Festival, Parade and Celebration Grants

The Festival, Parade and Celebration Grants, administered by the City of San José Office of Cultural Affairs, aim to enhance cultural experiences through community events. Grants support organizations that foster inclusive access to festivals and parades while promoting economic vitality. Eligible organizations must demonstrate a history of successful programming and comply with specific funding conditions. This initiative not only enriches the cultural fabric of San José but also boosts its visibility as a destination for visitors.

NOTE: Applicants are required to attend the appropriate pre-application workshop or review the recorded workshop before applying. See Letter of Inquiry Deadline above. First-time applicants are also encouraged to consult with the program staff well in advance of the application deadline.
The Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) awards grants to community-based organizations for the purpose of enhancing the cultural growth, resources, and vitality of San José.
Festival, Parade & Celebration Grant
The City of San José provides a limited number of Festival, Parade & Celebration Grant (FPC) awards each year in order to:
Expand access for all City residents to a wide range of cultural experiences in the form of community festivals, parades, and celebrations;Enhance San Jose’s overall cultural environment;Support San Jose’s economic vitality; andIncrease the City’s visibility and reputation as a desirable destination for visitors.
Historically, FPC awards have supported a wide variety of parades, arts festivals, festivals celebrating cultural heritage relevant to San Jose residents, and other events that celebrate a community, a neighborhood, or a shared cultural interest. These events are often held in public spaces and are always open to the entire public. Many FPC-supported events have free attendance, although some have fee-based admission to some parts of or the entire event
Funding
Grant awards are intended to serve as partial support for events. Grant requests:
Must not exceed 50 percent of the proposed event’s expenses and, due to limited funds grant awards will usually be significantly less.Must be a minimum of $2,500, which means that an event must have expenses of at least $5,000 to be eligible.Regardless of proposed event budget expenses, must be between $2,500 and $5,000 if the proposed event has not been produced in the last five years.

Eligibility

Applications that are complete and submitted by the deadline will be accepted from organizations that meet the following conditions:One-year history of successful events programming in San Jose at the time of application;Designated as a 501(c) not-for-profit or public benefit corporation in good standing;If your organization is not a 501(c) you may use a fiscal sponsor/receiver and the event may not be a for-profit event and/or primarily a fundraiser.Organization’s event takes place during required time frame (see guidelines), in the city of San José and has cash expenses of at least $5,000;Organization’s event is not conducted primarily to convey a religious message nor advocate a political position; andOrganization is not a division/department within the City of San José; and will not fund the event with a take pART Grant from the City of San José.Only one FPC application is allowed per organization.Applicants may only apply for a single event. A single event may occur over several days or several weekends in close succession - as long as they have a strong thematic connection, similar format and elements, and are advertised as one event.One-Year and Two-Year FundingOrganizations that meet the following criteria, in addition to the criteria noted above, are eligible to receive two-year funding.have received FPC or other OCA grant awards in the past three consecutive funding cycles for the proposed event; andhave met the requirements of any current and previous grants administered by the Office of Cultural Affairs.Grant funds must be used for event-related expenses only.

Ineligibility

FPC awards are not intended to support events where fundraising is the primary purpose of the event.Applicants can not submit multiple applications for multiple events.Grant funds must not be used for a previous year's operating deficit, administrative costs, or other organizational costs unrelated to production of the event or for any capital equipment purchases.No part of the grant shall be used to promote or inhibit religion nor for any political advocacy.