Special Events Grant Program

Special events play a vital role in Alameda’s community and economy. The Special Events Grant Program offers financial and technical assistance to support high profile special events in the City, with a focus on costs associated with public safety, environmental stewardship, and City services and permitting. 

These events include festivals, parades, and community celebrations that require street closures and/or overtime or specialty staff support from the Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works Department or other City departments.

The Special Event Grants program is accepting applications for events in fiscal year 2025-26 (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026).

Deadline to submit application is Friday, March 21, 2025.

Please make sure to review the program guidelines before filling out an application.  You can download both documents below.

Special Event Grant Program Guidelines(PDF, 422KB)

Special Event Grant Program Application(PDF, 657KB) 

To be considered for a Special Event grant, the event and the event organizer must meet ALL of the following eligibility criteria. Applications will be rejected if ANY of the following criteria is not met:

Event Criteria

  • Event takes place between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026 in the City of Alameda;
  • Event must support at least two of the Special Event Grant program goals;
  • Event must include a street closure and/or require the use of City services or materials on the days of the event, especially overtime or specialty work from Police, Fire, Public Works, or other Departments; or
  • Event is not intended to convey a religious message nor advocate a political position.

Event Organizer (Organization) Criteria

  • Event organizer must be a legally registered 501c(3) non-profit organization or 501c(6) business entity;
  • Event organizer must have a valid City of Alameda business license;
  • At the discretion of City staff, organizers of previous events meeting any of the following factors may be disqualified from eligibility:
    • Did not adhere to all special event permitting conditions, or
    • Did not fulfill all event obligations, or
    • Resulted in an adverse impact in the community, such as the receipt of significant complaints from residents or businesses.

Round One: DABA, WABA and City Events

January 17 2025: Completed applications due

Week of February 6, 2025: DABA, WABA and City grants finalized

 

Round Two: All Other Community Events

February 19, 2025: Community grant application period opens + available funding announced

March 21, 2025: Deadline for Community grant applications

April 24, 2025: Community grant awards announced

July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026: Events must take place in this timeframe, extensions are not allowed

 

Note: We highly recommend submitting your application as early as possible

Stay Up to Date!

Please email efonstein@alamedaca.gov to get on our list for regular updates and announcements about this program.

Webinar

Please click here to view a 25 minute overview of the grant program, application, and evaluation process.

Questions?

Please email efonstein@alamedaca.gov with any questions.

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