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TBSC Grant Policies and Procedures

Overview:

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission is pleased to offer event organizers financial support, in the form of a performance based grant for events, meetings, conferences and/or conventions that generate significant hotel visitor room nights in Hillsborough County/City of Tampa. Event organizers interested in applying for financial support must submit a completed grant application and adhere to the policies and procedures as set forth below. Please contact Tony Diaz at 813-218-3892 or TDiaz@TampaBaySports.org with any questions.

Grant Process:

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission (TBSC)  encourages prospective event organizers to complete their grant application as far in advance as possible. The deadline for event organizers to submit their grant application is 45 days in advance of their first date of competition. In the event of extenuating circumstances, consideration will be made for events within the aforementioned window. Upon receiving your completed grant application, a representative from the Tampa Bay Sports Commission will review the event information provided and contact the organization’s contact listed in the grant application to review next steps in the process (see pre and post event responsibilities section below).

The TBSC’s fiscal year begins on October 1st and concludes on September 30th. Traditionally the TBSC’s budget process gets under way in the summer prior to the start of a new fiscal year. Final budgets are set by October of the new fiscal year. Upon reviewing the grant application submitted and the projections on page two, the TBSC will communicate the level of funding the event organizer can expect to receive, provided the event numbers projected, actualize within 90% of those projections. The TBSC’s performance based grant will be adjusted on a sliding scale on an individual basis for each event (communicated directly to client prior to start of event).

At the conclusion of the event, the event organizer will be responsible for submitting the documentation highlighted in the post-event responsibilities section and providing the TBSC with any supplemental materials/information, as outlined in the pre-event responsibility section. Once received, the TBSC will conduct a thorough review/analysis and provide a final conclusion/verification of hotel visitor room nights claimed. At that time, the event organizer will be tasked with invoicing the TBSC for a specific financial grant, to offset allowable event expenses (see allowable/non-allowable expenses section).

In the event, an event organizer is interested in hosting multiple events in Tampa Bay in a given fiscal year, blanket grant applications are permissible. For example, if an event organizer is interested in conducting a tournament in Tampa Bay once every two months, an application can be submitted, that includes all dates. The event organizer would be responsible for administering the outlined pre and post event responsibilities for each event and would then submit a final post event report that summarizes their organization’s cumulative economic impact in the form of hotel visitor room nights, at the conclusion of their final event of that fiscal year.

Funding Levels:

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission (TBSC) bases its financial support on the total number of hotel visitor room nights an event, meeting, conference and/or convention generates. While the estimated economic impact calculated* in the grant application is certainly important, our organization’s financial support is ultimately predicated on hotel visitor room nights generated in Hillsborough County/City of Tampa (see Hotels section for more information).

Traditionally, the TBSC will allocate a dollar for each room night generated. For example, if an event produces 2,500 hotel visitor room nights, that event would be issued a performance based grant of $2,500. There are variables that can influence that allocation/ratio of financial support, beyond the dollar per hotel visitor room night metric highlighted (i.e. multiple events hosted in Tampa Bay, event held on an annual basis/long term vision, additional event hosting opportunities with the organization, etc.).  

As highlighted in the Grant Process section, the event organizer will be responsible for submitting the documentation highlighted in the pre and post-event responsibilities section. In comparing the data projections in the grant application to the final, actual performance numbers outlined in the post event report/supplemental post event information, the TBSC will confirm a final grant amount. Should the event fall short of the 90% performance threshold, as outlined in the Grant Process section, a sliding scale will be applied.

For example purposes only, let’s use the allocation outlined above (one dollar for each room night generated) and assume that the data projections from a grant application were 5,000 hotel visitor room nights. Those projections, once actualized and verified, would ultimately result in a grant of $5,000. In order to receive the full $5,000 grant, the event would have to actualize at 90% of those projections (4,500 hotel visitor room nights). The TBSC would have communicated to the client upfront, that a sliding scale such as this sample one (below) would have applied:

Sliding Scale Sample

  • 4,500+ Hotel Visitor Room Nights = $5,000
  • 4,000 – 4,499 Hotel Visitor Room Nights = $4,500
  • 3,500 – 3,999 Hotel Visitor Room Nights = $4,000
  • 3,000 – 3,499 Hotel Visitor Room Nights = $3,500
  • 2,500 – 2,999 Hotel Visitor Room Nights = $3,000
  • 2,000 – 2,499 Hotel Visitor Room Nights = $2,500
  • 1,500 – 1,999 Hotel Visitor Room Nights = $2,000
  • 1,000 – 1,400 Hotel Visitor Room Nights = $1,500
  • 500 – 999 Hotel Visitor Room Nights = $1,000

In an effort to demonstrate the sliding scale, we will assume this sample event failed to reach the projected number of hotel visitor room nights from the grant application and actualized at only 65% of their original numbers. At 65%, or 3,250 hotel visitor room nights, a grant of $3,500 would be provided.

*Estimated Economic Impact numbers included in this grant application are the same figures the Florida Sports Foundation, a 501(C) 3 non-profit corporation, serving as the Sports Industry Development Division of Enterprise Florida, Inc. includes as part of their grant application process.

Hotels:

Event organizers should make every effort to utilize hotel rooms in Hillsborough County/City of Tampa, when available. We recognize availability and room rates during select times of year may influence an individuals or a team’s ability to make reservations within the Tampa area, however it is extremely critical that the event organizer and/or its third party housing provider convey how important it is that Hillsborough County/City of Tampa accommodations be utilized, as it can ultimately impact the financial grant the organization receives.

Allowable Expenses vs. Non-Allowable Expenses

As outlined in the Grant Process section of the Policies and Procedures, the event organizer is responsible for sending the Tampa Bay Sports Commission (TBSC) a final invoice, once all pre and post event responsibilities have been met and the TBSC has communicated that grant amount direct to the event organizer. Here is a list of allowable and non-allowable expenses. For any expenses that do not appear on this list, please contact the TBSC directly.

Allowable Expenses:

  1. Promotion, marketing & programming
  2. Paid advertising & media buys
  3. Production & technical expenses; officials
  4. Site fees, venue rentals, costs (contract help)
  5. Rentals, insurance, rights fees, bid fees, sanction fees, non-monetary awards

Non-Allowable Expenses:

  1. General and administrative expenses
  2. Building, renovating and/or remodeling
  3. Permanent equipment purchases
  4. Debts incurred prior to the grant
  5. Programs which solicit advertising
  6. Hospitality or social functions including meals or banquets
  7. Travel expenses

Insurance:

For those events who receive a performance based grant from the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, an insurance certificate, naming the Tampa Bay Sports Commission as additionally insured, must be provided prior to the start of the event.

Pre-Event Responsibilities

  • Submit completed grant application 45 days in advance of the event
  • Provide insurance, listing the Tampa Bay Sports Commission as additionally insured
  • Before the start of the event, provide the Tampa Bay Sports Commission with a copy of event schedule
  • Prepare to administer and collect TBSC Hotel Use Forms

Post-Event Responsibilities

  • Completed TBSC Post Event Report Form
  • Supplemental Event Documentation including, but not limited to, hotel pickup reports, final participant/team list with out of town designations, ticket zip code analysis, etc (where relevant/available)
  • Send invoice detailing allowable expenses
  Grant Policies and Procedures | Grant Application |  Post-Event Report (Team) | Post-Event Report (Individual)