From staff reports
City Council approved the awarding of $321,110 in ATAX grants to 13 non-profit local organizations at its Oct. 11 Regular Meeting. This was a significant increase over last year’s amount of $182,135 to seven organizations, thanks to greater revenue generated by the State Accommodations Tax.
Council modified the recommendations of the Tourism Development Advisory Committee (TDAC), which considers applications annually.
The grants are generated by the State Accommodations Tax (ATAX) revenue, and state law governs the distribution and use of the monies. A certain amount of these revenues is allocated for the grant process to non-profit groups focused on the promotion, marketing, and advertising of tourism. TDAC meets once a year to review, discuss and score applicant presentations for these grants.
The organizations and amounts awarded:
– Greater Beaufort-Port Royal Convention & Visitors Bureau (the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the City of Beaufort): $156,000 for destination marketing
– Greater Beaufort-Port Royal CVB: $31,000 for sales plan
– Beaufort Area Hospitality Association: $10,000 for Beaufort Oyster Festival
– Friends of Hunting Island: $30,000 for exhibits
– SC Lowcountry & Resorts Island Tourism Commission: $25,775 for promotion of region
– Tabernacle Baptist Church: $10,000 for Harriet Tubman Monument and 160th anniversary of Combahee River raid
– Port Royal Sound Foundation: $6,100 for shark exhibit
– Beaufort Area Sports Council: $12,000 for sports sales initiatives
– Friends of Spanish Moss Trail: $2,185 for various signs
– Mather School Museum at Technical College of the Lowcountry: $8,000 for history programming and promotion
– Gullah Festival: $10,000 for promotion
– Gullah Kinfolk Traveling Theater: $15,000 for Christmas and Decoration Day shows
– Beaufort History Museum: $5,050 for touch-screen kiosks
ATAX grants are awarded as reimbursements for expenses incurred by the organization. The organizations have two years from the date of the award to submit final reports for reimbursement.
