The District Development Program is an element of the Healdsburg Tourism Improvement District’s (Stay Healdsburg) Management Plan, an agreement entered into by the City of Healdsburg and the Healdsburg Tourism Improvement District as of January 1, 2023. District Development (DD) projects will be designed to improve the visitor experience AND increase overnight visitation at assessed lodging businesses. Working collaboratively with the City, the Chamber has developed specific DD funding criteria. The DD Advisory Committee meets to discuss applicants, processes, and procedures regarding the sponsorships. This committee is subject to the Brown Act and is not accepting new committee members. Agendas can be found on our website. The Board of Directors reserves 20% of District Development Funds for larger investment projects and to supplement the biannual event sponsorship program. To learn more or apply for these funds, please email Jessica@Healdsburg.com.
Applications for the Spring/Summer funding cycle, for projects taking place between May and October 2025 will be accepted between February 14 and March 7. ALL APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY 5 PM ON FRIDAY, MARCH 7. Sponsorships will be announced the week of March 24, 2025. Please note there is approximately $95,000 total available in sponsorships for this cycle.
DD Resources:
If you have any questions regarding the District Development Sponsorships, please contact Jessica@Healdsburg.com.
District Development Projects/Events Policy:
- Services designed to improve the visitor experience, such as but not limited to, transportation and parking solutions;
- Improvements designed to improve the visitor experience, such as but not limited to, benches, restrooms, and lighting improvements;
- Activities designed to improve the visitor experience, such as but not limited to, Tuesday Music on the Plaza, Healdsburg Farmers Market, Healdsburg Center to the Arts, and/or creation of new Arts, Cultural, and Educational activities.
- Organizations are permitted to file as many applications as they wish for individual events, but only one application, per event, per year.
The grant cycle will open twice a year to fund events and activations for the Spring/Summer and the Fall/Winter. After each application deadline, the DD Committee will meet in accordance to the Brown Act to review the applications and make a recommendation to the Chamber Board of Directors. The Chamber Board will vote to approve all grant recommendations during the next regularly scheduled meeting. The DD Committee and Board will review all applications with the following criteria:
Funding Criteria & Review Procedure:
- How the event/project will be marketed to destination travelers outside of the area.
- Timing of the event/project. The goal is to avoid multiple events on the same day and to support initiatives that drive mid-week, shoulder-season, and multi-night stays.
- How the event/project will measure overnight stays in Healdsburg.
- How the event/project enhances the current visitor experience.
- If the event/project has received funding before, the committee will review the most recent event recap to review metrics used to show increases in attendance and event growth.
- If outside vendors or event staff require overnight accommodations, preference should be given to Stay Healdsburg lodging partners.
Scoring Rubric:
Each application will be scored on the following criteria by each member of the District Development Committee, then the average score will be taken to determine the amount of funds to be awarded.
- Heads in Beds (1 – 10): Does this event create potential to increase overnight visitation?
- PR Opportunity (1 – 10): How this event will be marketed to destination travelers and how Stay Healdsburg can utilize the event to promote future overnight travel.
- Visitor Experience (1 – 10): Does the event enhance the visitor experience?
