The Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce is responsible for distributing the share of the Rio Grande County Lodging Tax for the Monte Vista area. The Chamber has set up a committee to handle this task which includes members from the Rio Grande County and the City of Monte Vista as well as Chamber representatives.
On this page you will find information about the application process and requirements as well as fillable and downloadable PDF documents available for the process.
On this page you will find information about the application process and requirements as well as fillable and downloadable PDF documents available for the process.
The purpose of the Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee is to assist with funding to advertise and market tourism for the benefit of the municipality of Monte Vista where the County Lodging Tax is collected. In furtherance of this goal, the Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee will consider funding for Advertisements and Events. The Committee reserves the right to grant or refuse funding. Additionally, if any major funding is requested, current committee members with any relationship to the entity requesting funding must fully disclose that relationship. If in the estimation of the committee this relationship will cause a conflict of interest, the member must abstain from voting on the request.
*FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY THE MONTE VISTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TOURISM COMMITTEE THROUGH COUNTY LODGING TAX COLLECTED. ALL PROJECTS/FUNDING MUST INCLUDE THE MONTE VISTA CHAMBER TOURISM LOGO AND CHAMBER WEBSITE. THE MONTE VISTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MUST BE INCLUDED ON ALL LISTINGS AS A SPONSOR.
TOURISM PROMOTION: Activities and expenditures designed to increase tourism, including but not limited to advertising, publicizing, or otherwise distributing information for the purpose of attracting and welcoming tourists; developing strategies to expand tourism; and funding marketing of special events and festivals designed to attract tourists.
WHO MAY APPLY? The funding program is open to organizations with the demonstrated ability to achieve tourism goals within Monte Vista as outlined below:
It is incumbent on the applicant to submit all proposals and funding requests in a timely manner. The Committee will not hold special meetings, nor go to extraordinary lengths to accommodate an applicant’s compressed schedule.
INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
Funding through the Rio Grande County Lodging Tax is not meant to be a lifetime funding source.
PROJECT PROPOSAL: The project proposal will consist of a detailed description of the purpose and goals of the project, the impact on tourism within the County, measurements to assess the project’s effectiveness, and a timeline showing how /when the different project components will be completed and how they fit together. The project’s goals must be measurable, and the proposal MUST contain specific, measurable milestones. The project timeline is critical to the effective organization of the project and is an efficient tool for the Tourism Committee to use to assess the proper management of the project. It will also be used in determining the scheduling of periodic disbursement of funds. The proposal must include the name(s) of the individual(s) who have fiscal responsibility for the funds provided by the Tourism Committee.
PROJECT BUDGET: The project budget should include, but not be limited to, the various matching funds, income, and expense categories associated with the project.
PROJECT FUNDING: Major projects are projects which require more than $2500 to complete. These projects will be funded as a matching grant, requiring a 20% cash match from organization(s) other than the Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee (‘in kind’ matching will not be considered as meeting this requirement).
Organizations awarded funds will be required to provide a “follow up report” within 60 days of completion of the event, or as agreed upon and stated in the reporting schedule. Funding will be disbursed as a single payment and only to the agency/individual noted on the application. This agency/individual is responsible for the proper utilization of the funds and for submitting a final report to the Tourism Committee upon completion of the project. This report must include copies of receipts, ad copies, and/or other details of how the funding was spent. Advertising and Event Funding should also include statistical data that can be used to help determine the value of future funding.
PROGRESS REPORTING: The project manager, or other responsible project representative, must provide the Tourism Committee with periodic progress reports at a schedule agreed upon by both parties.
FUNDING REQUEST PROTOCOL: To be considered by the committee, all funding requests must be accompanied by the appropriate paperwork as outlined in the Committee’s Granting Policy. Applicants may present an idea to the Committee prior to submitting a formal funding request to explore if it is something that would interest the Committee. However, no action will be taken until a formal request has been submitted.
All proposals must contain sufficient, specific details to enable the Committee to fully understand the proposal and to make an informed decision.
No changes may be made to an approved funding request without prior approval of the Committee.
As required by the Granting Policy, recipients of the Tourism Committee Funding must submit all required follow-up reports. Failure to do so will disqualify you for future funding.
When considering co-op ads initiated by other parties, the Committee may grant preliminary approval; however, final approval for participation will not be granted until the Committee has reviewed and approved the final copy of the ad. The initiating party will be required to pay all costs of the ad. Upon receipt of an invoice which includes a published copy of the ad and copy of the original funding request, the Committee will reimburse for its agreed upon share.
FINAL REPORT: The final report will be a project critique showing the strengths and weaknesses of the project and, most importantly, the measurements of the project’s effectiveness. The final report must include receipts to substantiate the work in which the Tourism Committee funds were utilized. All unused funds must be returned to the Tourism Committee.
*FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY THE MONTE VISTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TOURISM COMMITTEE THROUGH COUNTY LODGING TAX COLLECTED. ALL PROJECTS/FUNDING MUST INCLUDE THE MONTE VISTA CHAMBER TOURISM LOGO AND CHAMBER WEBSITE. THE MONTE VISTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MUST BE INCLUDED ON ALL LISTINGS AS A SPONSOR.
- Advertisements should be placed outside of Rio Grande County and are used as a tool to attract tourism to the area; these can include but are not limited to: Magazines, Newspaper, Radio, Television, Web, and E-mail based media.
- Events should be those designed to draw in outside guests and encourage overnight stays, not those that are established just to keep the locals busy. Advertisements for events should be placed outside the county.
TOURISM PROMOTION: Activities and expenditures designed to increase tourism, including but not limited to advertising, publicizing, or otherwise distributing information for the purpose of attracting and welcoming tourists; developing strategies to expand tourism; and funding marketing of special events and festivals designed to attract tourists.
