Accommodations Tax Grant Program

The Accommodations Tax Grant Program is administered by the City of Charleston to support tourism-related initiatives as mandated under South Carolina law. The program is funded through accommodations tax revenues, which are specifically designated for activities that promote tourism and generate measurable economic impact. The City of Charleston, through its review committees and governing bodies, oversees the equitable distribution of these funds to qualified applicants whose work demonstrably contributes to increased visitation and tourism spending within the region. The primary purpose of the grant program is to fund projects and operations that directly enhance tourism, with a strong emphasis on arts, cultural programming, and facilities that attract visitors. Eligible uses of funding include the promotion of cultural events, marketing campaigns targeting tourists, and operational support for venues or organizations that host tourism-generating activities. Applicants are required to provide supporting data that demonstrates anticipated or historical tourism impact, including visitor counts, spending patterns, and length of stay, which are critical inputs in the program’s evaluation methodology. Eligibility for the program includes nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, religious organizations, and government entities. All applicants must be registered with the South Carolina Secretary of State Division of Public Charities to qualify. Individuals and for-profit businesses are explicitly excluded from eligibility. The program is structured to ensure that only organizations with a clear public or community-serving mission, particularly those aligned with tourism development, are considered for funding. Applications are submitted through an online grants management platform, and the process begins with a staff-level review to verify eligibility, organizational financial health, and compliance with minimum requirements. Following this initial screening, applications are evaluated by an external Grants Committee composed of subject matter experts. Each application is scored quantitatively across multiple criteria, and the results are aggregated into a final score that informs funding recommendations. The evaluation framework is heavily weighted toward economic impact, which accounts for fifty percent of the total score. This metric is calculated using projected or historical visitor numbers multiplied by average daily spending and length of stay, with adjustments for seasonality and event type. Additional criteria include media and marketing impact at twenty percent, community impact at ten percent, and an overall assessment by a tourism panel at twenty percent. Final scores are used in a funding formula designed to ensure fairness and consistency across all applicants. Funding recommendations generated by the Grants Committee are reviewed by the Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee and ultimately approved by Charleston City Council. Applicants are notified of funding decisions after this process, and successful applicants enter into a formal funding agreement with the City prior to disbursement of funds. While the exact award amounts and number of awards are not specified, the structured evaluation and approval process ensures transparency and accountability in the allocation of public tourism funds. The application deadline for the program is July 10 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time, and the program operates on an annual cycle, indicating recurring funding opportunities in subsequent years. No pre-application or letter of intent is required. Applicants should be prepared to provide detailed documentation supporting their tourism impact claims, marketing strategies, and community benefits as part of the submission process. The program emphasizes measurable outcomes and data-driven justification for all requested funding.

Focus heavily on quantifying economic impact as it accounts for 50 percent of the score; provide strong data on visitor numbers, spending, and length of stay; clearly demonstrate marketing reach and tourism draw; align project timing with tourism seasons to strengthen scoring