The Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax (LART) is a tax collected from visitors when they stay at local hotels or rent cars that is reinvested back into our community. The funding generated from LART is currently used to drive additional revenue-generating tourism in the city through promotion, city improvements, and the production of events.
As part of the City’s efforts to build a more collaborative and cohesive citywide strategy for tourism and visitation, a new process has been established to evaluate funding applications starting for all 2026 events and projects.
The City of Colorado Springs Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax (LART) fund is administered by the City of Colorado Springs with support from Tourism Sector Entities (TSEs) and the guidance of the LART Citizen Advisory Committee. The purpose of LART is to provide funds for marketing and other qualified expenses to support events or projects that attract visitors to Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region, encourage tourist activity, and provide economic and cultural benefits.
Mission
To attract visitors and to enhance the economy of the City and the Pikes Peak Region.
—City Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax Ordinance, 1968
Support from the LART fund is contingent on the approval of the City’s annual budget and completion of all required contracts, agreements, and follow-up reporting on the part of applicants.
Each applicant is responsible for the full review of this webpage in order to complete the LART Funding Application.
2027 LART Grant Application Info
The 2027 grant application will open on April 20, 2026.
Eligibility
Attractions, associations, organizations, or governmental/quasi-governmental agencies are eligible to apply for funding. Nonprofit organizations must provide proof of nonprofit status. Events or projects must be planned, produced, and promoted within a well-defined period and can be one-time or recurring (annual).
New to the 2026 application cycle, four tourism impact pillars with specific eligibility criteria that must be met to receive LART funding have been established: (1) tourist attractions and economic development; (2) arts and cultural destinations; (3) sports and community events; and (4) outdoor recreation.
Additionally, five tourism sector entities have leveraged their expertise to create an industry-specific strategy for their pillar and will review applications against rubrics with oversight from the LART Citizens’ Advisory Committee and City Council.
The four tourism impact pillars and the associated tourism sector entities are as follows:
Tourist Attractions and Economic Development
An event that could provide opportunity to promote and position the region outside of Colorado Springs to potential future event opportunities, could earn positive regional and/or national media coverage, and enhance the tourism industry of the City and Region.
Tourist Attraction and Quality of Life Rubric
Tourism Sector Entities
Arts and Cultural Destinations
A large-scale event focused on creative or cultural expression, that advance the cultural destination of Colorado Springs.
Arts and Cultural Destination Rubric
Tourism Sector Entity
Outdoor Recreation
Projects that enhance visitor experiences, provide universal and equitable access, and generate economic benefits through the design, rehabilitation, preservation or construction of outdoor or parkland resources and infrastructure.
Tourism Sector Entity
Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (PRCS)
Sports and Community Events
A large-scale sporting and/or community event or sports/recreation initiative with the goal of economic impact or sport development in the Pikes Peak region.
Sports and Community Events Rubric
Tourism Sector Entity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the timeline for the LART grant application process?
Applications will open in spring of 2026. If you would like to be notified when the application opens, please email the LART Administrator at LARTAdministrator@coloradosprings.gov.
What do I need before filling out an application?
All applicants must be willing to provide the following documents and/or attachments while filling out the LART application:
- Verification of non-profit status, preferably a copy of IRS documentation (if applicable)
- Completed W9
- Organization overview, including date founded and purpose or mission statement (1 page maximum)
- A detailed annual budget:
- Event specific: All event applications should submit a complete event budget outlining relevant expenditures for funding requests
- Non-event specific: Applications for non-events or capital projects should include a complete, detailed annual organizational budget.
- All applicants must list in-kind contributions as well as a list of other funding sources.
- List of members of the applicants' board of directors (if applicable)
- A summary explaining the primary benefits of applicant event/project as it relates to LART funding, including:
- Event schedule, dates, duration, frequency, and venues
- Method for calculating number of attendees (surveys, ticket sales, gate entry, participation fees, etc.)
- Method for estimating hotel room nights and car rentals (if not applicable, please specify)
- A marketing plan, to include planned advertising, media exposure, and other promotion for the event/project.
If the organization receives a grant, what are the next steps?
If an organization receives a grant, they will be contacted by the LART Administrator in October as notification of grant pending City Council approving the annual budget. Once the budget is approved, LART Administrator will contact the grantee in January to sign the LART Grant Agreement. The award funding will be disbursed following the completion of the agreement at the start of 2027.
Do organizations receive partial funding?
Yes, it is common for organizations to receive partial funding. Due to limited funds, not all grant applicants can be funded or even fully funded. The TSE may allocate partial funding based on the merit and potential impact of the application.
What is an event impact calculator and rubric?
Based upon the information provided by the grant applicant in the application, two tools are utilized by each TSE to evaluate potential impact. An estimated economic event impact calculator (administered by VisitCOS) is used by summing direct and indirect event impacts. This tool is utilized by over 300 destination organizations worldwide and is the global standard for measuring net new money coming to a community through events. The tool uses detailed user inputs, organized into four key areas: attendee demographics, event characteristics, financial details, and destination-specific data, to generate a comprehensive analysis of an event's economic impact. These include items such as ticket prices, hotel room nights generated, total spending, etc. A rubric is a scoring guide used to evaluate the quality and impact of grant proposals based on specific criteria.
How are these tools used by the tourism sector entities to make the funding decision?
All tourism sector entities (TSEs) use the rubric to evaluate their designated grant applications. While the rubric score itself does not determine the grant award or guarantee funding, it plays a major role in helping the TSE determine whether or not an event is ultimately awarded a grant. Additionally, the economic impact calculation provides key insight into the potential economic impact of an event. This calculation is a data point to assist in the funding determination.
What is the City Code for LART?
2.9.101: TITLE:
This article may be known and cited as the CITY LODGERS AND AUTOMOBILE RENTAL TAX ORDINANCE. (1968 Code §3-210; Ord. 78-245; Ord. 01-42)
2.9.102: PURPOSE:
The purpose of this tax shall be to attract visitors and to enhance the economy of the City and the Pikes Peak Region. Revenues allocated to the special fund created in section 2.9.107 of this article shall first be allocated to any contracts for visitor promotion, which are entered into pursuant to section 2.9.111 of this article. Revenues allocated to the special fund created in section 2.9.107 of this article not obligated under the terms of any contract entered into pursuant to section 2.9.111 of this article may be used for the purposes provided herein or may be retained in the special fund, at the discretion of City Council.
Will there be more opportunities to apply if I am not awarded or if I miss the deadline?
No. There will not be an opportunity for off-cycle funding applications.
What if my application falls into multiple categories?
If your application falls into multiple categories, please indicate the category it aligns with best. Applications will be reviewed using one rubric and will not be scored under multiple rubrics.
Are there word limits on the application?
Yes there are varying word and character limits on the application. Please keep all answers concise yet informative.
What if I have more than one event?
You will need to submit a separate application for each event. Applications which include more than 1 event will be deemed ineligible. Please contact the LART Administrator if you have questions about your specific application.
Should I invite the LART Committee to my event?
Historically LART Advisory Committee members to any LART events to avoid conflicts of interests under the City Code of Ethics.
Contact
A LART administrator has been hired as a single point of contact for applicants and will help ensure funded entities are adhering to reporting requirements, meeting established key performance indicators, and being good stewards of public funding:
Abigail Schrock, LART Administrator
LARTadministrator@ColoradoSprings.gov