Community Events Grant Program
Guidelines & Eligibility Criteria Calendar Year 2025
Application Deadline: Friday, October 18, 2024 by 5 p.m.
Thank you for your interest in the Community Events Grant Program. Please review the following guidelines and eligibility criteria to determine if your group qualifies. Funding requests will be considered as part of an annual competitive application process.
Program Mission
The Community Events Grant Program was created to support and encourage groups to build community and celebrate our unique culture by holding community events in Sunnyvale.
Who is Eligible to Apply?
• The sponsoring organizations must be nonprofit or not-for-profit. Nonprofits must have 501(c)3 status under IRS. Non-for-Profit organizations are generally “recreation organizations” and fall under a variety of other 501(c) tax codes under IRS. Applicants must attach a copy of nonprofit documentation if the organization has such documentation.
• Funds may be granted to religious organizations if the funds are not used for a religious purpose including for the promotion of any sect, church, creed, or sectarian organization, nor to conduct any religious service or ceremony. This eligibility criterion is an attempt to preserve separation of church and state while still allowing religious organizations to be eligible for grant funds. • Organizations that are collaborating with the City in co-sponsoring an event are eligible to apply for grant funding, however, grant funds can only be used to defray expenses incurred by the co-sponsoring organization(s) rather than the City.
• Grants will not be awarded to organizations owing a debt to the City. • Grants will not be awarded to individuals.
• Grants may not be used for political activities.
• The sponsoring organization must demonstrate the ability to produce a well-planned, safe event and demonstrate strong financial management and effective management controls, including cost- effectiveness.
• It is not the nature of the organization applying for or receiving the grant, but whether the organization will use those grant funds for a valid public purpose. Some factors that may demonstrate the public purpose of a funded program or service include:
Whether the proposed project/service compliments or enhances a service that the City also provides
When there is an identifiable secondary, or indirect, benefit to the City When the organization provides a service, the City could provide, but chooses not to Event Eligibility and Evaluation Guidelines
• All proposed events must:
be held within Sunnyvale City limits
be of a citywide nature
demonstrate an ability to draw a crowd of at least 500 people be free and open to the public, and
occur between January 1 and December 31, 2025
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• Fun
draiser events are not eligible for grant funding. A “fundraiser” is defined as any event that solicits funds from attendees either through direct ticket sales or asking for a donation. Events that are free and open to the public that include passive, purely optional opportunities for donations to other community nonprofit organizations, such as canned food or school supply drives or voluntary donation jars on exhibitor tables, are not considered fundraisers. Under no circumstances shall event sponsors, partners or participants seek funds in the form of raffle tickets, silent auction bids or items of similar intent.
• The event should encourage celebrations of community which focus on the character, diversity and quality of Sunnyvale and provide vitality and identity to the community. • Higher priority will be given to encouraging new events as well as supporting existing events that have been highly successful in the past, subject to other grant criteria. • The review team will consider the financial and budgetary capabilities of the sponsoring organization, the extent to which City funds will be leveraged with other funding sources, and the need for City funding. Community event grant funding from the City will represent no more than 40 percent of the total event budget, including the value of in-kind goods and services but excluding the value of volunteer time.
• Grant funding is not intended to be an ongoing funding source for the event. Funding in one year is not a guarantee of future funding. All applications are subject to a fresh review vis-à-vis competing applications each year.
Application Process and Next Steps
To apply: Complete the attached Community Event Grant Program application and submit by Friday, October 18, 2024, by 5 p.m. Incomplete applications or ones that are not submitted by the deadline will not be considered during this year’s grant review process.
W
hen submitting the application, applicants must also:
• Submit an event budget, including an estimate of City services required. • Identify other co-sponsors of the event. All co-sponsors must be approved by the City.
Application Review and Funding Decisions: A Council subcommittee will review each application. The Council subcommittee may choose to contact the applicant for more information or clarification regarding the details of the application during the review period and/or request an interview with any applicant. Final funding decisions will be made by the full City Council. Grant applicants will be notified, in writing, of final funding decisions in Jan./Feb. 2025.
All
grant awardees will be required to submit the following to the City of Sunnyvale within 30 days after your event was held and no later than December 31, 2025, whichever comes first:
1. A final report describing the project and use of funds.
2. All original receipts/invoices and an itemized description of each expense, for reimbursement.
3. Submit pictures of the community event and sample marketing materials (i.e., fliers, social media posts, posters, etc.) documenting acknowledgement of city funding.
Rei
mbursements: This program is reimbursable, meaning that any approved funds must first be spent by the grantee and receipts/invoices showing payment must be submitted to the City of Sunnyvale. Upon review of eligible receipts/invoices, the City will reimburse the grantee. The reimbursement process takes approximately two to four weeks.
Attachment 1
Gran
t recipients may be reimbursed in partial payments for ongoing event expenses, rather than in a single lump-sum after the event. Decision to reimburse in multiple payments will require approval from the City of Sunnyvale and may be justified if recipient incurs significant expenses before the event. If that is the case, grant recipients must invoice the City on an ongoing basis for reimbursement of expenses incurred, up to the grant amount.
Special Event Permit and Use of City Facilities: All special events in Sunnyvale must also submit a Special Events Permit Application before the event date. To learn more about the City of Sunnyvale Special Events Permit Process, visit Sunnyvale.ca.gov. Applicant will be required to obtain required permits, clearances, insurance, and event authorization and pay any relevant fees in a timely manner. If you are proposing to use a City facility, applicant must submit a request in accordance with standard rental procedures.
City Co-Sponsorship: Grant recipients (and their sponsors, if applicable) are entirely responsible for planning, promoting and staffing their event. Grant approval does not equate to co-sponsorship from City of Sunnyvale.
The City will not be involved in planning, promoting or staffing the event, and is not considered a co-sponsor of the event.
If City staff time is requested (such as public safety officers, etc.), please contact the relevant department to obtain a cost estimate and include the cost estimate in your proposed budget. Staff participation is contingent upon their consent to participate, regardless of whether the funds are granted.
Grant Spending Guidelines: Grant recipients must attempt to expend all grant funding within City limits. Grant funds must be used only for the event applied for, but may be used for any costs, including costs payable to the City. The City will not waive any fees for services associated with the event.
Acknowledgement of City Funding: Grant recipients must acknowledge City of Sunnyvale as a funder of the community event in all marketing and outreach materials, including but not limited to fliers, social media, posters, etc.
Questions and More Information
For questions or more information, please email: [email protected] or call 4 08 -730-7599.
Attachment 1