Jazz will again make itself heard in Healdsburg this June, songwriters will gather in the vineyards in July and Santa will light the Holiday tree—all thanks in part to the Chamber of Commerce’s Stay Healdsburg grants.
Healdsburg Jazz received $20,000 from Stay Healdsburg to help it produce the annual Healdsburg Jazz Festival from June 13-22 this summer, the largest grant this year. Right behind that is the city’s own Merry Healdsburg event, a one-day holiday extravaganza that’s budgeted for $65,000 but will receive $15,000 from Stay Healdsburg.
Those are the biggest recipients of Stay Healdsburg “sponsorships” this year, followed by several $5,000 recipients for other events that take place between May and October 2025. These include the projected October opening of the True West Film Center, and a third return of the Songwriters in Paradise “SIP” to Healdsburg.
Notably absent from this year’s list of awardees is the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience. It received a hefty $30,000 in funding last year, but this year Chamber support is more limited, at least on the surface.
“We’re excited to participate in the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience as an exhibitor with a booth, and are sponsoring the event in that capacity rather than through District Development sponsorships,” said Jessica Bohon, Stay Healdsburg’s director of tourism and marketing.
Then there is the return of Edge Esmeralda, a month-long extended experience “that showcases Healdsburg’s walkable charm, culinary excellence, and natural beauty while introducing a new type of visitor to the region,” in the words of the application. The application period fell between Feb. 14 and March 7.
A little less “edgy” would be Design Healdsburg 2025, also a $5,000 awardee. The three-day event in October promises to “shine a light on local talent and products, focused on Interiors, Architecture, Landscape, Lighting and Art which will take place in Healdsburg annually.” The event is planning 350 participants to eat in various restaurants, gather at assorted venues and, most importantly, stay at local lodgings.
Please, Stay
That’s the key to Stay Healdsburg and its sponsorship grants: room stays, or more colorfully, heads in beds. There are 35 member lodging properties in the city limits on the Stay Healdsburg rolls, and even though tourism has been a bit off the last couple years, there is still high demand for Healdsburg stays.
“We are committed to creating these experiences that bring people together to create lasting memories in our beautiful town of Healdsburg, all while supporting those who make a positive impact in our community,” said the Chamber’s CEO, Tallia Hart.
Taken all together, this season’s sponsorships total $95,000, a generous figure that’s down a bit from last year. The equivalent funding period in 2024 saw about $120,000 distributed altogether to 13 recipients. This year the 95 grand is spread among 20 recipients, with many smaller applicants who might not have made the cut in recent years being awarded amounts of $1,000 and up.
These biannual sponsorships from the Healdsburg Tourism Improvement District or HTID are funded from the local hospitality industry’s annual bed tax receipts. The HTID assessment is 2% in addition to the city’s 14% Transient Occupancy Tax, or TOT. The TOT is currently 14%, with most of it going to the city’s Community Services department, though 2% goes to Healdsburg Police and Fire Departments and 2% to the affordable housing fund.
Successful Applicants
For the most part the list of Stay Healdsburg-sponsored events is familiar from years past, with relative newcomers like the Bloodroot Ramble (awarded $4,000) and various events at The 222 ($3,000), as well as the Raven Theater Concert Season ($2,000), the Healdsburg Museum’s upcoming exhibitions ($1,500) and several wine-tasting events.
The traditional recipients of Chamber support have returned in stronger numbers this time, including Russian River Watershed Cleanup ($1,000) and the Healdsburg FFC Fair and Parade, which is only a month away ($1,000).
Once again Tuesdays in the Plaza is husbanding the glow of another $5,000 sponsorship, the same amount as last year though down from the $15,000 awarded in 2023.
Taken all together, it’s notable that the biggest single day with Stay Healdsburg support is July 4: the July 4th Kids Parade, Community Celebration and Duck Dash garnered a $4,500 grant, as did the American Legion and City of Healdsburg 4th of July Fireworks. That’s $9,000 for a single summer day—but it’s in Healdsburg.
Sponsorships for Winter 2025/Spring 2026 will open in summer 2025 and be available at stayhealdsburg.com.
