SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/101565
Facility&Operations By William J. Seymour, PE Non-traditional funding alternatives for public athletic facility projects F UNDING FOR PUBLIC ATHLETIC FACILITY PROJECTS has changed dramatically in the last decade. The days where a municipality could go to a town meeting and seek an override approval for 100%, or float a bond for 100%, of an athletic facilities project are essentially over. The fiscal reality is that municipalities have been forced to consider steep financial cuts to schools and public safety services (police and fire). The ���extras,��� such as athletic facility enhancements, have, out of necessity, taken a back seat. Although traditional funding is not readily available, the demand for public athletic and recreation facility enhancements has actually risen. This is due to continued population growth in urban areas, enhanced diversity of sports, and increased gender equity in sports. Municipalities are now compelled to find ���out of the box��� ways to meet this growing demand, and the solution begins with creative funding. To be successful in raising the funds for an athletic or recreation project, the municipal or non-profit Owner should assemble a fundraising group that considers the following options concurrently: PUBLIC AND PRIVATE GRANTS The first constituent of a funding group should always be an experienced grant writer. If 28 SportsTurf | January 2013 there is no grant writer on staff, hiring a professional grant writer will greatly increase the odds of receiving public and private grants. Public Grants. Public grants vary from state to state and from municipality to municipality. There is a federal program called PARC (Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities) and each state implements block PARC grants; $97 million was awarded in 2010 alone. The Department of Urban Development has community block grants that some communities will qualify for based on net income and demographics. The EPA provides brownfield grants for the redevelopment of impacted parcels of land. There are ReLeaf grants available from federal agencies for the planting of trees and landscaping that can be associated with park projects. For example, there is a federal land and water conservation fund that has resulted in the funding of thousands of outdoor recreation facilities. These public grants rely heavily on feasibility studies that demonstrate the viability of the project and accurate cost estimates. It is important for the granting authority to be convinced that the project is valid and feasible, and that the funds allocated for the project would result in the successful completion of a fully serviceable facility that meets a previously un-resourced community need. Private Grants. Private grants, although a bit more constrained lately, are playing an im- portant role in the non-traditional funding of public projects. Municipalities can apply for grants from US Soccer, US Tennis Association, Nike Endowments and Foundations, the NHL, etc. These organizations and others have been involved in providing funding for public projects. They provide these grants as a way to propagate their particular sport or interest. Therefore, it appears they are more likely to provide grants for building new facilities as opposed to renovating existing facilities. A successful private grant solicitation or submission should demonstrate how the awarded grant will facilitate the propagation of the interested sport. For example: Is there un-resourced soccer demand in your community? If so, and if US Soccer grants $150,000 for your project; will it result in new field inventory that will service that otherwise un-resourced demand (thereby furthering interest in that sport)? Like public granting authorities, private granting authorities also look for the applicant that has ���real��� plans, budget, and milestone schedule. Due diligence and feasibility studies are necessary to help convince granting authorities that the project is worthwhile. If the private grant is awarded, they want to know that the financial resource will result in the successful outcome of a project that furthers their interests. PRIVATE FUNDING Grassroots fundraising efforts (e.g. selling brick pavers, parking spaces, seats, and candy bars) can sometimes be disappointing as far as how much money they can generate (often less than 10-20% of the project budget). The biggest advantage these efforts provide is public awareness and involvement. This can be quite helpful when seeking permitting and other municipal public funding since you���ve enfranchised a number of people into the process as advocates. The first step in developing significant private funding is to form a private fundraising conduit for the money raised: a booster club, a ���Friends of (insert name) Field,��� and/or a 401(c) 3 that can receive tax exempt moneys. The Booster organization can be the conduit for fund raising, corporate sponsors, youth sport user fees, www.sportsturfonline.com