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 events taking place in 2027 will open September 1, 2026.
Ad-Hoc District Development Sponsorship Application
The Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce and Stay Healdsburg encourage all event and program sponsorship requests to be submitted during the annual District Development funding cycle each September, which allocates funding for the following calendar year.
This Ad-Hoc District Development Sponsorship Application exists to accommodate new events or initiatives that were not yet formed during the annual application period, or for organizations that experienced extenuating circumstances and missed the deadline. Those who fit this criteria can APPLY HERE.
Submission of this application does not guarantee funding. All requests are subject to review and approval by the District Development Committee and the Healdsburg Chamber Board of Directors, and must meet the established funding criteria.
After submitting your application, you must email info@healdsburg.com to be considered and to schedule a time to present your request before the District Development Committee and/or Chamber Board.
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.
Beginning in the fall of 2025, we will move to a single application window each September for funding of all events taking place the following calendar year. For example, applications for events in 2027 will open in September 2026 and be approved by October 2026. Following the 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?
