitality Tax grant funds may not be used for:
- Programming and marketing expenses associated with capital campaigns or nonfacilities capital campaigns (e.g., endowment campaigns);
- Regular operating activities of an organization;
- Fundraising expenses; or
- Mortgage or loan payments.
Organization Eligibility
- Applicant organizations must be in existence for at least one (1) year prior to requesting funds.
- Applicants must fall into one of the following categories:
- Government entity
- Organizations exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(C)(3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10) of the Internal Revenue Code and whose primary goal is to attract additional visitors through tourism promotion.
- Destination marketing organizations which are recognized nonprofit organizations charged with the responsibility of marketing tourism for the City of Greenville.
- Applicants must provide an Internal Revenue Service tax exempt determination letter
- All projects and/or events must occur within the Greenville city limits
- If funding is provided for a facility or facility improvements, the facility must be open to the public.
- If funding is provided for an event, the event must be marketed and open to the public.
- Grantee organizations may not re-grant Accommodations or Hospitality Tax funds to other organizations (all funds must be spent on the project or event specified in the grant application by the organization that is awarded the funds)
- Grantee organizations must be in good standing and without outstanding debt to the City of Greenville
- The event or promotional opportunity must demonstrate a significant economic/cultural impact as relates to tourism, which may be fulfilled by showing documented hotel room nights booked and/or the number of tourists traveling into Greenville from outside their home communities (other means of documenting the impact on tourism that are clearly justified in the application will also be considered).
For more information, visit Tourism Fund Grant.