261—42.3 (15) Program eligibility and application requirements.
	   42.3(1) Eligibility. To be eligible under the program, an applicant shall meet all of the following requirements:
	      a.    	 The applicant must be a tourism-related entity based in the state of Iowa, including a nonprofit or for-profit organization, city, county, or regional government or planning entity.
	      b.    	 The applicant shall demonstrate an amount of local match equal to at least 25 percent of the amount of grant funds to be received by the applicant under the program. The local match shall be in the form of cash.
	      c.    	 The applicant shall submit a completed application, including all of the information described in subrule 42.3(2).
	      d.    	 The applicant shall submit the application on or before the application deadline established in subrule 42.3(3).
	   42.3(2) Application requirements. When submitting an application for grant funds under the program, an applicant shall include all of the following information:
	      a.    	 The applicant’s name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone number, contact person, and federal employer identification number. If the application is a collaborative application, the head applicant shall identify itself and provide the names of all partner applicants.
	      b.    	 A detailed description of the project, including an explanation of how the project either markets tourism in Iowa or is a tourism-related meeting, event or professional development opportunity, and an explanation of how state funds will support the project.
	      c.    	 Documentation that the grant request is consistent with the cost of implementing the project.
	      d.    	 Written documentation establishing the amount and source of the required local cash match.
	      e.    	 Detailed information sufficient to enable the authority to accurately assess the impact and quality of the project described in the application. Such information shall include how the project is part of an overall plan to increase tourism locally and in the state of Iowa.
	      f.    	 If the applicant is an event, attraction, restaurant or lodging facility, then the applicant must provide verification that the information about the applicant has been updated at or added to the authority’s Web site, www.traveliowa.com, within the 18 months preceding the application deadline. The authority may waive this requirement at its sole discretion.
	   42.3(3) Deadlines. The authority will only consider applications received on or before the applicable deadline. The deadline shall be 4:30 p.m.	the first Monday in August of each fiscal year unless the authority, at its sole discretion, provides a different deadline for the submission of applications. The authority may provide a different deadline for the program as a whole, but the authority will not change the deadline at the request of any individual applicant. The authority will develop an application process and post all relevant application information, including deadline changes, on its Internet site at www.traveliowa.com.
[ARC 1493C, IAB 6/11/14, effective 5/19/14]