Airbnb: Rural Tourism Fund Terms and Conditions

The Airbnb Rural Tourism Fund; (the “Fund”) will support initiatives across rural Ireland that promote local communities and preserve and promote Irish Cultural heritage. The Fund is promoted and presented by Airbnb Ireland UC (“Airbnb” “we”). Further detail about the Fund can be found here; (the “Site”)

1. Application

a. By applying for the Fund, you agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions (“Terms").
b. Airbnb may request valid proof of eligibility and other relevant documentation, including with respect to the identity of individuals and corporate organisations, and Airbnb may disqualify an applicant or participant at any time without notice for any reason, including, without limitation, if Airbnb determines (in its sole discretion) that the provided proof is not sufficient, you do not otherwise meet the Fund’s eligibility criteria, or you fail to comply with these Terms or attempt in any way to disrupt or undermine the Fund or to circumvent any of these Terms.

2. Eligibility and Judging Criteria

The purpose of the application process is to identify the Applicants who will be awarded a grant (“Successful Applicants”). Eligible persons (“Applicants”), who meet the eligibility criteria set out in the Terms, may submit their application from 12:00 GMT on 7 April to 11:59pm GMT on 30 June 2025.

Applicants must have access to the Internet in order to enter the Competition.

Applications received after 11:59pm GMT on 30 June 2025 or submitted by any other means will not be considered and will be automatically ignored.

a. Applicant Eligibility; Applicants must be over 18, reside in the Republic of Ireland, and their organisation must have an Irish bank account to receive funds.
b. Organisation Eligibility; Applications must come from a recognised group or organisation rather than individual operators acting alone. We welcome applications from a wide range of bodies, including but not limited to community organisations, non-profits, small businesses, social enterprises, and cultural or heritage groups.
c. Project/Initiative Eligibility; Projects or initiatives must be based in Rural Ireland (the Republic) or contribute to rural tourism in the Republic of Ireland. We understand that the definition of ‘Rural Ireland’ could be subjective, so as a guideline, initiatives based exclusively in Dublin or Galway city would not be eligible. However, projects in towns like Wexford or Letterkenny that support the wider rural tourism economy would be welcome.

Projects or initiatives must relate to one of the following:

i) Local Tourism: Initiatives that support rural tourism or organisations working in rural tourism
ii) Festivals, Events, and Experiences: Events, festivals, or experiences that bring communities together and showcase rural areas
iii) Cultural Heritage & Preservation: Projects that protect, restore, or celebrate Ireland’s culture, history and heritage

d. Judging Criteria; Applications will be judged based on their level of innovation, creativity, practicality, ability to showcase the unique heritage of the area, and the clarity and feasibility of the proposal.

e. Winner Selection; The initial screening will be conducted by an internal Airbnb project team, ensuring alignment with the Eligibility Criteria outlined in the Terms. Applications shortlisted by the initial screening, will be invited to submit a more detailed Proposal, and following the submission of the Proposal, will be considered by a panel of judges consisting of three (3) members (“Judges”), comprised of 1 Representative of Airbnb and 2 Host “Community Leaders”, who are volunteers that serve as leaders in local host clubs, create connections and provide support for Airbnb hosts. At the discretion of Airbnb additional judges may be added to the panel as necessary. The decisions of the Judges are final and binding.

2. Application process

a. Applicants should complete the online application form, submitting a statement outlining their project and its anticipated impact on the community and cultural heritage (“Application”).
b. Airbnb will not be responsible for any lost, delayed, misdirected, incomprehensible, or incomplete applications.
c. Airbnb will consider the Applications received at its discretion and will notify shortlisted applicants by email and/or phone by 14 July, 2025 within one month of the deadline closing. If you are a shortlisted Applicant, you will be invited to prepare and submit a comprehensive proposal (in a format provided to you by Airbnb) (“Proposal”) which must be received by Airbnb by 28 July, 2025.
d. Airbnb will then select the Proposals we would like to offer funding for. Successful Applicants will be informed by email and/or phone on 11 August, 2025. Successful Applicants, (subject to compliance with the Terms and the Eligibility Criteria) will receive their funding by 29 September, 2025. Airbnb reserves the right to amend this timeline at its discretion. The Judging Panel will assess the Applications on their merit and their decision will be final. Airbnb is under no obligation to fund any Application as part of the Fund. Airbnb will not be obliged to provide any feedback on why a particular Application has or has not been successful.
f. Applicants must ensure that their Application or Proposal, as applicable, does not:

i. contain, depict, imply, or refer (explicitly or otherwise) to any content that: is inappropriate, objectionable, or unsuitable; disparage or refer negatively to Airbnb, the Fund, or any other person or entity; unnecessarily refer to any third party (person or entity); or violate any law or any third party’s intellectual property, privacy, personality, or other rights (“Third-Party Rights”)
ii. conflict with Airbnb’s brand guidelines, or positioning, and is not otherwise likely to be objectionable to Airbnb; and
iii. contain malicious code, create an information security risk, or otherwise compromise the integrity of the solution or related software, data, or property, whether alone or integrated with any Airbnb experience, product or service.

g. The following are examples of applications which Airbnb will not consider as part of the Fund:

i. applications that are not from Eligible Applicants (and any applications from outside of Ireland will not be accepted);
ii. requests for funding for operating costs;
iii. projects that do not reflect Airbnb’s mission of creating a world where anyone can belong anywhere and feel welcomed, respected, appreciated for who we are, no matter where we might be or do not comply with these Terms;
iv. projects that propagate a particular religious faith, or that are restricted to one religion or denomination, activities that propagate or support a political party, affiliation, or political candidate; memorials; and
v. requests for support of fundraising events, speaking events, and travel costs - except where a successful applicant has been invited by Airbnb for a specific event/ meeting.

