The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 21 approved proposed revisions to the county's transient‑occupancy‑tax (TOT) grant allocation policy, changes the county said align program expectations with recent award patterns and increase flexibility for nonprofit grantees.

Amanda Thomas, the county's chief fiscal officer, told the board the three principal changes are: (1) lowering the maximum award per application in the competitive TOT grant program from $50,000 to $35,000 (this change applies only to the central competitive program and does not affect district‑level TOT community funds); (2) permitting grantees to request an advance payment of up to $10,000 with written justification and a repayment plan (additional amounts would be paid on reimbursement); and (3) awarding the full $1 million program via district direction by allocating $200,000 to each supervisorial district for local ranking and awards rather than keeping $500,000 for an expert panel review.

Thomas said the changes reflect historical award amounts, promote accessibility for organizations that lack cash flow for initial program launch, and will be implemented for the 2026 grant cycle beginning Jan. 5, 2026. The board voted to adopt the revisions.