Applying for certain Richland County grants will soon be easier thanks to a new electronic application process.

ZoomGrants, an online application management system, will be the County's preferred method for applying for Accommodations tax, Discretionary grants and Hospitality tax grants next year. The program replaces the traditional paper process and allows the County to serve residents more efficiently. ZoomGrants reduces the amount of staff time required to process grant applications, which helps save taxpayer dollars, and streamlines the grant-seeking process by eliminating paper trails.

“ZoomGrants is a very user-friendly program that will make applying for these three grants easier for everyone,” said Richland County Grants Manager Natashia Dozier.

Beginning in fiscal year 2018, ZoomGrants will be the only way to apply for Accommodations tax, Discretionary grants and Hospitality tax grants. Other Richland County grants will continue to use their traditional application process, for now.

A direct link for creating a ZoomGrants account will be posted on the Richland County Grants webpage before the next grant cycle opens on Jan. 2, 2017, for Accommodations tax, Discretionary grants and Hospitality tax grants. Applicants who don't have access to a computer can make arrangements to use one at the County Administration Building by contacting Dozier at dozien@rcgov.us or 803-576-2069.