3. Grants

a. Approximately 10-20 Successful Applications which are offered funding in accordance with these Terms will be selected, and may be offered amounts up to Euros 10,000. At the strict discretion of Airbnb, we reserve the right to award amounts in excess of this if deemed appropriate to individual applications.
b. Any offer of funding by Airbnb must be wholly and exclusively applied to the project set out in the successful Proposal, and may not be used for any other purpose. You may be required to enter into a further contract with Airbnb which specifies project expectations, as well as how such funding may be used, when it will be given, and the circumstances in which such funding may be withdrawn.

4. Obligations of applicants

a. Shortlisted applicants must not issue any press release or make any public statement about the Fund or Application without Airbnb’s prior written consent (and failure to do so could result in your disqualification).&
b. By submitting an Application or Proposal, as applicable:

i. you agree to comply with all applicable laws, these Terms, and any other guidelines or instructions provided to you by Airbnb in connection with the Fund;

ii. you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind you, your entity (if applicable) and its participants to these Terms and take full responsibility for doing so; and

iii. you agree that all decisions of Airbnb and the Judging Panel are final and binding on you, your entity (if applicable), and its participants.

c. To the extent that there is any inconsistency between these Terms and any Fund-related materials, including but not limited to social media, website content, and television, print, or online advertising, these Terms shall govern.

5. Licences and Permits

By submitting an Application, Applicant grant Airbnb a non-exclusive, perpetual (i.e. for the duration of the protection afforded by the relevant intellectual property rights), worldwide, irrevocable, fully paid-up and royalty-free licence to transform, edit, modify, reproduce, distribute, sub-license, transmit, publish, communicate to the public, broadcast, exhibit, display or otherwise use their Application, in whole or in part, with or without modification, in any format or medium (including: Internet, any print media distributed in print, billboards, point-of-sale advertising, flyers, brochures, etc.) existing or hereafter developed, for any purpose, including entertainment, promotion, and/or advertising. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Applicant agrees to waive in favour of the Airbnb to refrain from asserting or invoking any so-called moral rights in relation to the Application (including the right to be identified as the creator of the work and the right to object to derogatory treatment of the work). By participating, you warrant and certify the originality of your Application, as set forth above, and that you have all necessary rights and consents, including approval of exchange control where required, to submit your Application and grant each of Airbnb the rights set forth in these Official Rules, as well as to have the consent of any person identified, depicted or mentioned in the Application. In accordance with the provisions of the law of the competent jurisdiction, the Applicant shall indemnify and hold harmless Airbnb from any liability for any violation of these provisions.

By submitting an Application, the Applicant agrees to be contacted by Airbnb in relation to the Fund and; agrees to provide documents reasonably requested in support of your Application, including signed releases, consent forms, and eligibility documents as requested; grants Airbnb the right to process your personal data in accordance with the Privacy Policy and the Supplemental Privacy Policy; agrees to participate in any subsequent publicity; agrees to be filmed, photographed and otherwise recorded (including voice, image, appearance, performance, etc.) in connection with the Fund including recording any statements about the Fund and Airbnb. Such recordings may be used by Airbnb for any promotional or other purposes on an ongoing basis throughout the world. The Successful Applicants will have no rights to such materials.

6. General Disclaimer

Except as required by any applicable binding laws, the Fund will be administered as set forth in these Terms and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, are offered as is, without any express or implied warranties or conditions. This Fund may be subject to binding local laws and regulations, including tax laws. The Winners are solely responsible for any taxes or contributions applicable to or resulting therefrom in their respective participation in the Fund.

By submitting an Application, the Applicants release Airbnb from any liability whatsoever and waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any claim or action arising out of or in connection with the Competition, its administration and/or redemption of the Fund (including any travel or activities related thereto). However, nothing in these Terms limits or excludes the liability of any individual or entity for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be limited by law.

7. Applicable law and jurisdiction

The Fund and these Terms, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Irish law and participants can bring legal proceedings in respect of the promotion and these Terms in the Irish courts.

8. Cancellation, suspension, modification

You acknowledge that, subject to applicable law and any approval that may be required, Airbnb may cancel, suspend, modify or terminate the Fund if they deem it necessary or appropriate for reasons or circumstances beyond their reasonable control. Such reasons or circumstances include, but are not limited to, fire, storm, flood, earthquake, explosion, war, invasion, rebellion, sabotage, epidemic, trade disputes, any act or threat of action that endangers air travel, and any act or omission (including law, regulation, disapproval or lack of approval) of any third party (including subcontractors, customers, governments, or government agencies). In addition, you waive and release the Released Parties from any claim or action arising out of, or related to, any such cancellation, suspension, modification or termination, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. No transfer, refund, redemption, substitution, cash equivalent or substitution of the Fund by any Applicant is also permitted. If any provision or part of a provision of these Terms is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, it shall be deemed modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid, legal, and enforceable. If such a modification is not possible, the relevant provision or part thereof shall be deemed to have been deleted. Any modification or deletion of any provision or part thereof under this clause shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remainder of these Terms. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Airbnb may suspend, modify or terminate the Fund if it believes, in its sole discretion, that a malfunction, error, disruption or damage is or will impair the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Fund; in such event, the Successful Applicants will be selected from among the eligible Applications received that have not been affected by the issue, where possible, or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by the Airbnb.