Olympia Lodging Tax Committee to review 39 tourism funding proposals for 2026

Olympia’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee is set to review nearly $1.8 million in funding requests from local organizations seeking support for projects and services in 2026.

The advisory committee received 39 applications totaling $1,773,828. Each year, the committee evaluates applications and makes recommendations to the city council on allocating a portion of Olympia’s lodging tax revenues.

The advisory committee meets in Room 212 at Olympia City Hall at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct 15.

The finance department projects $625,000 in new lodging tax revenue for 2026, with an estimated $1.17 million in fund reserves available at the start of the year.

According to a staff report, $234,000 of the lodging tax fund is already reserved for projects that were approved earlier.

A diverse mix of local organizations applied for support. This year, the advisory committee received 10 new applicants, eight race or sporting events, six music-focused events, nine community festivals and seven tourism destination projects.

Major requests include:

• Olympia Farmers Market - $166,440 for event operations and marketing
• Bizzy Bee Events - $110,000 for marketing
• South Sound Maritime Heritage Association (Harbor Days) - $110,000
• Team Tomorrow (South Sound Block Party) - $100,000
• Le Voyeur Punk Museum - $97,511 for year-round music events
• Miss Washington Scholarship Organization - $80,000 for statewide pageant events
• South Sound Estuary Association - $75,000 for Puget Sound Estuarium operations and marketing
• Harlequin Productions - $75,000 for marketing and operations
• Olympia Arts and Heritage Alliance - $75,000 for the Oly AHA! Museum and Visitor Center
• Park Foundation (Ecstatic Sound Collective) - $75,000 for the Olympia Funk Festival

Smaller funding requests come from community and cultural organizers, such as the Mongolian Cultural Center ($15,000) and the PARC Foundation’s Tenino Stone Carvers Guild ($3,400). The athletic event groups requesting money are Olympia Community Sailing ($6,000) and Rock Candy Running’s trail races ($1,000-$5,000).

The city opened the application period for 2026 tourism service proposals on June 27. Applications were due by Sept. 19.