Effective January 15, 2013, applications will now be accepted throughout the year and grant awards may be made monthly. However, grant applications submitted for consideration must be no more than 6 months and not less than 3 months prior to the event date; and applications are due before the 15th of each month prior to the board meeting at which they are considered. Grant awards may be made during the following month’s SYVHA board meeting, which is open to the public and held on the first Thursday of each month at 9:00am at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott located at 555 McMurray Road in Buellton.”

For example, Harris explained that an event being held on December 1, 2013 could submit a SYVHA grant application between June 1 and September 1, 2013; and for it to be considered at the July board meeting, it must be submitted before June 15. Official SYVHA 2013 Community Grant Award application forms are available by contacting Mary Harris at mary@SYVHA.com or calling 805-325-3528 or downloading the application PDF at www.SYVHA.com.

SYVHA community grant funds are to be used for out-of-Santa Barbara County area advertising/publicity and must include reference to overnight hotel stays, including the website (www.SYVHA.com.) and logo. Preference is given to activities which occur in the Sunday-Thursday time frame and in the slower hotel occupancy seasons, generally January through April and September through November. New events are welcome, but established events may also be supported, particularly if they show evidence of “stretching” to include part of the Sunday -Thursday time frame. Grant amounts are in the $1,000 – $5,000 range.

In 2012, SYVHA awarded a total of $66,300 in community grants to non-profit organizations in the area. During 2011, the first year of SYVHA Community Grants, a total of $74,600 was awarded.

The following organizations/events were awarded grants in 2012 (listed alphabetically by organization):

1. Buellton Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau 1st Annual Buellton BrewFest (May 12, 2012)

2. Buellton Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau Buellton WinterFest (December 2, 2012)

3. Buellton Rotary Club 3rd Annual Central Coaster Car Show (June 8-10, 2012)

4. Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club 66th Annual Old Days Celebration (September 28-30, 2012)

5. Los Olivos Business Organization (2013 Events)

6. Santa Barbara County Vintners Association Celebration of Harvest (October 12-15, 2012)

7. Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum 28th Vaquero Show & Sale (November 8-11, 2012)

8. Santa Ynez Valley Rotary Club Independence Day Festival & Fireworks (July 4, 2012)

9. Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association 2nd Annual Trails Week (June 2-10, 2012)

10. Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association 3rd Annual Restaurant Week (January 20-26, 2013)

11. Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association Wine Collectors Week (September 8-16, 2012)

12. Solvang 3rd Wednesday 2nd Annual Scarecrow Contest (October-November 2012)

13. Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau 21st Annual Taste of Solvang (March 13-17, 2013)

14. Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau Annual Julefest (December 1-31, 2012)

15. Solvang Danish Days Foundation 76th Annual Celebration (September 14-16, 2012)

16. Wildling Museum 8th Annual Artists’ Studio Tour (October 28-30, 2012)

Current members of the Santa Ynez Valley Hotel Association Board of Directors are President Mike Hendrick (Santa Ynez Valley Marriott; Buellton); Secretary Linda Johansen (Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn, Buellton and King Frederik Inn, Solvang); Treasurer Douglas Ziegler (Santa Ynez Inn, Santa Ynez); Jim Colvin (Hotel Corque, Solvang); Bent Olsen (Solvang Inn & Cottages; Solvang) Jessy Osehan (Hamlet Inn, Solvang) and Christine Forsythe (Ballard Inn & Restaurant, Ballard).

SYVHA was formed in 2010 and is comprised of 32 member hotels in the communities of Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Los Alamos, Buellton and Ballard to administer funds collected by the Santa Ynez Valley Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) promoting overnight stays and economic vitality in the region.

For more information about the Santa Ynez Valley Hotel Association, please contact Executive Director Mary Harris at 805- 325-3528 or mary@SYVHA.com or visit www.SYVHA.com.

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