Questions
Community
Grant Program
The Spokane Sports Community Grant helps local nonprofit and for-profit entities host local sporting events and attract overnight visitors to the Spokane community. The program is designed to offset the costs of hosting competitive sporting events while spurring economic activity. These events should resemble tournaments or competitions where individuals or teams compete against each other. Spokane Sports will consider other types of sporting events on a case-by-case basis.
Applicants may request up to $10,000 in event support, equipment support, ($3,000 per/event) in marketing support, and hotel support. Please see below for details regarding each support category. A cash match or in-kind contributions are encouraged, but not necessary.
2024/2025 Application Process
- Organization identifies an event in which they would like to request support from Spokane Sports
- Organization applies for Spokane Sports Grant - Application Portal Link
- Applications to be submitted November 1 - November 30, 2024
- Spokane Sports reviews grant application
- Applications reviewed December 1 - 31, 2024
- Grant awarded or denied
- Notifications sent in January 2025
DETAILS
Event Support
Incentives will vary depending on the size and scope of each sporting event. Advanced planning and careful consideration are necessary to maximize the use of grant funds. Changes in dollar amounts or incentives must be submitted to Spokane Sports for approval if they differ significantly from the awardee’s original proposal.
Spokane Sports will provide a list of eligible and ineligible expenses that represent the most common types of expenses associated with sports tournaments/competitions. Still, these are not all-inclusive and an expense on the eligible list does not guarantee reimbursement.
Eligible Expenses:
- Fees, travel, and lodging for officials
- Site/venue rental usage fees
- Rental of furniture, fixtures, or equipment (portable toilets, fencing, sports court flooring, balls, stage, chairs, tables, etc.)
- Contracted security or traffic services
- Event-specific signage
- Event-specific printed marketing materials
- Event production and technical expenses
- Rights or sanction fee
- Local permit fees
- Services for sound system/lighting/streaming
- Event insurance
- Food and beverage (no alcohol)
- Exhibit costs (pipe and drape, table and chairs)
- Trophies, medals, etc.
- Athlete experience items: standard water bottles, welcome signage, cheer posters
Ineligible expenses:
- General operating or administrative expenses (travel reimbursement, salaries, maintenance, etc.)
- Prize money
- Alcohol
Equipment Support
Spokane Sports allows the use (borrowing) of organization-owned equipment. The grantee is responsible for any damage or loss of equipment. Spokane Sports will support the setup and delivery of any equipment requested.
Equipment available:
- Feather Banner, Medical (red) - 2
- Feather Banner, Awards (navy) - 2
- Feather Banner, Welcome (navy) - 2
- Tear Drop Banner (blue Spokane Sports) - 8
- Tear Drop Banner (orange Spokane Sports) - 8
- Grasshopper Banner Stand – 6
- Wheeled Cooler (60 quart) - 6
- Easel Stand (34” table height, 64 ¼” stand alone height) - 10
- Fence/Flagging stakes – 200
- Beverage Jugs (10 gallon) - 9
- Wireless Microphone (w/ aux plug-in) - 2 sets
- 2-Way Radio (w/ charging bank) - 28
- Rope Flagging Sections (60’ sections) - 40
- Sandwich Boards (18” x 24” sign) - 30
- Snow Fence Rolls (4’ x 50’ black) - 8 rolls
- Snow Fence Rolls (4’ x 50’ orange) - 15 rolls
- Karaoke Speaker – 1
- PA Speaker (w/ stands) - 2 sets
- Folding Tables – 11
- Tents (10 x 10 Spokane Sports branded) - 2
- Tents (10 x 15 Spokane Sports branded) - 2
- Traffic Cones – 20
Marketing Support
Spokane Sports’ marketing team is committed to supporting the look, feel, and exposure of your event. Depending on the scope of your event, Spokane Sports can offer up to $3,000 in direct marketing support for a single event. Through this grant process, the Spokane Sports marketing team will work directly with the contact person on the application to get more details regarding your needs and determine the level of service provided. In some cases, our best support may be connecting you with our trusted partners. Please see the eligible and ineligible marketing services Spokane Sports can assist with.
Eligible Services:
- Event highlighted on Spokane Sports website
- Photography and videography
- May or may not be an expense covered by Spokane Sports
- Logo redesign or editing
- May or may not be an expense covered by Spokane Sports
- Social media presence and promotions leading up to the event
- Posters and brochures for the event
- Design and print are not guaranteed costs Spokane Sports will cover
Ineligible Services:
- Website creation, management, and ownership
- One-off projects
Hotel Support
Spokane Sports works closely with the greater Spokane region’s hoteliers. If you’re looking for discounted hotel rates, Spokane Sports will communicate directly with the hotels for those opportunities and create an EventConnect link unique for your event.
Reporting and Oversight
Awardees will need to submit the following information within 45 days after the event.
The final report should include:
- A final budget
- Vendor tax forms (W-9 and Form 1099)
- Event attendance and/or number of athletes
- Photos
- A written account of how the grant funds were used and their impact on travel and tourism.
Failure to submit a final report will result in ineligibility to apply for future funding. If an extension is needed to report final numbers, that should be promptly communicated to Spokane Sports.
