Tourism Leadership Council Community Preservation Fund
Your visit is helping keep Savannah welcoming for the people who live here, the students who will serve here, and the neighbors who need a hand.
Thank you for being part of this.
If you noticed a $1 Community Preservation Fee on your folio or receipt, that small contribution is already at work in Savannah.
Participating lodging and other local businesses add the fee automatically. It is entirely voluntary, and it can be removed at any time with a simple request. Local community members decide where the money goes.
Where your dollar goes
We are just getting started, and the Community Preservation Fund is already making a big, tangible impact. Every contribution is directed to three community priorities chosen by the local community.
Care for neighbors experiencing homelessness
The Fund recently awarded $150,000 to Union Mission’s Emmaus House Resource Center, a new one-stop hub at 127 Fahm Street. Opened in June 2026, the 8,200-square-foot center can serve up to 200 people a day.
Under one roof, neighbors can find meals, medical care, showers and laundry, job readiness, counseling, and help finding housing, with dignity, and without being sent across town for the next step.
Demand has grown sharply. Union Mission’s day-center attendance rose 167% in two years, and Emmaus House served 468 individuals in 2025. Targeted support like this makes a real impact in the lives of others.
The next generation of hospitality talent
The Tourism Leadership Council has awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships to local students preparing for careers in hotels, restaurants, culinary arts, and tourism. The Community Preservation Fund grows that pipeline.
Recipients attend Savannah State University, Georgia Southern University, Savannah Technical College, the University of Georgia, the University of South Carolina Beaufort, Ogeechee Technical College, and other area schools. Several former scholars now own and operate their own tourism businesses.
Your visit helps them stay in school, and stay in Savannah.
A stronger community story
Tourism is one of coastal Georgia’s great engines of jobs and small-business opportunity. Our fund helps share the real economic and quality-of-life contributions of your visit: the paychecks, the neighborhoods, and the reasons Savannah remains a place people love to visit and call home.
When the community understands what tourism gives back, Savannah stays a more hospitable place for everyone.
Faces of the scholarship program
TLC scholarships are paid directly to students and can be used for tuition, housing, supplies, and living expenses. Recent recipients include:
“You just always want to show kindness, just being a Southern gentleman. Just wanted to let people feel welcome.” Elijah Jones · Savannah State University · TLC scholarship recipient
How the Community Preservation Fee works
Simple for guests
- A small fee is automatically added
- Removed upon request. No questions asked.
- One mention to a team member is all it takes
Simple for businesses
- Collected through existing PMS/POS processes
- Remitted to the Fund with a simple monthly report
- No audit obligation, because participation is voluntary
- Directed by our local community stakeholders
Savannah’s welcome is not an accident.
It is the work of front-line teams, students learning the craft, and neighbors looking out for one another. The Community Preservation Fee is a simple way for visitors to reinvest a modest portion of their visit into the people and places that make that welcome possible.
If you have questions about the fee or would like it removed, please speak with a member of the team. We’re glad you asked, and grateful you chose Savannah.
Questions? Contact TLC