City of Sequim Tourism Enhancement Grant Fund

Grant Program Guidelines:

Objective

The City of Sequim receives funding from room tax revenues generated in the City of Sequim and bears an obligation to promote and enhance lodging nights in Sequim. The Tourism Enhancement Fund is designed to encourage tourism-related projects/events that attract overnight destination guests.

Applications, Forms & Logos

Funds Available

The City of Sequim has funds available for investment in Tourism Enhancement projects/events and activities for the calendar year 2023. In order to facilitate as many projects/events as possible, grant funding will typically be between $1000 and $5000 per project/event. Due to 2013 legislation and reporting requirements, any organization requesting funding from the Lodging Tax fund must complete a grant application and follow-up paperwork even if they have a contract with the City to support their event or project.

Appropriate Uses

The Washington State Legislature sets the hotel/motel tax rules. The Legislature has indicated that these funds are to be used solely for tourist marketing, support of the marketing and operations of special events designed to attract tourists, for supporting the  operations of tourism-related facilities owned or operated by a nonprofit organization, and for supporting the operations and capital expenditures of tourism-related facilities owned or operated by a municipality.

 Application Guidelines

  • Grant applications will be reviewed quarterly until all the funding is spent.
  • Grant applications must be submitted for consideration on the fifteenth day of the of the month preceding  a  scheduled review meeting, usually the first Monday of March, June, August, and December. *Note - the August meeting is held earlier to accommodate the City Budget Calendar.
  • The Project Director will be notified if his/her attendance is required at the Committee meeting where the application will be reviewed.
  • Applicants should be aware that the full requested amount might not be funded.
  • Handwritten proposals or proposals submitted by electronic media such as facsimile or e-mail will not be accepted.

 Evaluation Criteria 
The Lodging Tax Advisory Committee will select grant recipients by considering, among other points, the following criteria:

  • Completed application.
  • Appropriate use of funds.
  • Goal to attract overnight destination guests to Sequim and the Sequim-Dungeness Valley.
  • Promotion of lodging as part of the project/event.
  • Projects/events marketed off the North Olympic Peninsula and to local communities will be considered.
  • PRIORITY may be given to those attracting overnight destination guests with marketing off the North Olympic Peninsula.
  • Projects/events of any type of media promotion will be considered.
  • PRIORITY may be given to those using print material, ads, and web site promotion.
  • Projects/events occurring anytime of year will be considered.
  • PRIORITY may be given to those occurring September 1 through June 30.
  • Projects/events must take place in Sequim-Dungeness Valley. *PRIORITY may be given to those taking place in the City of Sequim.
  • Projects/events of any length of time will be considered.
  • PRIORITY may be given to those lasting two or more days.
  • Projects/Events must conclude by December 8, 2023.

 Selection Process 

  • Applications will be screened for eligibility by the Communications and Marketing Director. Incomplete applications will be referred back to the project/event director for further work before being reviewed by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee.
  • The Lodging Tax Advisory Committee will review all eligible applications.
  • Final selection of projects/events to receive funding will be reviewed by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee.  The LTAC will  make a recipient and funding amount recommendation to the City Council for final approval.
  • Committee decisions on funding will be made every quarter until the funding is spent.

 Conditions of Funding Disbursement 

  • All changes to an approved grant itemized list of expenditures must be submitted to the Communications and Marketing Director for pre-approval to be eligible for disbursement of funds. Changes within the Grant Program Guidelines can be approved by the Communications and Marketing Director. Changes outside the Grant Program Guidelines must be approved by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee.
  • Not more than 25% of the funded amount of the advertising budget may be used for advertising in Clallam and Jefferson counties.
  • All print materials and/or print ads, larger than 4 x 6 inches, to be funded, in part or fully, by a Tourism Enhancement Grant must contain one of the camera-ready logos provided with the approval letter to be eligible for disbursement of funds.
  • All websites to be funded, in part or fully, by a Tourism Enhancement Grant must contain one of the web-ready logos displayed either on a lodging page or in a prominent location and linking to Sequim-Dungeness Valley lodging (www.visitsunnnysequim.com) to be eligible for disbursement of funds.

Requests for final payment must include:

  • A completed submission form requesting reimbursement including required documentation for type of promotion and signed by the project/event director.
  • Itemized invoices/receipts that contain the name of the vendor/supplier and may not be a generic receipt from a receipt book. Either a canceled check paid to the vendor or a signature/title of person receiving payment must accompany the invoice/receipt.
  • Granted funds will be disbursed upon receipt of satisfactory documentation.
  • Projects shall be completed by December 8, 2023, and full documentation submitted for payment no later than December 15, 2023, unless this requirement is specifically waived, in writing, by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. No funds will be disbursed after December 31, 2023 for the Tourism Enhancement Funds for 2023.
  • The grantee must notify the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, in writing, if the project for which funding has been granted, will not be completed. Failure to report the withdrawal of an approved project may affect the grantee’s application for funds in a future year.

RECAP

A recap form needs to be completed and turned in within 45 days following completion of the project/event. Recap must include: 1) Total Cost of Event or Project

2) Description of who the event/project increased overnight stays by providing the following information:

  • Number of attendees
  • Attendees who traveled 50+ miles
  • Attendees from out of the state or out of the country
  • Attendees that stayed in paid for overnight lodging
  • Attendees that did not pay for overnight lodging
  • Number of paid lodging nights

3) Brief description of the methodology used to determine those numbers

4) Comments on grant process and feedback on how the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) can help with projects/events in the future.

LTAC reserves the right to call for full repayment of all grant funds from any grantee who does not fully comply with the terms and conditions.