1 City of Alameda
Special Events Grant Pilot Program Guidelines
For Events Taking Place July 2024 - June 2025
Overview and Goals
Special events play a vital role in the City of Alameda’s (City) community and economy. The Special Events Grant Program (SEGP) offers financial and technical assistance to support high profile special events in the City. These events include festivals, parades, and community celebrations that require street closures and/or overtime or specialty support or services from the Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works Department or other City departments. When funds are available and as approved, SEGP awards will be made once a year through a competitive application and review process. The program goals aim to foster successful high-impact community events that:
1. Enhance economic development;
2. Encourage inclusive community engagement; and
3. Promote a diverse range of arts and cultural experiences.
Award amounts may vary per event per year. Award amounts may be less than the amount requested and any awards are subject to availability of funding. The maximum grant amount per event is $20,000.
Eligible Costs
The SEGP provides funding to support high profile special events in the City, with a focus on costs associated with public safety, environmental stewardship, City services and City permitting. Eligible costs may include those which are internal to the City (i.e. City services for your event), or external (services or equipment which the City does not provide, such as traffic control planning or sign rental).
Grant funds must be used for permit and permit-required event expenses only and not for operations, operating deficit, administrative costs, or other organizational costs unrelated to permit and permit- required event expenses.
Eligible costs include:
• Internal
o Staff time to process and review the permit
o Additional technical assistance on traffic control or security plan, if needed o Police security, towing, standby paramedic presence, and other forms of Alameda Police Department (APD) or Alameda Fire Department (AFD) assistance, as needed o Event inspection costs and standby fees
o Costs associated with meeting Zero Waste and Clean Water requirements o Any other specialized technical assistance on the permitting process or actual event • External
o Development of a traffic control plan
o Traffic control and no parking signs
o Private security
Exhibit 1: Current Special Event Grant Pilot Program Guidelines
2 o Fiber-based compostable foodware
o Reusable foodware services
o Event “greening” services, such as bin monitoring, waste sorting, etc., to ensure that all materials are separated correctly
o Waste containers and removal services
o Liquid waste disposal tank services
o Any necessary storm drain protection measures
Ineligible costs include, but are not limited to:
o Port-a-potties and/or handwashing stations
o Event Insurance
o Event permit fees from other jurisdictions (County, State etc.) o Goods which will be sold at the event (e.g. commemorative glassware) SEGP grantees will receive an award letter detailing the specific internal and external costs included in their grant. For internal costs, the City will provide the awarded services and/or assistance and manage payment for these costs internally. The event producer will not pay for the cost of internal services and/or assistance out-of-pocket. Costs which are external to the City will be funded on a reimbursement basis, and will require invoice, proof of payment and (in some cases) proof of use for reimbursement. For example, reimbursement of fiber-based compostable foodware may require images of that foodware in use at the event.
The amount of available funding may vary per year depending on available resources. Past grant awards are no assurance of future awards. The City may terminate the program at any time due to unforeseen circumstances. No part of the grant shall be used to promote or inhibit religion nor for any political advocacy.
Event Eligibility
To be considered for SEGP, the event and the event organizer must meet ALL of the following eligibility criteria. Applications will be rejected if ANY of the following criteria is not met:
• Event Criteria
o Event takes place between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025 in the City of Alameda; o Event must support at least two of the SEGP program goals; o Event must include a street closure and/or require the use of City services or materials on the days of the event, especially overtime or specialty work from Police, Fire, Public Works, or other Departments; or
o Event is not intended to convey a religious message nor advocate a political position.
• Event Organizer (Organization) Criteria
o Event organizer must be a legally registered 501c(3) non-profit organization or 501c(6) business entity;
o Event organizer must have a valid City of Alameda business license; o At the discretion of City staff, organizers of previous events meeting any of the following factors may be disqualified from eligibility:
▪ Did not adhere to all special event permitting conditions, or ▪ Did not fulfill all event obligations, or
▪ Resulted in an adverse impact in the community, such as the receipt of significant complaints from residents or businesses.
3 Funding Rounds
SEGP awards will be made in two rounds:
Round One: DABA, WABA and City Events
The Downtown Alameda Business Association (DABA), the West Alameda Business Association (WABA), and the City of Alameda (City) will have priority for grant funding for up to three events per year per organization. This reflects the economic importance of drawing local and regional foot traffic to Alameda’s downtowns, as well as the long-running informal support the business associations have received from the City for their flagship events.
If DABA or WABA do not have three events planned, they may allocate their grant priority to a community event held within or adjacent to their district.
In order to receive award funding, DABA, WABA and the City must submit an application for each of their events. DABA and WABA applications will be subject to the evaluation criteria included herein, and must receive an overall score of at least 7 points (as determined by City staff) for funding consideration.
After funding for eligible DABA, WABA and City events is determined, staff will announce available funding and open applications for all other community events.
Round Two: All Other Community Events
After funding for eligible DABA, WABA and City events is determined, staff will announce available funding and open applications for all other community events. See SEGP Grant Process: Step by Step on page 4 for more information on this round of awards.
Application Timeline
Round One: DABA, WABA and City Events
January 12, 2024: Completed applications due
Week of February 5, 2024: DABA, WABA and City grants finalized
Round Two: All Other Community Events
February 12, 2024: Community grant application period opens + available funding announced March 22, 2024: Community grant application window closes April 22, 2024: Community grant awards announced
July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025: Events must take place in this timeframe, extensions are not allowed
Note: We highly recommend submitting your application as early as possible in the application window, so that staff can assist with any questions or missing elements. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be eligible for funding.