WHO MAY APPLY? The funding program is open to organizations with the demonstrated ability to achieve tourism goals within Monte Vista as outlined below:
- Increase hotel occupancy in Rio Grande County by creating overnight stays.
- Increase overnight stays during the off season.
- Provide visitor attractions and/or promote the area’s existing attractions.
- Attracts more businesses to Rio Grande County thereby generating business for hotels and motels.
It is incumbent on the applicant to submit all proposals and funding requests in a timely manner. The Committee will not hold special meetings, nor go to extraordinary lengths to accommodate an applicant’s compressed schedule.
INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
Funding through the Rio Grande County Lodging Tax is not meant to be a lifetime funding source.
- Year 1-5 are considered start up years, with funding requests reduced annually by 10% as the event/project becomes established.
- After 5 years, the event/project should show enough community/sponsorship/matching funds as to need no more than 50% of its whole budget from the Tourism Committee, at which time the Committee should become a standard sponsor versus a funding source.
PROJECT PROPOSAL: The project proposal will consist of a detailed description of the purpose and goals of the project, the impact on tourism within the County, measurements to assess the project’s effectiveness, and a timeline showing how /when the different project components will be completed and how they fit together. The project’s goals must be measurable, and the proposal MUST contain specific, measurable milestones. The project timeline is critical to the effective organization of the project and is an efficient tool for the Tourism Committee to use to assess the proper management of the project. It will also be used in determining the scheduling of periodic disbursement of funds. The proposal must include the name(s) of the individual(s) who have fiscal responsibility for the funds provided by the Tourism Committee.
PROJECT BUDGET: The project budget should include, but not be limited to, the various matching funds, income, and expense categories associated with the project.
PROJECT FUNDING: Major projects are projects which require more than $2500 to complete. These projects will be funded as a matching grant, requiring a 20% cash match from organization(s) other than the Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee (‘in kind’ matching will not be considered as meeting this requirement).
Organizations awarded funds will be required to provide a “follow up report” within 60 days of completion of the event, or as agreed upon and stated in the reporting schedule. Funding will be disbursed as a single payment and only to the agency/individual noted on the application. This agency/individual is responsible for the proper utilization of the funds and for submitting a final report to the Tourism Committee upon completion of the project. This report must include copies of receipts, ad copies, and/or other details of how the funding was spent. Advertising and Event Funding should also include statistical data that can be used to help determine the value of future funding.
PROGRESS REPORTING: The project manager, or other responsible project representative, must provide the Tourism Committee with periodic progress reports at a schedule agreed upon by both parties.
FUNDING REQUEST PROTOCOL: To be considered by the committee, all funding requests must be accompanied by the appropriate paperwork as outlined in the Committee’s Granting Policy. Applicants may present an idea to the Committee prior to submitting a formal funding request to explore if it is something that would interest the Committee. However, no action will be taken until a formal request has been submitted.
All proposals must contain sufficient, specific details to enable the Committee to fully understand the proposal and to make an informed decision.
No changes may be made to an approved funding request without prior approval of the Committee.
As required by the Granting Policy, recipients of the Tourism Committee Funding must submit all required follow-up reports. Failure to do so will disqualify you for future funding.
When considering co-op ads initiated by other parties, the Committee may grant preliminary approval; however, final approval for participation will not be granted until the Committee has reviewed and approved the final copy of the ad. The initiating party will be required to pay all costs of the ad. Upon receipt of an invoice which includes a published copy of the ad and copy of the original funding request, the Committee will reimburse for its agreed upon share.
FINAL REPORT: The final report will be a project critique showing the strengths and weaknesses of the project and, most importantly, the measurements of the project’s effectiveness. The final report must include receipts to substantiate the work in which the Tourism Committee funds were utilized. All unused funds must be returned to the Tourism Committee.
All applications, proposals, inquiries, documentation, and final reports can be submitted electronically to chamber@montevistachamber.org, or mailed in or delivered in person to the Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce during business hours.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS ARE HELD THE 1ST MONDAY OF EACH MONTH. APPLICATIONS/FOLLOW-UP REPORTS MUST BE RECEIVED A MINIMUM OF 5 DAYS PRIOR TO THE MEETING. APPLICANTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND OUR MEETINGS & PRESENT A SHORT 5-MINUTE OVERVIEW.
Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce
947 1st Ave, Monte Vista CO 81144
719-852-2731
COMMITTEE MEETINGS ARE HELD THE 1ST MONDAY OF EACH MONTH. APPLICATIONS/FOLLOW-UP REPORTS MUST BE RECEIVED A MINIMUM OF 5 DAYS PRIOR TO THE MEETING. APPLICANTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND OUR MEETINGS & PRESENT A SHORT 5-MINUTE OVERVIEW.
Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce
947 1st Ave, Monte Vista CO 81144
719-852-2731
Available documents (PDF) :
Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee Application for Lodging Tax Grants - entire document (FILLABLE PDF)
Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee Application for Lodging Tax Grants - entire document
Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee Application for Lodging Tax Grants - information portion only
Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee Application for Lodging Tax Grants - request portion only
Reporting schedule and follow up report criteria
Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee Application for Lodging Tax Grants - Preliminary and Follow up Budget Report
Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee Application for Lodging Tax Grants - entire document (FILLABLE PDF)
Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee Application for Lodging Tax Grants - entire document
Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee Application for Lodging Tax Grants - information portion only
Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee Application for Lodging Tax Grants - request portion only
Reporting schedule and follow up report criteria
Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee Application for Lodging Tax Grants - Preliminary and Follow up Budget Report