Fremont City Council Meeting: 06/10/25 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Police Department
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Grants
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5426) DOC ID: 5426
Updated: 6/6/2025 8:12 AM by Dina Lewis Page 1
SPECIAL EVENT SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM 2025/26 – Approve Special Event Sponsorship Awards for FY 2025/26
Contact Persons:
Name: Aly Flores Amy Gee
Title: Public Affairs Management Analyst Public Affairs Manager Div/Dept: Police Department
Phone: 510-790-6947 510-790-6967
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The Fremont City Council established the Special Event Sponsorship Program (SESP) in 2019 to support local organizations that host community events. Staff has completed the review and sponsorship award allocation process for special event organizers who submitted applications for FY 2025/26 and recommend the City Council approve the special event sponsorship awards described in this report.
BACKGROUND: In FY 2024/25, the City continued to support the SESP. The program has grown, with a larger pool of applicants as new events become eligible for the program. In FY 2024/25, the City Council allocated $350,000 for thirteen special events under the SESP.
At the time of this report, final accounting for several events held in May and June of 2025 are pending as final reports are typically available 90 days after the event. It is anticipated that all events awarded a sponsorship will spend all their allocated funds.
In December 2024, the City opened the SESP application process for FY 2025/26. The program remains accessible to established event organizers who have held successful, permitted events that required City services on the day(s) of the event or utilized a City-approved vendor for such services. Eligible organizers may request sponsorship up to 50% of the event budget or the estimated cost of City Services, whichever amount is greater. Sponsorship awards are effective July 1 each year, contingent upon budget approval. The FY 2025/26 Proposed Operating Budget includes $350,000 of funding for the SESP. With event costs on the rise, many organizers depend on the City’s sponsorship program for the success of their events.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: The FY 2025/26 special event sponsorship letter of intent process opened in early December 2024, and the full application process opened by January 30, 2025, with a deadline of March 26, 2025. The program was advertised on the City's website and the City's Fremont Connection Newsletter. Additionally, staff reached out to all known eligible event organizers and hosted a virtual public information session to discuss the overview of the program.
Full Applications Received and Eligibility Review: The City received thirteen eligible SESP applications by the deadline.
1. 4th of July Parade (Friday, July 4, 2025)
2. Fremont Street Eats (every Friday from July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026)
3. Festival of Arts (Saturday, August 2, 2025 and Sunday, August 3, 2025) Council Staff Report (ID # 5426) Meeting of June 10, 2025 Updated: 6/6/2025 8:12 AM by Dina Lewis Page 2
4. Niles Car Shows (Sunday, August 10, 2025 and Sunday, May 17, 2026)
5. Festival of India (Saturday, August 16, 2025 and Sunday, August 17, 2025)
6. Niles Antique Fair (Sunday, August 31, 2025)
7. Olive Festival (Saturday, October 4, 2025 and Sunday, October 5, 2025)
8. Gurdwara Diwali and New Year’s Eve (Tuesday, October 21, 2025 and Wednesday, December 31, 2025)
9. Festival of Lights (Friday, November 28, 2025)
10. Chanukah Lighting (Sunday, December 14, 2025)
11. Arts Mosaic Fair (Saturday, April 18, 2026)
12. Fremont Creates Grand Finale (Sunday, April 26, 2026)
13. Burger and Brew (Saturday, May 30, 2026)
Applications were reviewed and scored for funding purposes. Staff from five City departments participated in the review process: Community Development, Community Services, Economic Development, Police, and Public Works. Reviewers provided Pass/No Pass scores and comments on the Narrative/Significance and Financial Capabilities/Event Execution sections of each application. All thirteen eligible applications received an overall passing score. In consultation with the City Manager’s Office, all thirteen events are recommended for funding.
To enhance oversight of City-sponsored events, starting in FY 2025/2026, the City will establish a new sponsorship agreement with each award recipient. The agreement will require sponsorship recipients to comply with all applicable City ordinances and State and federal regulations pertaining to special events and public gatherings. Failure to comply with any regulations may result in revocation of the current award and eligibility for future sponsorship, and award recipients may be subject to fines or other appropriate actions.
Sponsorship Award Allocation and Funding Recommendation: Staff calculated the estimated City service cost for each eligible event and used that as a guide for award allocation.
Funds are allocated pro-rata to each eligible applicant based on the estimated cost of City services. City services include, but are not limited to, those provided by Community Services, Fire, Police, Maintenance Operations, and/or City-approved vendors. Using this allocation method and rounding up to the nearest $100, Staff recommends the City Council award the funding amounts shown in the far-right table below. Based on available funding, the proposed award is anticipated to cover approximately 88% of City services estimated for each event.
Special Event
City
Services
Cost
Estimate
Proposed
Award
1. 4th of July Parade $ 35,200 $ 30,990
2. Fremont Street Eats 15,400 13,530
3. Festival of Arts 133,800 117,800
4. Niles Car Shows 3,900 3,430
5. Festival of India 82,000 72,190
6. Niles Antique Fair 47,000 41,380
Council Staff Report (ID # 5426) Meeting of June 10, 2025 Updated: 6/6/2025 8:12 AM by Dina Lewis Page 3
7. Olive Festival 800 700
8. Gurdwara Diwali & New Year’s Eve 7,000 6,160
9. Festival of Lights 38,700 34,070
10. Chanukah Lighting 2,000 1,760
11. Arts Mosaic Fair 4,000 3,520
12. Fremont Creates Grand Finale 5,400 4,750
13. Burger & Brew 22,400 19,720
Total $ 397,600 $ 350,000
Disbursement of Sponsorship Awards: The SESP is a reimbursement grant intended to cover some or all of an event's City services costs and possibly some of the event's other expenses. After the event has been held, staff will determine the actual cost of the City services provided using the hourly rate schedule for special events previously adopted by the City Council. The event's sponsorship award will be credited against the actual cost of City services. The event organizer is responsible for paying the City any actual costs in excess of the sponsorship award amount.
Event organizers have until 90 days after the event, or 30 days after final billing details from the City are available, whichever is later, to submit a final report (including a post-event evaluation, attendance estimate, and documentation of actual costs). To the extent the sponsorship award exceeds the actual cost of City services, the City will reimburse the event organizer for eligible event-related expenses, which may include City- approved third-party traffic control vendors for street closures or City facility rental fees.
The combination of credit for the cost of City services and reimbursement for other event-related expenses will not exceed an event's sponsorship award amount.
FISCAL IMPACT: The FY 2025/26 Proposed Operating Budget included a $350,000 General Fund allocation for the SESP.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The Special Event Sponsorship Program, an administrative government activity, is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), in that the activity is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. The Special Event Sponsorship Program does not involve the approval of special events or individual projects, which are subject to a separate environmental review and permitting process. Thus, the Special Event Sponsorship Program will not significantly affect the environment, and no further CEQA review is required.
ATTACHMENTS: None.
LINKS: https://www.fremont.gov/permits/special-event-permit/special-event-sponsorship
ATTACHMENTS:
• 2025-2026 SESP Guidelines and Application Checklist Rev Dec 2024
Council Staff Report (ID # 5426) Meeting of June 10, 2025 Updated: 6/6/2025 8:12 AM by Dina Lewis Page 4
RECOMMENDATION: Allocate FY 2025/26 special event sponsorship awards to the thirteen eligible events as specified in this report.