City Council Memorandum
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: DECEMBER 9, 2025 FROM: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: FISCAL YEAR 2025/2026 CITY SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM, JANUARY 1 – JUNE 30, 2026, VALUE OF $ 182,814.20; AND BIANNUAL TABLE SPONSORSHIP UPDATE
ISSUE:
Receive, review, and approve Committee recommendations for City Sponsorship Program support in the form of monetary funding and/or in-kind contributions of $182,814.20 for charitable and community events, which are produced by local non-profit organizations for the six-month period of January 1 – June 30, 2026, and receive and file City Department Table Sponsorship summary for January 1 – June 30, 2025.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
1. Receive, review, and provide input on Committee recommendations for the City Sponsorship Program for the six-month period of January 1 – June 30, 2026; and
2. Approve City Sponsorship support in the form of monetary funding and/or in-kind contributions of $182,814.20 for charitable and community events, which are produced by local non-profit organizations; and
3. Receive and file Table Sponsorship report for January 1 – June 30, 2025; and
4. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to make non-substantive changes to the recommendations.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Economic Development Committee (Committee) met on November 20, 2025, with Chair Robillard and Vice Chair Cervantes present, to consider staff recommendations regarding City Sponsorships for events or projects scheduled from January 1 – June 30, 2026. Following discussion, it was moved by Vice Chair Cervantes and seconded by Chair Robillard to (1) recommend that City Council approve City Sponsorship support in the form of monetary funding and/or in-kind contributions of $170,476.20 for charitable and community events, which are produced by local non-profit organizations; (2) receive and order filed Table Sponsorship report for January 1 – June 30, 2025; (3) authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to make non- City Sponsorship Program – Spring 2025--2026 Page 2
substantive changes to the recommendations; and (4) include for City Council consideration the Adrian & Dell Roberts Foundation Black History Parade as a recommended sponsorship recipient.
The motion carried with Member Hemenway absent.
BACKGROUND:
The City Sponsorship Program (Program) provides local non-profit organizations with the opportunity to apply for City funds and/or in-kind services twice each fiscal year. The July 31 deadline covers applications for charitable and community events and meetings for the following January 1 – June 30 funding cycle. The January 31 deadline covers applications for charitable and community events and meetings for July – December.
Individual organizations were notified of the process via e-mail notifications in May/June, prior to the July 31, 2025, deadline, and staff led a Sponsorship 101 webinar in June 2025. The City Sponsorship Program Agreement, Guidelines, and processes are posted on the City’s website and have been previously shared in Council reports.
The Program is administered by the Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department and the application review process begin with the Arts & Cultural Affairs Division. Staff reviews applications for eligibility, then forwards the requests to the appropriate City Departments and compiles the subsequent recommendations. Following Council Committee approval, a report goes to the full City Council for final approval.
Fund availability from the Arts & Cultural Affairs Division Budget appears below:
Arts & Cultural Affairs
Budget for City
Sponsorship, Fiscal Year
2025/2026
Proposed Cash
Sponsorship from Arts
& Cultural Affairs
Budget for Fall
2025/2026
Proposed Cash
Sponsorship from
Riverside Public
Utilities Budget for
Spring 2025/2026
Total
Proposed
Cash
Sponsorship
for Spring
2025/2026
$156,644 $85,800 $1,051.54 $86,851.54
DISCUSSION:
City Sponsorship
The sponsorship applications were evaluated by various City departments, based on each organization’s ability to create or enhance its events in the spirit of the City of Riverside Strategic Plan, as outlined below. Other factors that were considered include projected attendance, event/organization history, event budget, City Sponsorship history, and location of project in an underrepresented ward (see rubric on page 3).
Forty-four (44) local, non-profit organizations have applied for monetary and/or in-kind sponsorship during the current application process for events to be produced from January 1 – June 30, 2026, and forty-three (43) organizations are recommended as sponsorship recipients (Attachment 1). A component of the recommendations for sponsorship includes in-kind sponsorship awards from the Fire Department; Police Department; Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCSD); and Riverside Public Utilities.
New applicants for this funding cycle are: Foster Army Animal Rescue, Quilts of Valor, U.S. VETS Inland Empire, Vitality Department Foundation, Inc., The Life Church – Outreach, UCR Society of City Sponsorship Program – Spring 2025--2026 Page 3
Women Engineers. Brief summaries of all applicants’ mission statements are included with this report (Attachment 2).
The events and projects recommended for funding play an integral role in the quality of life of our City. Total projected attendance for these efforts is estimated by the organizers at 129,110, representing and serving every age group and a broad cross-section of the City’s people and pets.
Included in these projects are programs promoting literacy, health, and fitness; opportunities for youth to express themselves creatively; celebrations of history, culture, and identity; and a motorcycle ride honoring our country’s military veterans.
A summary of the recommended sponsorship values for Spring 2025/2026 appears below:
Cash
Sponsorships
(Arts & Cultural
Affairs)
Cash
Sponsorships
(RPU)
Total Cash
Sponsorships
Total Value of
In-Kind
Sponsorships
Total Value of
Sponsorship
SP 2025/2026
$ 85,800 $1051.54 $86,851.54 $95,962.66 $182,814.20
All impacted Department Heads concur with this report: Chief, Fire Department (RFD); Chief, Police Department (RPD); Director, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCSD); and General Manager, Riverside Public Utilities (RPU).
All participating Departments use the following rubric during the review of eligible applications:
1. Projected Attendance
2. Previous Attendance (if applicable)
3. History of Service to Community (Y/N)
4. Connection to Specific Sections of the Strategic Plan
5. Eligible Monetary Request (50%, 35%, or 20%, based on Sponsorship Guidelines)
6. Projected Cost per Participant
7. Cultural Program (Y/N)
8. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (Ability/Culture/Ethnicity/Families/Seniors/Children & Youth)
9. Council Ward
10. Availability of Requested Resource (Y/N)
Table Sponsorship
Included in this report is the reporting cycle for table sponsorship from January 1 – June 30, 2025. Three events received a combined total table sponsorship of $3,600.
City Sponsorship Program – Spring 2025--2026 Page 4
Event Name Event Date Sponsorship Amount
AAF Inland Empire American
Advertising Awards
3/21/2025 $1,100
125th Inaugural Celebration –
The Greater Riverside
Chamber of Commerce
3/20/2025 $1,500
Annual Law Enforcement
Appreciation Dinner &
Recognitional Ceremony
(LEAC)
4/30/2025 $1,000
FISCAL IMPACT:
City Sponsorship recommendations represent a total investment of $182,814.20, with $86,851.54 in monetary contributions ($85,800 from the Arts & Cultural Affairs Division of the Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department and $1,051.54 from Riverside Public Utilities) and in-kind services (including facilities) valued at $95,962.66. Sufficient funds are available in the Arts & Cultural Affairs Division City Sponsorship, Account Number 5240000-450302 and Riverside Public Utilities Account Number 6020000-456022. Table Sponsorship expenditures of $3,600 have no fiscal impact in this funding period.
Prepared by: Margery Haupt, Deputy Director, Parks, Recreation and Community Service Department
Approved by: Pamela M. Galera, Director, Parks, Recreation and Community Service Department
Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Concurs with:
___________________________
Steven Robillard, Chair
Economic Development Committee
Attachments:
1. Staff Funding Recommendations for Spring, 2025/2026
2. Summaries of Applicant Mission Statements