Lisle staff recommends $50,000 in special event grants after first-year application round

Village staff recommended award amounts totaling the FY25-26 special events grant budget of $50,000 after a first-year application round that produced eight applications representing six organizations, Village of Lisle staff told the Committee of the Whole on April 21.

Community engagement specialist Paxton explained the pilot grant program timeline and evaluation process and said the program budget for the current cycle was $50,000. "The program budget for the current grant cycle for fiscal year 25 26 was $50,000 which was approved by the village board," Paxton said. Paxton told trustees the total funding requests equaled roughly $102,000 and that evaluators applied six weighted criteria to arrive at award recommendations.

Why it matters: the grants aim to expand and support local special events and to encourage coordination with local businesses and visitors; staff and trustees underscored marketing, applicant support, and an iterative review to improve the program.

Paxton summarized application logistics: a roughly three-month application window (late December through March), eight workshop sessions (four dates, one virtual), and mandatory attendance for first-time applicants. Staff reported eight workshop attendees and eight applications submitted; two workshop attendees did not file applications (one was outside the village corporate boundary; one pursued alternate funding).

Paxton described key policy features discussed in the packet: for-profit applicants are eligible for up to 50% of their event budget, while community and nonprofit applicants may be eligible for up to 100%. Ticketed events that charge entry are subject to a 50/50 profit-sharing requirement, Paxton said. The evaluation team weighted program goals most heavily and then considered event type, budget feasibility, entry type (ticketed or free), application quality and completeness, and organization type.

Trustees praised the staff for the quick program rollout. Trustee Duffy called the presentation "very thorough" and said he was comfortable with the award recommendations as presented. Trustee Syma and Trustee Mullin echoed support and asked for program iteration in future cycles to refine marketing, evaluation criteria, and post-event reporting. Trustee Lesniak asked about external promotion and staff said they had used village channels and attempted outreach to state and regional partners, with limited response.

Next steps: staff will prepare resolutions and grant agreements for formal board approval at a future meeting and trustees indicated they want iterative reviews of the program after this first cycle and again after events occur to assess profit-sharing implementation and post-event outcomes.