Grant Funding for your Event

Step 1.Confirm eligibility

To be eligible to apply for a fee waiver grant, the event must be an open-to-the-public, community event held on City-owned property, and the organization must meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. Non-profit organization with a current 501(C) certificate 
2. Government agency 
3. An agency in which the City is a member  

Important Notice: If you have previously received a fee waiver grant and did not complete all commitments or failed to perform in any way, points may be deducted from your current fee waiver ranking, or your submittal may be eliminated from the fee waiver grant process. That determination will be made by the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board during scoring.

Step 2.Identify your application window

Based on the date of your event, there are three fee waiver grant periods. These dates include attending the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board (PARAB) meeting. 

Application Period 1: Events held between October 1 and January 31

• April 1 - 29: Application Period Opens
• June PARAB Meeting: Applicants invited to attend PARAB meeting

Application Period 2: Events held between February 1 and May 31

• August 1 - 29: Application Period Opens
• October PARAB Meeting: Applicants invited to attend PARAB meeting

Application Period 3: Events held between June 1 and September 30

• December 1 - 29: Application Period Opens
• February PARAB Meeting: Applicants invited to attend PARAB meeting

Step 3.Complete Rental Reservation Application

All organizations must complete an event reservation application, whether applying for a grant or not. Reservation Applications can be obtained in one of the following ways:

1. Call 407-518-2503
2. Email events@kissimmee.gov
3. Visit the Kissimmee Civic Center during operating hours
4. 201 E. Dakin Avenue
5. Kissimmee, FL 34741

Step 4.Apply for grant funding for your event

Submitting a Fee Waiver Grant Application does not guarantee the award of the grant or approval of an event. Organizations that do not receive a grant will be charged accordingly. 

Apply for Grant Funding

Step 5.Review, ranking, and selection

All grant funding applications shall be ranked by the PARAB using the following criteria: 

1. Organization Structure (Mandatory Questions, no point value)
   • How long has the sponsoring organization been incorporated?
   • How long has the sponsoring organization physically been in operation?
   • Please provide an organizational chart of the Local Organizing Committee and describe how the sponsoring organization recruits volunteers to facilitate the event.
2. Organization & Experience (50 Available Points)
   • Has the sponsoring organization previously produced an event in Kissimmee? If so, please identify the event(s). (20 pts)
   • Has this specific event been previously produced? If so, when and where was the event held? (10 pts)
   • What is the uniqueness of the proposed event? (10 pts)                 
   • How does the proposed event support the organization’s mission and benefit residents? (10 pts)  
3. Event Revenue and Economic Impact (25 Available Points)
   • Will the proposed event impact local businesses? If so, please describe the impact. (15 pts)
   • Evaluation of Itemized Budget submitted by sponsoring organization. (10 pts)
4. Marketing (15 Available Points)
   • How does the proposed event benefit the image or reputation of the City? (5 pts)
   • Identify all forms of advertisement to be used and provide a timeline for all promotion and advertising. (5 pts)
   • How much money will the sponsoring organization commit to advertising? (5 pts)     
5. Collaboration (10 Available Points)
   • Is the sponsoring organization collaborating with any other non-profit group? If so, please state the commitments of all other groups. (5 pts)
   • Has the sponsoring organization solicited local vendors to support the event? If so, please identify all vendors that have committed to the event. (5 pts)

Confirm fee waiver grant award amount:

The overall percentage of the requested expenses to be waived by the City shall be determined by the total points earned during the scoring process. The breakdown of the percentage that shall be waived is as follows:

Step 6. 

Step 7.Event review & approval

All special request(s) from an applicant shall be submitted in writing to the Parks & Recreation Department. The approval or denial of any special request(s) (i.e. insurance amendments, contract revisions, fees, policy amendments, etc.) shall be provided in writing to the applicant by the Parks & Recreation Department. 

No revisions or amendments to the final Contract, License Agreement, or related items shall be made without prior written notification and approval from the City’s Parks & Recreation Director or designee.

The Parks & Recreation Department shall provide the applicant with a copy of the License Agreement once it has been fully executed (i.e., signed and completed by all parties).

Once an applicant is awarded a fee grant waiver, the applicant or designee must attend Special Events Committee Meetings for logistics planning. 

Step 8.Final Requirements

If awarded the fee waiver grant, grant recipients are required to extend an invitation to the City Commissioners to attend/participate. Invitations should be sent electronically to minerva.vazquez@kissimmee.gov.

Marketing Requirement: Under this policy, all applicants receiving grant funding from the City of Kissimmee shall incorporate the City’s approved logo on all marketing, promotional, and advertising materials. This includes, but is not limited to, television, website, and social media posts.

Under this policy, all applicants receiving grant funding from the City of Kissimmee shall incorporate the City’s approved logo on all marketing, promotional, and advertising materials. This includes, but is not limited to, television, website, and social media posts.

Step 9.Submit grant final report - MANDATORY

The Grant Final Report must be completed and submitted to the Parks and Recreation Department no later than 30 days after the event. 

The following information must be included in your Grant Final Report:

1. Actual Event Budget includes profit and loss Statements and a revenue report.
2. The total number of attendees for the event.
3. Complete list of all vendors associated with the event, including their contact information. 
4. A copy of all marketing material used to market, promote, and advertise the event. 

Failure to submit a Grant Final Report by this policy shall automatically disqualify an organization from submitting a future request to the Event Fee Waiver Grant program for the remainder of the current fiscal year plus one additional fiscal year.