Applications for Lodgers’ Tax funds should be submitted via e-mail to the committee by no later than March 11, 2026.
Applications received after this date will NOT be eligible for consideration.
Please e-mail your completed application for 2026 to the committee members shown below:
One hard copy of your application and supporting collateral should be mailed to the committee secretary at:
Brian Bartlett
PO Box 1613
Cortez, CO 81321
The following information should be e-mailed to the committee. Information submitted to the committee is strictly for the use of the committee in determining grant application disbursements. This information is treated as confidential and may only be made available to the County Commissioners in order to support grant payment requests:
- Please SPECIFY in dollars the amount you are requesting for this specific grant application.
- Please include your marketing strategy, overall objectives, tourism promotion initiatives for the current year and for the next 12-18 months, as well as a brief narrative outlining how this (event, activity, organization, etc) can, or historically has, directly brought nightly lodgers into our hotel/motel, rv/campground and/or short-term vacation rental markets – (aka “heads in beds”).
- Copy of your current year budget. Monies are allocated to be used during the grant cycle request period (April 2026 to April 2027). Funds are to be used within 12 months of the funds being released by the County, anticipated to happen in late April of each year.
- A copy of your (current year) W-9 – without a valid W-9 we will be unable to evaluate your application!
- Summary of efforts and results from 2025 lodgers’ tax funding (if applicable). Please be brief and provide a bulleted list showing each tourism initiative AND its corresponding enhanced lodging result.
- Copy of 2025 year-end balance sheet and copy of 2025 Income Statement indicating the ratio of dollars directly related to tourism as compared to your overall budget and other administrative/operational expenses.
- List any significant changes in grants received or anticipated for 2026 tourism promotion.
- List responses to tourism requests, if applicable: i.e. fulfillment of phone and e-mail requests for tourism information, dates and hours organization was open to the public, number of visitors recorded, volunteer hours, website visitation data, etc. (We are looking for examples of strong links to Tourism throughout).
- Mail one set of any collateral information that might be useful, as well as your application, to Brian Bartlett, postmarked no later than March 11, 2026. Include any activity you spent money on that would be seen as promoting tourism or generating/sustaining demand for lodging in our area.
- Please include samples and reports that would be helpful to illustrate the activity and also include brochures, advertising, promotional flyers or posters for annual celebrations and events, seasonal activities, trade show booth space and related expenses incurred to promote tourism.
Please address any questions regarding this application to either of the committee members listed above.
Thank you for your cooperation in conforming to the response, timing and information as stated above. It will not be possible to consider any applications that do not follow the indicated guidelines.
Thank you for your ongoing efforts to promote tourism in Montezuma County!
– Montezuma Lodgers Tax Committee
