The City of Arlington is accepting grant applications from non-profit agencies and groups actively engaged in the promotion and enhancement of tourism in the City of Arlington during the calendar year 2020.
Activities considered eligible for assistance include, but are not limited to, those that increase tourism by promoting and distributing information for the purpose of attracting and welcoming visitors; operation of a tourism promotion agency, and the marketing of events and festivals designed to draw overnight lodging to the city.
The expected outcome of such activities is to increase economic activity in the City of Arlington through overnight lodging, visitor spending on dining and attractions, and the sale of gifts, souvenirs and other items to visitors and tourists.
Money is awarded from revenue collected annually from hotel and motel room rentals in Arlington.
The City's Lodging Tax Advisory Committee will review applications and make recommendations to the Arlington City Council for final approval. Funds will be available beginning in January 2020 to competitive applicants who can complete their proposed projects by Dec. 31, 2020. The City of Arlington requires a final report of return on investments for allocated funds.
Details of eligibility and other program requirements are included in the application package, which must be filled out and returned to Kristin Garcia, Finance Director, City of Arlington, 238 N. Olympic Avenue, Arlington, WA, 98223 or emailed to kgarcia@arlingtonwa.gov by Tuesday, October 1, 2019 by 5:00 p.m. Postmarks are NOT acceptable. Applications received after that time and date will not be considered.
Schedule of Request for Funding Events:
Following is the proposed schedule for the Requests (Note: Specific dates may be adjusted to meet unexpected circumstances):
Application available online or for pickup: August 30 – October 1, 2019
Request response to be submitted: October 1, 2019 by 5:00 p.m.
Lodging Tax Advisory Committee LTAC) initial review period: October 7-29, 2019
Joint meeting with the LTAC and City Council: October 30, 2019
Applicant Interviews: October 30, 2019, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
LTAC review period: November 1-6, 2019
Committee recommendations to Council for review: November 25, 2019
Council action: December 2, 2019
Contracts mailed to successful applicants: December 3-16, 2019
Date work may initiate: January 1, 2020
Work to be completed by: December 31, 2020
For more information, contact Kristin Garcia at 360-403-3421 or kgarcia@arlingtonwa.gov.