The Hilton Head Island Town Council on Dec. 9 approved the accommodations‑tax advisory committee’s recommendation to award $4,076,992 to 35 applicants for calendar year 2026 grant funding, following committee deliberations and multiple rounds of adjustment to match available allocations.

Finance Director Dave Byrd summarized the process, saying 37 applicants applied, one withdrew and one was denied. The ATAC process produced recommendations after multiple rounds of review; committee members and staff sought to balance tourism‑yielding applicants with cultural organizations that meet strategic priorities.

Council moved to approve the slate with one item — the Lowcountry Golf Course Owners Association — pulled for additional discussion. That separate motion drew debate: Councilmember Bryson argued parts of the town’s marketing priorities favor history, arts and ecotourism and proposed cutting the Lowcountry Golf recommendation from $100,000 to $50,000 and redistributing $50,000 among several cultural organizations. Other councilmembers and committee members said the Lowcountry Golf request and the DMO’s role in marketing supported local economic drivers and merited the committee’s $100,000 recommendation.

After discussion the council approved the full committee recommendation for Lowcountry Golf by a 6‑1 vote. Council approved the remainder of the recommended grants in bulk (vote recorded as 7‑0 earlier in the session).

The grants list includes arts groups, heritage organizations, festivals and events the town has supported through ATAX in prior years; the finance director said award adjustments were made in part where applicants’ reporting lacked tourism‑specific metrics. Council amended the resolution’s carryforward language to specify that any unspent amounts at year‑end be carried forward into the ATAX grant awards category for the following year. Council asked legal and staff to refine language in the formal resolution to reflect that intent.

Council members and staff said the awards try to strike a balance between tourist‑driven revenue generators and cultural organizations that contribute to the town’s identity. The full grants list and award amounts are part of the council packet.