Information and Guidelines

Purpose

The City of Richmond is committed to continuing to support and grow the economic impact that is experienced through hosting sporting activities in the community. Through a collaborative partnership between the City of Richmond, Tourism Richmond, Richmond Olympic Oval Corporation and the Richmond Sport Council, this hosting incentive program will provide opportunities for direct assistance to the sport community to host world class events in the city.

Grant Allocation Considerations

  1. The Richmond Sport Hosting (RSH) office is the first point of contact for any organization seeking City support for a sport event. Prior consultation with the office is strongly encouraged.
  2. The grant application will be reviewed for compliance with the required applicant criteria.
  3. Grant allocations are dependent on funding available within the Richmond Sport Hosting annual budget.
  4. Not all groups meeting the program requirements will necessarily receive a grant.
  5. Grants should not be required to financially operate an event.
  6. Approval of a grant in any one year is not to be regarded as an automatic ongoing source of funding for future events. Applications must be made for each year the event wishes to apply for funding.
  7. Organizations will be eligible to be approved for a maximum of two grants per year but is not able to exceed a total of $7,000 per year.

What can the funding be used for?

  • Grants may be used for expenses related to the sport hosting event including (but not limited to): facility rental, marketing, communications, transportation, security, accommodations and officials.

What is not eligible?

  • Professional events hosted by for-profit organizations besides the Richmond Olympic Oval Corporation will not be supported.
  • Funding for bids are not eligible.
  • Events with less than 50 total room nights in Richmond are not eligible.
  • The event venue and hotel must be located in the City of Richmond.
  • Funding for recreational activities (ie golf weekend) are not eligible for consideration.
  • Funding for jamborees, playoffs and league games are not eligible for funding.
  • Applications for events that have already been hosted retroactively are not eligible.
  • Grants cannot be used for the internal operations of a non-profit organization.

Eligible Events

Note: All events must either be sanctioned by a recognized sport governing body or, in the case of an emerging sport that has not yet achieved official status, the sport must be one that has official rules/regulations that are being adhered to for the event.

Provincial event – includes tournament/championship competition between teams/individuals from around the province of British Columbia.

Western Canadian event – includes tournament/championship competition between teams/individuals from the western provinces/territories (BC, AB, SK, MB, YK, NU, NWT).

National event – includes tournament/championship competition between teams/individuals from across Canada. To be eligible for this level of event when applying, one of the following conditions must be met:

  • at least 30% of the participating athletes must be from outside BC with a minimum of 4 provinces/territories, including BC, participating
  • at least 40% of the participating athletes must be from outside BC with a minimum of 3 provinces/territories, including BC, participating
  • at least 50% of the participating athletes must be from outside BC with a minimum of 2 provinces/territories, including BC, participating

International event – includes tournament/championship competition between teams/individuals from multiple nations. To be eligible for this level of event when applying, one of the following conditions must be met:

  • at least 30% of the participating athletes must be from outside Canada with a minimum of 4 nations, including Canada, participating
  • at least 40% of the participating athletes must be from outside Canada with a minimum of 3 nations, including Canada, participating
  • at least 50% of the participating athletes must be from outside Canada with a minimum of 2 nations, including Canada, participating

Conferences/Symposiums/Congresses & AGMs – The meeting must be held over more than one day and host a minimum of 50 room nights to be eligible. This would include topics such as: sport system development, sport medicine, high performance training, sport legacy, sport hosting, coaching.

Who can apply?

Applications will be received from:

  • A registered Richmond not-for-profit society, in good standing, which has been in existence for at least one year prior to submission date, and whose governance model reflects the scope of the event with appropriate financial and operational controls
  • A recognized Richmond community association or society
  • The Richmond School District No. 38 Athletic Association
  • The Richmond Olympic Oval Corporation
  • Applicants from other organizations may also apply but best efforts must be made to obtain a letter of support from the Richmond based organization that services that sport locally. RSH staff can provide assistance in establishing that connection.

Evaluation Criteria and Grant Amount Determination:

Step 1: Review of the event business plan. All applications must be accompanied by a completed version of the Business Plan Template that is available in the Grant Program section of the Richmond Sport Hosting website (www.richmondsporthosting.ca/grants/). All sections must be completed in a manner that will portray the event organizer is able to host a strong event and that the grant funds will be used to enhance the event.

Step 2: If an application is deemed eligible, the first criteria, the number of anticipated room nights, will be assessed for each grant application to determine the maximum grant the event is eligible to receive. Note: should the post event report verify a significantly lower number of hotel room night than what is submitted on the application, the grant will be re-evaluated by the Task Force at the lower level.

