Applications for City of Alpine HOT grants open March 10

From The City of Alpine 

ALPINE — Applications will be accepted beginning March 10 for hotel occupancy tax (HOT) grants from the City of Alpine for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Visitor events and other projects that draw overnight visits to the City are eligible for funding consideration, according to the requirements of state law.

A workshop on Alpine’s HOT grant program will be held at 5:30 p.m. on March 25 in the Alpine City Council Chambers. The workshop will cover the grant application process and legal uses of the HOT funds. A zoom link to the workshop will be available for those who cannot attend in person. Details can be found at cityofalpine.com.

The grant application and guidelines can also be found on the city website (cityofalpine.com) under “How Do I > Apply For > Hotel Occupancy Tax Funding.”

The first day to submit a grant application is Monday, March 10, 2025. The grant application deadline is 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, 2025, by which time all applications must have been received by City Secretary Geo Calderon.

This grant application window is only for events and activities taking place during the 2025-2026

fiscal year, which runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. Questions about the grants program can be directed to Director of Tourism Chris Ruggia at chris@visitalpinetx.com.

State law identifies the various ways that HOT funds may be used. Grants are offered under the following expense categories: advertising, promotion of the arts, historical restoration and preservation, sporting events, and transportation. All expenditures must also directly encourage overnight stays at Alpine’s hotels and short-term rentals.

The City of Alpine’s Hotel Occupancy Tax Grants Committee will review all eligible applications and make recommendations to the Alpine City Council. The committee is composed of community members appointed by the City Council, with Alpine’s director of tourism also serving as non-voting ex officio committee chair.

The HOT Grants Committee will evaluate the applications based on their impact on overnight stays, business and promotional plans, the capacity to host a successful program or event, innovative new programs and other criteria listed in the grant guidelines and then make funding recommendations within the projected tax revenues for 2025-2026.

“The City of Alpine has a long tradition of partnering with event organizers and other groups to

provide high-quality events and activities for our visitors and residents to enjoy,” Ruggia said. “We thank all of the folks who bring their visions and ideas forward to help make Alpine a better place to live and visit, and we are also grateful to the grants committee members who have stepped up to help with the difficult decisions of how to best use the limited HOT fund resource to support and encourage the quality events and programs that apply.”