Hillsborough County Cultural Asset Commission adopts protocol to allocate oversubscribed event grants, tightens 2026 application rules

The Hillsborough County Cultural Asset Commission voted to adopt a protocol for awarding Special Event Partnership grants when requests exceed available funds and directed staff to tighten application requirements for the 2026 cycle.

The commission approved a funding method of awarding grants in descending order by final score until the available funds are exhausted, then offering any remaining funds as partial awards to subsequent applicants in score order if those applicants agree. Commission staff reported that the Cycle 1 budget allocation for these awards had been largely expended and that only $63,890.03 remained available for Cycle 2 after accounting for forfeited awards of $22,216.28.

The action follows a staff presentation that said the commission’s Cycle 1 allocation had an original budget figure referenced in discussion as $1,500,000 and that the commission had already committed roughly $1,000,458 (reported during the meeting as the Cycle 1 expenditure). Commissioners also heard public comment from multiple applicants before voting.

Public commenters emphasized community reach and mission. Regina Brown, representing Tampa City Ballet, described a proposed La Septima Society program as a low-cost or free set of events intended to connect Ybor City history to contemporary programming: "One thing I know about people is that you honestly don't know where you're going till you understand where you came from," Brown said. Jennifer Gordon, also speaking for Tampa City Ballet, said the company is transitioning toward a full-time professional dance structure and that "these grants are so important to us." Balaji Echike, president of Rock The Block, said Rock The Block’s Juneteenth Festival grew from small beginnings to an event that drew more than 15,000 last year and expects roughly 30,000 attendees this year. Elise, representing Rooted Door, told the commission the organization was "beyond appreciative for any and all support," and said she needed to confirm with her team whether a partial award would allow the project to proceed.

Staff read applicant scores during the meeting. The highest-scoring recommended awards reported were Rock The Block (81.09) and Historic Plant City Main Street Oktoberfest (74.45); Rooted Door/Synodysus (71.64) and Tampa City Ballet, La Septima (67.55) were further down the list. Staff advised that with the remaining funds on hand, the commission could fully fund the top two recommended projects and could only offer a partial award (about $15,960.65) to the third-ranked applicant. The commission voted to accept the scores as presented, fully fund the first two projects, and to allow staff to offer remaining funds as partial awards in descending order by score and to move to the next applicant if a prior applicant declined partial funding.

Commission discussion addressed scoring fairness and practical concerns about partial awards. Several commissioners said partial awards can be problematic if an applicant cannot execute a scaled-down plan; staff noted that applicants typically must confirm whether they will accept a reduced award and that the commission is not required to spend all funds if acceptable plans are not possible. Commissioner discussion also covered whether partial funding should require applicants to submit amended budgets; staff explained the commission currently funds at a percentage of recommended awards in practice and would not require amended applications for partial awards under the adopted process, although staff will contact applicants to confirm acceptance.

Separately, the commission directed staff to change the Special Event Partnership application for FY2026 to require: a full, detailed budget as an uploaded attachment; a marketing plan included as part of the application; completion checks so incomplete applications do not move forward to reviewers; and a disclosure field identifying whether the commission’s award would be used as match or leverage for other grants. Commissioners said those additions would bring the application back in line with the original criteria approved by the Board of County Commissioners in 2018 and make scoring and oversight more transparent. Staff said the requested portal changes are implementable and that staff would circulate a draft of the revised application materials to the commission before release.

Martine (staff lead) and Eileen (staff) provided procedural details; Kathy and other staff assisted with calculations during the discussion. The commission asked staff to follow up with Rooted Door and other applicants after the meeting and to report back to the full board on applicants’ decisions about partial funding.

The commission also approved routine minutes from prior meetings and handled brief administrative business during the session.