District Development Grant Program |
District Development and the Healdsburg Tourism Improvement District
Policy:
· Services designed to improve the visitor experience, such as but not limited to, transportation and parking solutions;
· Improvements designed to improve the visitor experience, such as but not limited to, benches, restrooms, and lighting improvements;
· Activities designed to improve the visitor experience, such as but not limited to, Tuesday's on the Plaza, Healdsburg Farmers Market, and/or creation of new Arts, Cultural, and Educational activities.
· Organizations are permitted to file as many applications as they wish for individual projects/events, in accordance with the parameters above, but only one application shall be authorized, per event, per year.
The grant funding cycle will open twice a year to fund DD projects/events: one grant funding cycle will be opened for the Spring/Summer season and one for the Fall/Winter season. After each cycle's application deadline, the DD Committee will meet to review applications and make a recommendation to the Chamber Board of Directors. These DD Committee meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the California Brown Act. The Chamber Board will vote to approve all grant funding recommendations during the next regularly scheduled meeting. The DD Committee and Board will review all applications in accordance with the following criteria:
Procedure:
· How the project/event will be marketed to destination travelers outside of the area to drive demand for overnight visitation to lodging businesses paying the HTID assessment.
· Timing of the project/event. The goal is to avoid multiple events on the same day and to support initiatives that drive mid-week, shoulder-season, and multi-night stays.
· How the project/event will measure overnight stays to lodging businesses paying the HTID assessment in Healdsburg.
· How the project/event enhances the current visitor experience to drive visitation to lodging businesses paying the HTID assessment in Healdsburg.
· If the project/event has received funding before, the committee will review the most recent event recap to review metrics used to show increases in attendance and event growth.
· If outside vendors or event staff require overnight accommodations, preference should be given to lodging businesses paying the HTID assessment.
If a DD grant is awarded by the Chamber Board, the applicant must agree to ensure the Chamber/Stay Healdsburg logo, branding, and website is used appropriately on all event materials and every effort is made to promote the Healdsburg destination. DD grants are highly competitive. Partial or no funding for particular events is not uncommon, and is not a judgment by the Chamber Board of Directors the inherent value of the event to the Healdsburg community, but rather reflective of the funding priorities required by the TID statute, and the City Ordinance under which the grants are governed.
At the conclusion of the funded DD project/event, grantees must submit a report which includes attendee information, use of the funds, and the project/event's overall success. This report is to be submitted to the Chamber within 30 days following the completion of the DD project/event in order to be eligible for a future grant.
If the project/event will not take place on the proposed date or if the base premise is modified in any way, the grantee must contact the Chamber at info@healdsburg.com immediately for review. Additionally, grantee may be subject to a full or partial return of monies.<