Lodging Tax Grant

The Lodging Tax Grant is administered by the City of Mukilteo using the City's Hotel/Motel Fund. The program supports tourism-related projects and activities associated with lodging tax purposes. The application identifies eligible organization types as municipal governments, nonprofit organizations, destination marketing organizations, and convention and visitors' bureaus. Applicants must identify the category or categories applicable to their project under RCW 67.28.1816. The listed categories are special events or festivals, tourism marketing or development, support for operations or capital expenditures of tourism-related facilities owned by the City, and support for operations or capital expenditures of tourism-related facilities owned or operated by nonprofit organizations. Applicants request a specific amount from the City of Mukilteo Hotel/Motel Fund, although the application materials provided do not state a minimum award, maximum award, total amount available, or anticipated number of awards. The application asks applicants to provide both cash and in-kind budget information, including types of income, items or services, and totals. No mandatory cost-share or matching percentage is stated in the provided materials. Projects receiving funding must use the requested lodging tax funds only for the purposes described in the application or otherwise approved by the City Council. Use of funds is subject to audit by the State of Washington. The application places substantial emphasis on tourism expansion and overnight lodging. Applicants must provide a concise one-paragraph project summary explaining the proposed project, its tourism expansion objectives, and the specific elements for which funding is requested. The scope of work must explain the project's goal, how and why it will benefit the community, what will be done differently if the applicant requested funds for the same project in the prior year, and why the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee should recommend the project over competing requests. Applicants must also provide project beginning and ending dates, and the project must be completed in 2027. Applicants must explain how they will encourage additional overnight stays in Mukilteo or area hotels and replenish the hotel/motel lodging tax fund. They must specifically explain how they will measure whether visitors travel more than 50 miles or stay overnight. The application suggests possible measurement methods such as formal surveys, informal surveys, representative surveys, actual ticket counts, direct counts, or other measurement methods. Applicants must provide predicted overall attendance and estimate how many attendees will travel more than 50 miles, come from outside Washington or the United States, pay for overnight lodging, and not pay for overnight lodging. These questions indicate that measurable tourism generation and overnight visitation are central considerations in the application. Applications are submitted online; paper applications are no longer accepted. Applicants selecting tourism marketing or development must upload a marketing plan. Supporting documentation must also be uploaded, including proof of insurance and an IRS determination letter if those documents have not previously been provided to the City of Mukilteo. The application directs applicants to the applicable Grant Guidelines for the full list of required documents. Applicants are also asked whether they are applying for other grants and must complete certifications confirming that the requested funds will be used only for approved purposes, that they understand the applicable City of Mukilteo and Washington State limitations, and that they have read and understand the criteria used to evaluate applications. Applicants must certify that they have read and understand the City of Mukilteo Grant Guidelines and will provide documentation requested by the City, that their statements are true and they have board or agency approval to apply, and that they consent to storage of submitted information for application processing. The application states that selected applicants will be required to enter into a binding agreement with the City to ensure project completion. The contact person identified in the application will serve as the individual with whom the City and Lodging Tax Advisory Committee communicate and will be named on the grant agreement if the project is approved by the City Council. The provided City contact information is 425-263-8000, with an additional TRS number of 800-833-6384; no individual program contact or program email address is provided. The deadline for the 2027 Lodging Tax Grant application is September 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM. No time zone is stated in the source. The project itself must be completed during 2027. The materials indicate an ongoing annual lodging tax grant process through references to fiscal years, prior recipients, prior-year applications, and year-specific grant cycles. For data-entry purposes, the next cycle is therefore anticipated around September 2027 based on the current September deadline pattern, subject to confirmation when the City publishes the next application cycle. The source does not state an award notification date or a specific application opening date.

Focus the project summary on the specific elements for which funding is requested and the tourism expansion objectives. Explain specifically how the project benefits the community and why LTAC should recommend it given limited funds. If the same project received a prior request, explain what will be done differently. Provide a specific method for measuring travel over 50 miles and overnight stays, such as surveys, ticket counts, or direct counts. Clearly explain how the project will encourage overnight stays in Mukilteo/area hotels and replenish lodging tax revenue.