2025 Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Grants NOFA

Background
The City of East Palo Alto is issuing the 2025 Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Grants Program to provide financial support to non-profit organizations that offer enrichment programs and services for children, youth, families, and seniors.

The TOT funds are generated from a hotel tax, with 10% allocated specifically for services benefiting children, youth, and families. For the fiscal year 2025-26, the City Council has preliminarily approved $350,000 in total funding, with individual grants not exceeding $75,000 per organization. The program aims to expand beyond summer programming to include year-round activities that benefit East Palo Alto residents.

Work Details
The grant program supports Community-Based Organizations and non-profits serving East Palo Alto residents. Eligible applicants must be registered 501(c)(3) organizations or those serving the community. The funding can be used for various activities aimed at improving access and quality of programs for children, youth, families, and seniors.

Applicants must demonstrate measurable improvements in their proposed programs. Each organization can request up to $75,000 for the fiscal year or $20,000 for a single season (four months or less). Grantees are required to track client demographics and service hours and conduct client satisfaction surveys during the grant term.

Period of Performance
The grant applications are due by April 25, 2025. The funding timeline includes:
- Notice of funding availability released on March 24, 2025
- Mandatory pre-submission orientation on April 4, 2025
- Application review from April 28 to May 1, 2025
- Award announcements on May 20, 2025.

Place of Performance
The services funded by this grant must be provided within East Palo Alto.