Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) Grants

• By agreement with the City of Brenham, Washington County Commissioners Court will fund county-wide Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) Grant Applications made bi-annually for events/programs/projects that meet Hotel Occupancy Tax state statute requirements.
• Application forms will be available at the bottom of this page starting:
  
  • 2025 Round 2 Funding Application Online: May 5, 2025
• See the timeline for 2025 grant requests.
• The Board’s Eligibility Committee reviews grant requests and submits all requests to the Funding Committee, which will make recommendations to the Commissioners Court based on the following:
  1. Eligibility of the application,
  2. Strength of the application, and
  3. Funding availability for distribution.
• Entities awarded grants will receive grant funding within two weeks of Commissioners Court approval.
• All entities approved for HOT Grants must submit the Post Event Report within 60 days of each funded event. Failure to comply with this requirement and expected expenditures may affect future funding decisions.

1. Funding the establishment, improvement, or maintenance of a convention center or visitor information center.
2. Paying the administrative costs for facilitating convention registration.
   • Example: staffing costs for registering attendees.
3. Paying for advertising, solicitation, and promotions that attract tourists and convention delegates.
   1. Example: Internet ads, Social Media boosts, newspaper, mail, TV or Radio
4. Expenditures that promote the arts. (Please note that it is not enough that an organization, facility, or event promote the arts; state law requires that the expenditure also must be likely to directly promote tourism and the hotel and convention industry.)
   1. The recipient must present, perform, promote, encourage, or otherwise make possible, artistic events, cultural performances, programs, exhibitions, or lectures involving any of the major art forms listed in Texas Tax Code Section 352.101 (a) (4), or “other arts related to the presentation, performance, execution, and exhibition of these major art forms.”
   2. The hotel occupancy tax-funded programs, facilities, and/or events must be advertised and open to the general public.
5. Funding historical restoration or preservation programs.
   1. Tip: if you apply under this you will need to submit prior attendance numbers to the historic site.
   1. Funds may be used to enhance historical restoration and preservation projects or activities, or advertising and conducting solicitations and promotional programs to encourage tourists and convention delegates to visit preserved historic sites or museums that are likely to attract tourists and hotel guests.
6. Certain sporting event-related expenses.
   1. Exclusions: “Tourists” was included to prevent the use of local hotel occupancy tax revenue for sporting-related facilities or events that are purely local (e.g., local recreation centers, local Little League and parks events, intramural sports, etc.)
   1. Example: if a county had to pay an application fee to seek a particular sporting event or tournament it could use hotel occupancy tax revenue for such expenditure if the sporting event would substantially increase economic activity where the majority of attendees would also be tourists.
   2. Practical Example: Funds could be used to apply to host the World Pickleball Finals but could not be used for a tri-county area championship. (see 75mile radius)
7. Signage directing tourists to attractions frequently visited by overnight guests.
   1. Example: maps, arrows basic wayfaring

• Round 1: Events / Programs / Projects occurring January 2025 - June 2025
• Round 2: Events / Programs / Projects occurring July 2025 - December 2025

  2025 HOT Funding	Round 1	Round 2
  Application Packet Available Online	October 28, 2024	May 5, 2025
  Application Due	November 17, 2024	May 18, 2025 (online at 11:45 pm)
  Eligibility Funding Committee	November 18, 2024	May 19, 2025
  Funding Committee Review	December 2, 2024	May 26 - May 30, 2025
  Commissioners Court Consideration	December 10, 2024	June 3, 2025
  HOT Grant Award Notifications and Funding	December 16-20, 2024	June 9 - 13, 2025

  Post Event/Program/Project (E/P/P) Reports are due within 60 days of each funded event.

Application Attachments Needed:

• A HOT/Budgeted expense report (template emailed to you, also available here).
• W9 form for organization or representative to be reimbursed.
• The applicant shall submit the previous three (3) years Post EPP Grant Report (if applicable)
• Any other information you feel will support your application.

Online applications are the preferred method, but physical (paper) applications will also be available and accepted at the Washington County Expo Center, located at 1305 E Blue Bell Road, Brenham, Texas 77833.

Multiple applications will be accepted from groups, but each event/program must have a separate application.

It is the applicant's responsibility to provide email addresses and phone numbers that will allow them to be contacted expediently and to update Sherri Schmidt on any changes. She can be reached at 979-337-2873 or by email

Organization and Contact Information

• What is the legal name of the organization requesting funds
• Organization Mailing Address
• City
• State
• Zip-Code
• Tax ID Number
• Mission or Purpose of Your Organization
• Organization Website
• Organization Social Media
• First Name of Primary Contact:
• Last Name of Primary Contact:
• Title of Primary Contact
• The mailing address of the primary contact
• Primary Contact City
• Primary Contact State
• Primary Contact Zip Code
• Primary Contact Cell Phone
• Primary Contact Email

Event / Program / Project (EPP) Information:

• EPP Title
• EPP Date/Range
• EPP Type (e.g., festival, performance, etc.)
• EPP Venue
• Estimated Number of Attendees - please estimate the number that are projected to be local and the number that are projected to be from another city/county

Funding Information

• Which Category or Categories are you applying for? (The seven funding categories of 352)
  
  1. Funding Request Amount for Convention Visitor Information Center
  2. Funding Request Amount for Registration of Convention Delegates
  3. Funding Request Amount for Advertising
  4. Funding Request Amount for Promotion of the Arts
  5. Funding Request Amount for Historical Restoration and Preservation
  6. Funding Request Amount for Sporting Event
  7. Funding Request Amount for Tourist Information Signage
• Required Documents to upload:
  • Applicant organization's W-9 (Needed for check issuance)
  • The applicant shall submit the previous three (3) years Post EPP Grant Report (if applicable)

Requesting Entity Information

• The legal name of the organization requesting funds
• First Name of primary contact
• Last Name of Primary Contact
• Primary Contact Email
• Primary Contact Cell Number

EPP Project Expenditure

• Name of EPP
• Date for EPP
• Amount of HOT funds Received
• Amount Used from Hotel Occupancy Tax
• Actual percentage of event cost covered by HOT
• Provide a breakdown of HOT/Budgeted Expense Report (template available to download here)

If HOT funds were requested for an Event

• What was the estimated attendance for the event in your HOT Grant Request application?
• What would you estimate as the actual attendance at the event?
• How many room nights were generated in Brenham/Washington County hotels and/or bed and breakfasts (B&B's) by attendees at the event and what is the basis and/or documentation for this estimate?
• Was a negotiated rate and/or hotel room block established for this event?
  • If so, what was the negotiated rate and the number of rooms provided for in the room block?
  • How many room nights were generated directly through the room block?

If HOT funds were requested for a Program / Project

• Describe the ways that tourism/lodging properties benefit from the Program/Project.
• How many room nights would you estimate were generated in Brenham/Washington County lodging properties by the organization's Program/Project?
• Were room blocks/negotiated rates established by any groups benefitting from the program/project?
  • What was the number of room nights/negotiated rate?

Additional Documentation

• Copy of an Ad used to promote the event
• Pictures of the event
• List of the lodging partners used (if applicable)
• HOT/Budgeted Expense Report