Hillsborough County Arts Council staff held a virtual Special Events Partnership Grant administration workshop to walk awardees through contract obligations, the three‑step payment schedule and documentation required to secure reimbursements.

At the opening, Martine Collier, the Division Director of the Arts Council, welcomed grantees and turned the presentation over to Eileen Blake, who led most of the guidance during the session. Lisa Hill, identified in the call as the grant program coordinator, then reviewed the payment forms and timelines grantees must follow.

Why it matters: The guidance affects how and when dozens of county‑funded arts and culture events will be reimbursed and how the county documents program impact for tourism and community outreach. Missing or late paperwork can delay or reduce payments.

The payment schedule and documentation
Lisa Hill explained that Exhibit C on each agreement lists the pre‑calculated payment amounts assigned to each payment milestone and that Exhibit D specifies the supporting materials required for reimbursement requests. "This is a pre event payment. It's upfront 40%," the coordinator said, describing Payment 1 as a 40% advance once the agreement is fully executed.

Payment 2, Hill said, is a post‑event request for another 40% and requires complete Exhibits C and D plus evidence of what actually occurred at the event: a final program, attendance estimates, lists of vendors and artists, and supporting publicity (flyers, photographs or news coverage). Payment 3 is the final 20% and requires verification of actual cash expenses and revenue details; Hill warned the county may withhold that final 20% if reported expenses deviate significantly from the amounts in the original application.

Contract terms, logo and access
Eileen Blake emphasized that grantees are "actually entering into a legal contract with Hillsborough County" and must comply with the terms of that agreement. She reiterated publicity rules: grantees should display the Hillsborough County logo at events and acknowledge support from the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). Staff said they can provide the correct logo artwork through the county communications office.

Operational details, deadlines and records
Staff told grantees to submit payment requests within 60 days of the event date; a one‑time 60‑day extension is available but must be requested at least two weeks before the original deadline to allow internal approvals. The clerk's office processes payments and disbursements; grantees were advised to keep an up‑to‑date W‑9 on file or set up direct deposit with the clerk's office to expedite payments.

Record retention requirements follow Florida law: financial records, attendance logs, vendor receipts and performance reports should be retained for no less than six years. Blake and Hill pointed grantees to a new Arts Council webpage and a special events manual for additional instructions and noted the Cultural Assets Commission had performed initial application scoring and forwards recommendations to the BOCC.

Support and next steps
Staff encouraged grantees to notify the Arts Council of venue or program changes, to provide up to 10 tickets for staff monitoring and BOCC or Cultural Assets Commission members when requested, and to contact program staff for help completing Exhibits C and D. The presenters said they would distribute a PDF of the slides and contact information after the workshop.

The workshop closed with an invitation to submit questions by chat or direct follow up; with no live questions, staff concluded the session and confirmed they would send the materials and links discussed.