The City of Aurora is inviting neighborhood and community groups to apply for Neighborhood Festival Funding Grants to help pay for 2016 events.
The grants are available from the city government for assistance with the planning and execution of organized festivals and celebrations during 2016. Eligible groups include those that are staging special events that are open to the public and that are designed to educate, benefit, communicate, organize or develop relationships between Aurora residents and others in their community.
Neighborhood groups, community organizations and nonprofits can apply for grants up to $1,500, provided the requested amount is not more than 50 percent of the entire event budget. The grant funds can be used for any necessary services intended to support the operation of the festival or special events, including furniture rentals, sound systems, talent, stages, tents or even portable restrooms. Available funding will be distributed among all eligible applicants.
Many popular local celebrations have utilized the grant funds in previous years, including the Roots Aurora Festival, LaSalle Street Car Show, Louche Puce Market, Juneteenth, Puerto Rican Heritage Festival and Dia De Los Muertos. Through a single application, organizations will apply for funding assistance from multiple sources, including the Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board, the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board, the Indian American Community Outreach Advisory Board and Neighborhood Festival Funds.
The deadline for events through June 30, 2016, is Dec. 15, 2015. For events taking place July-December 2016, the application deadline is March 1, 2016. Festival Funding Grant guidelines, applications and hold-harmless agreements are available online at www.aurora-il.org.
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