Tips & Tricks to help you make a successful application for the Richmond Sport Hosting Grant!
With every event comes a plethora of stressful and time-consuming tasks including securing venues, organizing event equipment, production scheduling, staff scheduling, volunteer scheduling, event logistics etc. With this huge laundry list of tasks there is one big question that every event organizer faces… Where is the funding for our event going to come from?!
Richmond Sport Hosting is proud to collaborate with the City of Richmond, Tourism Richmond, the Richmond Olympic Oval Corporation, and Richmond Sports Council to support hosting opportunities through an incentive grant program. Here are a few tips and tricks that will help you increase your chances of writing a successful application!
First off, what is the Richmond Sport Hosting Grant?
The Richmond Sport Hosting Grant is an incentive program that provides financial assistance to eligible sport organizations to bring sporting tournaments, conferences, and training camps to the city of Richmond. Grant applications are scored using a graded criteria system that considers the scale of the event (Provincial, National, International), the ability to leave a Legacy in the City of Richmond, the potential to create measurable economic impact, opportunity for continuation of the event and future events with the organization, and how many hotel rooms nights will be actualized by hosting the event.
Hotel room nights are a mandatory eligibility requirement for the Richmond Sport Hosting Grant, with a minimum of 50 actualized room nights in order to qualify that will determine the range of funding your event is eligible for.
- Level 1: 50-100 total room nights actualized
- Level 2: 101-450 room nights actualized
- Level 3: >450 room nights actualized
There are three Richmond Sport Hosting Grant Intakes each year, and eligible organizations can make up to two applications per year. An organization may receive a maximum of $7000 in grant funding per year whether it is for a single event or split between two separate events.
How are grant applications scored?
All grant applications are reviewed by the Richmond Sport Hosting office to confirm eligibility, and to ensure the basic application criteria have been met. Applications are then reviewed by the Richmond Sport Hosting Task Force, consisting of representatives from Richmond Sport Hosting, the city of Richmond, Tourism Richmond, the Richmond Olympic Oval, and Richmond Sports Council. Task Force members review each application, and provide scores based on a 4-point rating system. You will want to answer the questions to the best of your ability and provide as much detail as possible to maximize your score! Pretend as if you are telling the story of your event to people who know nothing of your organization or how your event is supposed to run. There are real people on the other side of your answers reading what you have to say, so do your best to tell the story of your event and what makes it special.
Tips & Tricks for writing your application
- Understand the audience you are writing to! How does your event benefit the City of Richmond and the funding partners involved?
- Provide as much detail as possible, and include examples to support your claim. Remember that every question is scored and counts towards your overall funding eligibility. Example: “Ability to leave a legacy in Richmond?” your answer should list as many points as possible… “Hosting this event could lead to greater opportunities and bigger events in the future such as…” / “Equipment purchased for this event such as… can be used by local clubs for their continuous training” / “Parents and volunteers will go through training and can assist with future events in the community” etc. Be sure to use specific and verifiable examples in your responses.
- Work on your grant application in a draft document, not the online form portal. Things get lost, mistakes happen, technology sometimes fails. Organize your thoughts on a separate page and paste them when you are ready to submit.
- Be prepared and know the grant deadline dates! Do you need information from your event suppliers and partners before submitting your grant application? Gather your information ahead of time so you are not rushing.
- Make your application precise and to the point! We want details but point form answers are perfectly fine and sometimes easier for the people on the other end to read. Don’t worry about grammar and spelling too much. Tell your story and sell us your event!
- Lastly, do not be afraid to ask questions! Pam and Jordan at the Richmond Sport Hosting office are more than happy to help you if you get stuck or need assistance on your application. If you are unsure whether your organization or event qualifies for financial support, please contact us!
Jordan Schulmeister – Coordinator
jschulmeister@
Tel: 604-219-9928
Pam Lacroix – Manager
placroix@richmondsporthosting.
Tel: 604-317-6782