The Perry Chamber of Commerce will begin accepting applications Sept. 1 for the 2022 Hotel/Motel Tax Grant. Applications are due Wednesday, Oct. 19 by 5 p.m. Funding allocations will be announced in November with a check presentation to follow at a later date.
Eligible applicants include any non-profit organization whose project has a beneficial impact on the community of Perry. The Chamber Board of Directors encourages creative projects that enhance the attractiveness of Perry, encourage tourism to the area and/or promote events that draw visitors to Perry as a destination.
The Perry Chamber switched in 2019 from an ongoing or as-submitted review process to a biannual grant cycle, which created two grant periods per year, with applications due in April and October.
In 2020 event restrictions due to the pandemic led to a shift in efforts. Budgeted grant funds were allocated to the Perry Chamber Foundation to support joint efforts with the city of Perry and Perry Economic Development Inc. to create a Business Modernization and Protection Grant.
This grant assisted local businesses by focusing on improvements that would last beyond the pandemic.
In 2021 the Hotel/Motel Grant program returned for a single funding cycle in the fall and now again for the fall 2022. The Perry Chamber of Commerce plans to reestablish the two funding cycles in 2023.
The Perry Chamber of Commerce receives four-sevenths of the Hotel/Motel Tax that is collected in Perry. The Chamber utilizes this funding source in a number of ways for the promotion and encouragement of tourism, including this grant for nonprofit organizations seeking funding assistance for special projects and/or advertising.
The Iowa Code governs the use of revenues derived from the Hotel/Motel Tax, a tax collected from the renting of any and all rooms where accommodations are furnished to transient guests for rent. All entities, excepting governmental entities, must be non-profit as recognized by the U.S. Internal Revenue Code to be eligible for the consideration of the allocation of these grant funds.
All recommendations of allocations shall be subject to the approval of the Perry Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
Grant guidelines and application form for the 2022 Hotel/Motel Tax Grant can be found online, picked up at the Chamber office at 1124 Willis Ave. or requested via email. For more information on Perry’s Hotel/Motel Tax Grant, contact the Perry Chamber of Commerce at perrychamber@perryia.org or 515-465-4601.
