City of Isle of Palms opens application process for State Accommodations Tax Grants for Programs & Sponsorships

The City of Isle of Palms is accepting applications from organizations wishing to receive grants from the 2% state accommodations tax fund.

South Carolina law allows for a 2% tax levy on the rental of all transient accommodations to help provide financial support to promote tourism and fund tourism-related activities in municipalities and counties within the state. Individuals staying overnight in hotels, motels, inns, and vacation rentals pay 2% in addition to the statewide sales tax and any local sales and use tax applied to their lodging cost. State law establishes that fund from accommodations taxes must be used to attract and provide for tourists and must be spent on tourism-related expenditures.

The City of Isle of Palms has established an annual process for the submittal and consideration of grant requests for state accommodations tax funds in FY24.

Grant Period: July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024.

Application Deadline: The ATAX grant application must be submitted to Nicole DeNeane, City Clerk, at nicoled@iop.net no later than 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 31, 2023.

Applicant Workshop: The City will host a workshop on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. The purpose of the workshop is to review application guidelines and criteria and assist potential applicants with completing the applications.

Application: ATAX Grant Application available at iop.net.

Application Process: Applications received by the deadline will be reviewed by staff for compliance with the law to determine eligibility. The applicants passing the initial review will be asked to make a presentation to the ATAX Committee.

Applicant Presentations: The presentations are scheduled for 11:00 a.m., February 14, 2023.

The ATAX Committee will meet on March 7, 2023, to make grant award recommendations to City Council. The recommendations will then be presented to City Council for their consideration and approval for inclusion in the FY24 Budget.