The City of West Columbia is inviting applications for its Accommodations Tax Grant Program to promote tourism and enlarge the economic benefits of the area through advertising, promotion, and providing those facilities and services that enhance the ability of the county or municipality to attract and provide for tourists.
Donor Name: City of West Columbia
State: South Carolina
City: West Columbia
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/21/2023
Grant Duration: 1 year
Details:
Categories of Qualifying Expenditures
There are five (5) categories of tourism related expenditures applicable for the City of West Columbia:
- Advertising & Promotion of Tourism – Under Code Section 6-4-10 (4) (b) (1), monies in the Tourism-related Fund can be used for advertising and the promotion of tourism to increase tourism in the municipality. Qualifying expenditures would include monies spent on magazine, newspaper, web, radio, or television advertising in an attempt to promote the municipality to tourists. Qualifying expenditures also include monies spent to promote the municipality to entities that specialize in tourism, such as bus tour companies and travel agencies
- Arts & Cultural Events – Under Code Section 6-4-10 (4) (b) (2), monies in the Tourism related Fund can be used for the promotion of the arts and cultural events. Expenditures that can qualify include monies used for advertising or the promotion of a particular festival or arts/cultural event held in or near the municipality in an effort to attract tourists who will stay in hotels/motels, etc. within the city
- Facilities for Civic and Cultural Events – Under Code Section 6-4-10 (4)(b)(3), monies in the Tourism-related Fund can be used for the construction, maintenance, and operation of facilities for cultural and civic activities, including construction and maintenance of access and other nearby roads and utilities for the facilities. Eligible expenditures can include the costs incurred in building a civic center, a museum, or a coliseum. Funds may also be used for the continued operation of such facility including repairs, and management fees or salaries of those who work at the facility. Please note that the facility must enhance the ability of the municipality to attract and provide for tourists and cannot provide a purely local function or benefit
- Tourist Transportation – Under Code Section 6-4-10 (4) (b) (6), monies in the Tourism related Fund may be used for tourist shuttle transportation. Qualifying expenditures include any monies spent to provide public transportation to tourist, such as shuttle buses or trolleys. For example, shuttles to transport persons from the airport to hotels, or from the hotels to tourist attractions, or from conventions or tourist attractions to other tourist facilities would qualify
- Visitors Centers – Under Code Section 6-4-10 (4) (b)(8), monies in the Tourism-related Fund may be used for operating visitor centers. Expenditures that will qualify are any monies spent to operate and maintain centers whose primary purpose is to provide information, brochures, and other services to tourists.
Grant Period
Grant funds from the Accommodations Tax Program should be considered supplementary to the budget of any applicant, and unless otherwise approved, must be used within the fiscal year for which the funds were approved (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024).
Uses of funds
These tourism-related funds must then be used to promote tourism and enlarge the economic benefits of the area through advertising, promotion, and providing those facilities and services that enhance the ability of the county or municipality to attract and provide for tourists. Collected funds are distributed to the respective counties and municipalities to determine the best use of these funds that meets the intent of the law.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants include public and private non-profit organizations. No grant can be made to a private for-profit organization to be expended by the organization for its own event. Also, grants will not be made to non-profit organizations for projects which will primarily benefit one or a very few persons, or an exclusive group of for-profit organizations.
For more information, visit City of West Columbia.
