The Geneva City Council has approved an expansion of its Destination Geneva grant program, where local nonprofits can apply for grants from $2,500 up to $10,000 for events that bring people for overnight stays in the city.

Applicants should seek to improve the city’s destination appeal with projects or events that result in increased visits and overnight stays.

“An earlier iteration of the program was approved in May of 2025 in furtherance of the city’s 2030 strategic plan goal of purposeful growth and economic vitality,” City Administrator Alex Voigt said. “We believe the program also supports the strategic plan goals of strong governance and inform and engage by promoting a consistent, transparent and equitable process open to all qualifying organizations in Geneva.”

The reimbursement funding for the $10,000 grants and smaller $2,500 grants will come from the hotel-motel tax revenue – about $340,000 – which has legal restrictions for bringing overnight guests.

The expanded grant program will have a budget of $75,000 total, with $50,000 for the $10,000 reimbursement and up to six $2,500 grants, Voigt said at the committee meeting.

City staff incorporated alderpersons’ feedback from the May 11 special Committee of the Whole to bring the completed proposal forward for final approval.

The Economic Development staff will review applications and provide a numeric score of 20 as a minimum and a maximum of 30, according to the program. The City Council will make the final determination of who would qualify for the grants, officials said.

The expansion of Destination Geneva grants is intended to open up funding opportunities to more local organizations. Groups that host more than one event per year are eligible to receive more than one grant, as long as the legal requirements are met for using hotel-motel tax funds, documents show.

The Council action follows a special Committee of the Whole May 11 where alderpersons heard a presentation about the program from city attorney Scott Fintzen.

On Monday, alderpersons voted 7-2 to approve, with 2nd Ward Alderperson Richard Marks and 3rd Ward Alderperson Dean Kilburg casting the two no votes; 2nd Ward Alderperson Bradley Kosirog was absent.

The application for Destination Geneva grants can be viewed at geneva.il.us from pages 102 to 111 of the board meeting packet.