Applications are now being accepted for the next round of the Carbon County Hotel Tax Grant.

Kathy Henderson, director of economic development for the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation, announced last week that the new application for the grant has been approved by all parties involved and is now available to nonprofit organizations that wish to apply for funds for tourism-related projects.The application deadline for the spring round is April 30.CCEDC oversees grant applications on behalf of the county commissioners. Following the deadline, the corporation turns over submissions to the Room Tax Allocation Committee, which determines which projects will receive funding.To date, Carbon County has distributed over $800,000 to various nonprofits to help promote tourism in the county. Some past grant recipients include Lansford Alive, Summit Hill Heritage Center, Carbon County Lion/Lioness Fair Association, Bear Mountain Sanctuary Foundation and Lehigh Gap Nature Center.Funds for the grant come from a 3 percent hotel excise tax that is collected on room rentals in hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts and resorts in Carbon.In 2007, the commissioners negotiated that of the money collected through the tax, Carbon would receive 50 percent of the funds. Of that, 20 percent is used for improvements to Mauch Chunk Lake Park, 28 percent goes into the hotel tax grant funds and 2 percent goes toward administration fees.The remaining 50 percent goes to the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau to help with promoting the area to visitors.Henderson said that CCEDC will be holding a workshop for nonprofits on how to fill out the new application. That workshop will take place at 5:30 p.m. April 4 at the CCEDC office in Lehighton.For more information on the grant, visit

www.carboncountychamber.org/pages/HotelTaxGrant or call CCEDC at 610-379-5000.