  • Level 1: 50-100 total room nights actualized
  • Level 2: 101-450 room nights actualized
  • Level 3: >450 room nights actualized

Step 3: All members of the Sport Hosting Task Force will assess each application using four additional criteria against a pre-determined scale based on the responses provided in the application. An overall rating will be assigned to the event. The four criteria are:

  • Scale of event (e.g. Provincial, National, International)
  • Ability to leave a legacy in Richmond (e.g. purchase of event equipment being left to Richmond club, coaching/officiating clinic, volunteer experience, school/team visitations by event participants, use of event to expand local sport membership, etc)
  • Potential to generate measurable economic impact and tourism benefits (e.g. banquet at Richmond venue, team building/social activities, planned visit to Richmond tourist attraction, etc.)
  • Opportunity for continuation of this event or hosting for future new events.

Step 4: The average rating will be used to determine an event grade for each application. These event grades will act as a guideline for the Sport Hosting Task Force.

  • 0-3.9 grade = minimum grant in category level may be allocated
  • 4.0-7.4 = 50% of eligible maximum in category level may be allocated
  • 5.0-9.9 = 75% of eligible maximum in category level may be allocated
  • 10.0-12.0 = 100% of eligible maximum in category level may be allocated

Note that the Sport Hosting Task Force will reserve the option to assign a percentage decrease to all applications in a given intake if there is an abundance of applications in order to provide some assistance to all eligible organizations.

Compliance with City rules, policies, regulations and bylaws

All events in the City of Richmond must comply with all rules, policies, regulations and bylaws. This also includes the approval of any event taking place at City facilities (aside from the Richmond Olympic Oval) that require approval through the Richmond Event Approval Coordination Team (REACT). Any sustainable practice requirements for City of Richmond sport events will also need to be employed by the events that are approved through the grant program – more information on sustainable event practices and the City of Richmond’s Sustainable Event Champion program can be found at www.richmondsustainableevent.ca.

Reporting of Grant Benefits

Those who receive a Sport Hosting Incentive Grant are required to demonstrate the benefits of their program by providing a post event report highlighting the numbers of participants and spectators, hotel room night actualization report, indication of how the grant funds were used for the event, and any legacy achieved (financial, sport, community and cultural).

Note that post event reports are due no later than 60 days after the final day of the event. Failure to provide the required information for the post event report may result in denial of the award and any pre-paid funds must be returned to RSH office within 90 days.

Requirements for all Grant Recipients

All events will be asked to:

  • Include the Richmond Sport Hosting logo (with partners) on any print materials and on the event website at minimum at the same level as other funders of the event. The RSH office requires copies (electronic or print) of any materials acknowledging the support.
  • Supply a minimum of three (3) high resolution pictures that can be used for promotional purposes by Richmond Sport Hosting in reporting on the event or promoting future events of the same sport. Photo credit is to be provided if required.
  • Provide the event website address and social media information including any hashtags being used for the specific event.
  • Display the Richmond Sport Hosting banner onsite during the event along with all other event supporters.

Financial Considerations

If approved, a payment of 50% of the allocated grant may be distributed in advance of the event at the request of the event organizer. The remaining 50% of the grant will be provided upon completion and submission of the post event report. Should the event be cancelled, the applicant is to automatically return any pre-paid funds to the RSH office.

 

2024 Grant Intakes

Applications will only be accepted when an active intake period is open, the schedule for intakes in 2024 will be:

Intake #1: CLOSED
For events occurring between April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025
Intake Opens February 1              Deadline February 29

Intake #2: CLOSED
For events occurring between August 1, 2024 – July 31, 2025
Intake Opens June 1                    Deadline July 1

Intake #3: CLOSED
For events occurring between January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025
Intake Opens October 1               Deadline October 31

 

Process Overview

Step 1: Contact the Richmond Sport Hosting office to answer any questions regarding the submission of an application.

Step 2: Complete in full all aspects of the online application form (found here) and submit it via the Richmond Sport Hosting website prior to the deadline for the intake period as published.

Step 3: All completed and eligible applications will be reviewed by the Sport Hosting Task Force at the next scheduled meeting (typically within 2-3 weeks of the intake close date).

Step 4: The contact identified on the application form will be informed if the application was approved or denied by the Sport Hosting Task Force. If approved, they will be informed of the next steps of the program (ie 50% prepayment request, social media information and any relevant recognition requirements).

Step 5: After the event is completed and verified, a final report (found here) is submitted via the Richmond Sport Hosting website and the final payment is sent to the organization.

Contact Information

For any questions or information, please contact:

Richmond Sport Hosting Office
sporthosting@richmondoval.ca
604-317-6782