4 SEGP Grant Process: Step by Step
1. Review Program Guidelines and Application
The SEGP Guidelines and Application provide an overview of the grant program, including eligibility, evaluation criteria, and other guidelines. In addition, staff recommends that you attend a SEGP program webinar if available, or review a pre-recorded webinar if not.
2. Complete and submit the application form, and attach the following items:
• A draft map indicating which streets/public rights-of-way you plan to close, if a street or public- right-of-way closure is part of the event.
• Written vendor estimates for any outside services or materials you plan to use.
Note: We highly recommend submitting your application as early as possible in the application window, so that staff can assist with any questions or missing elements. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be eligible for funding.
3. Submit the completed application and attachments electronically to [email protected] by March 22, 2024. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be eligible for funding.
4. Eligibility and Potential Award Amount Determination Staff will conduct an initial review of applications to ensure all events are eligible, and to estimate the amount of the potential award, based on the scale, nature, and needs of the event. Complete applications are required to make these determinations. As noted, incomplete applications will not be eligible for funding.
5. Committee Review
A committee consisting of the representatives of the Downtown and West Alameda Business Associations, the Chamber of Commerce and city staff from Economic Development and Planning Divisions will review all eligible applications.
6. Grant Awards Announced
If you are awarded a grant, you must sign an acceptance form agreeing to hold the event consistent with the description and details listed in your application and the Special Event Grant Program guidelines, and in compliance with all City of Alameda rules, regulations and permit conditions.
7. Secure Special Event Permit, and – if applicable – License Agreement A Special Event permit must be secured from the City of Alameda. More information about Special Event permits, including applications, can be found here. If your event is planned for public property at Alameda Point, you must also obtain a License Agreement from the City. Please see the Alameda Point License Agreement guidelines for more information.
Note: Award of a SEGP grant does not operate as or guarantee issuance of a Special Event permit and/or License agreement. These must be applied for separately and issued prior to the event. Events that do not secure a permit or (if applicable) a license agreement will not receive any award funding.
8. Hold Event and Submit for Reimbursement
After the event is completed, please submit for reimbursement of any external costs awarded. Awarded costs that are internal to the City will be reimbursed internally – applicants will not need to pay and then request reimbursement.
5 Application Submission Process
Please submit an electronic copy of your application to [email protected].
Evaluation Criteria
SEGP Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria, in the context of the applicant’s overall goals and the purpose and goals of the SEGP:
• Event Narrative and Significance - 50% (Section 4 of application) o Clarity of the event’s nature, structure and vision and how well the event relates to the applicant’s mission, purpose and goals.
o How well the event components demonstrate support of SEGP program goals:
• Enhance economic development;
• Encourage inclusive community engagement; and
• Promote a diverse range of arts and cultural experiences
• Organizational Capabilities and Event Execution – 50% (Section 5 of application) o Extent of diversified financial support and in-kind contributions and/or volunteer resources used to leverage the City’s grant funding;
o Ability and experience in producing a well-planned and safe event; o Depth of managerial and organizational capacity.
Rating System
When evaluating each criterion, members of the decision committee will use the following 10-point scale, which is then translated to the appropriate weight for each criterion. An application must receive an overall score of at least 7 points for funding consideration. • Exceptionally Responsive (9 –10 points)
o Considerably exceeds expectations;
o Demonstrates historical proof that performance is or will be outstanding; o Strongly merits funding.
• Very Responsive (7 - 8 points)
o Meets and somewhat exceeds expectations;
o Criterion is successfully fulfilled, and performance is above the norm; o Merits funding.
• Basically Responsive (5 - 6 points)
o Meets the generally accepted standards of the criterion; o Needs improvement in order to merit any funding.
• Minimally Responsive (3 - 4 points)
o Weak response to the criterion;
o Does not demonstrate that performance meets generally accepted standards; o Does not merit funding.
• Unresponsive (0 – 2 points)
o Fails to meet the criterion;
o Does not merit funding.
6 Final Report
SEGP grantees must submit a Final Report for the event on a City-provided form (to include a post-event evaluation, attendance and final budget) no later than 90 days after the event is held. Grantees must be current on filing required reports before they can receive grant funding.
Acknowledging City Support
Grant recipients must acknowledge the City’s financial support in all appropriate materials and media.
The acknowledgement should read, “Supported in part by the City of Alameda” or similar language, unless the City is a part of a list of supporters. In the latter case, the acknowledgement may say simply City of Alameda. Grantees must display the City’s logo whenever other sponsor logos are displayed.
Public Nature of Application Materials
Applications submitted for SEGP become the property of the City of Alameda and shall be regarded as public records, subject to the California Public Records Act. Any information included in the application may become public, if requested.
Event Cancellation or Substantial Changes
Event Cancellation
If an event which has been awarded funding is cancelled, the grant will be revoked and all funds received, including internal City costs incurred, must be paid back to the City within 30 days of notification.
Substantial Changes
• If the event is substantially changed from the original proposed activities (as determined by the City Manager or their designee), the grant may be revoked and, if revoked, all funds received, including internal City costs incurred, may be required to be paid back to the City within 30 days of notification. • If the event is substantially changed from the original proposed activities and requires a greater level of services, materials or assistance then determined in the original application, additional charges may apply.
Exceptions may be made, at the discretion of the City Manager or their designee, for cancellation or changes due to a force majeure event.
Unused grant funding cannot be carried forward to future events. All funding must be used in the designated fiscal year.
Contact
For questions regarding the Special Event Sponsorship Program, contact [email protected].