Receive sponsorship

Do you have a great idea or event proposal that would benefit our city?

The Vibrant City Sponsorship Program provides financial and in kind sponsorship opportunities to community, industry groups, events and organisations for initiatives that create a vibrant city for the community and deliver tangible and measurable benefits to Council.

The Vibrant City Sponsorship Program is an annual program that runs per financial year. Applications open twice a year based on the below table.

 

APPLICATIONS OPEN

APPLICATIONS CLOSE

OUTCOME KNOWN

FOR PROJECTS AND EVENTS HELD WITHIN

ROUND ONE

First week of  July each financial year

4 weeks from open date

6 weeks from application close date

December – May

ROUND TWO

First week of January each financial year

4 weeks from open date

6 weeks from application close date

June – November

Please note that sponsorship is very different to grant programs, donations and financial assistance programs, as these programs do not involve a benefit beyond modest recognition. Before applying please revisit your initiative, review the Maitland City Council Sponsorship Policy and the Vibrant City Sponsorship Program Guidelines and decide whether your initiative fits this program or whether sourcing a grant opportunity might be a better fit.

Vibrant City Sponsorship Applications are currently closed.

The Vibrant City Sponsorship Program Process
Before you start your application

Individuals and organisations considering applying are encouraged to contact the marketing team on 02 4931 2860 or [email protected] before lodging an application if you are unsure whether the initiative will meet the requirements of this program.

Before starting your application, please consider your application in relation to the below:

  • You are applying for sponsorship which is different to grant funding. Please note that sponsorship does not generally fund an entire project and if you require full funding for your project, grant funding opportunities should be investigated.
  • Does your application for sponsorship add value to something that is already happening or will it go ahead no matter the outcome of this application?
  • Will Council receive value beyond modest recognition for the sponsorship?
  • Are you applying for funding under $5,000?
Eligibility

Council sponsors a wide variety of events, initiatives and projects, in exchange for agreed sponsorship benefits. Priority is given to applications that:

  • Help Council achieve our community vision as outlined in Maitland +10
  • Provide economic benefit to the city
  • Promote Maitland as a vibrant, progressive city
  • Demonstrate commitment to keeping Maitland clean, green and sustainable
  • Support organisations or groups that help to address issues affecting the community
  • Have widespread community appeal
  • Support activities that are free or low cost to attend
  • Please ensure your proposed initiative will comply with current NSW Government coronavirus restrictions and meet all requirements, such as a NSW Government COVID Safe Event Checklist or approved COVID Safe Event Plan

Still stuck or unsure whether you are eligible for this program or looking to apply for over $5,000? Please contact the  marketing team on 02 4931 2860 or via [email protected] to discuss your application further.

Complete an application form

Applications open the first week of January and July each year. Please download an application form here.

Friendly reminder to have the Vibrant City Sponsorship Guidelines, Maitland City Council Sponsorship Policy and Maitland +10 documents at hand to refer to as needed when completing the application form.

Completed application forms and supporting documentation should be emailed to [email protected]

Review and assess the application

Once the application is received, Maitland City Council will review and assess the applications against the following criteria:

  • Level of community interest and/or significance as demonstrated by the applicant.
  • Alignment of the application to the themes in the Community Strategic Plan (Maitland +10).
  • Relevance to the city and/or community
  • Impact and return on investment for Maitland City Council's brand/ reputation

The sponsorship assessment panel will also consider the following:

Please note Sponsorship proposals take time to consider. Thorough sponsorship assessment ensures sponsorships are provided for the benefit of the sponsored organisation, Council and the wider community.

Please be aware that sponsorships are limited. Council receives a large number of applications which meet our guidelines and is not able to sponsor them all. Your sponsorship request may be declined, or Council may offer a lesser amount than requested. The sponsorship decisions made by Council are final.

Application Assessment Tip

When assessing the application, in addition to looking at the benefits for the local community and contribution to ensuring a vibrant city, the panel will be looking specifically for the tangible benefits to council. Things to consider but not limited to including here could be:

  • Opportunities for our staff to become meaningfully involved with your initiative.
  • Being able to provide high resolution images with permission to use and share on Council’s socials and website to promote the initiative, sponsorship program and other Council initiatives.
  • Giving access to organisers of your event or initiative for media/filming or photography opportunities.
  • Provision of exclusive and meaningful content for social media and other communications – particularly exclusive access to stories we can share, and people we can profile.
  • Logo inclusion in promotional material outlining potential reach for example printed on x amount of programs, flyers or posters, or on website that has x amount of unique visitors per month, or inclusion in EDM that’s goes to x amount of recipients x amount of times or via social media platforms with x amount of followers.
  • Opportunity for council to host a complementary booth, be on printed collateral or have signage at an event.
  • Inclusion in media and public relation opportunities.
  • Logo included on paid advertising identifying the channels and duration of advertising campaign (traditional and digital).

Note that the above is a short list of ‘possible’ benefits. The benefits offered should be specific to the initiative attached to the application and be in line with the significance of the amount being applied for.

Application outcome

Once the assessment has been completed Council will confirm the outcome of the application with a phone call initially followed by official correspondence in writing. All correspondence and announcement for sponsorship should remain in confidence until an agreed approach is reached with Council staff.

Execute the sponsorship arrangement

Once Council has decided to offer sponsorship, it will enter into a contract (or letter of agreement) with the applicant. This will outline the benefits agreed to, payment terms, performance required and evaluation methods.

Once the agreement has been confirmed, the applicant can commence executing the sponsorship agreement. If it is a financial contribution, the applicant should invoice Council as per the agreed date in the agreement and expect the payment will be made within three weeks of the invoice date.

It is the responsibility of the people outlined in the written agreement to execute the sponsorship arrangement.

Complete an acquittal

Once the sponsorship agreement has been executed, an acquittal must be completed within four weeks of the completion of the sponsorship including providing any agreed post event/initiative assets such as photography and videos for example.

The Program Administrator will supply the acquittal template to the business, industry or community group who has been granted sponsorship for them to complete and return to Council. 

After the project or event is completed, Council will evaluate the effectiveness of the agreement to meet its objectives which will help with future sponsorship considerations.

Timeline
Applications open twice a year

Round one opens in the first week of July and round two opens in the first week of January each financial year.

Applications close

4 weeks from open date. Round one closes 29 July and round two closes 31 January.

Review and assess application

This process takes 6 weeks from application close date.

Application outcome

Application outcomes will be communicated to all applicants 6 weeks from application close date.

Cash sponsorships supplied

As per the Sponsorship Agreement.

Execute the sponsorship agreement

As per the Sponsorship Agreement.

Acquittal process

Complete an acquittal within four weeks of the completion of the sponsorship arrangement including providing any agreed post event/initiative assets such as photography and videos for example.

Stay up to date about Vibrant City Sponsorship by liking Maitland City Council on Facebook, checking back here regularly or sign up to receive updates using the form below.

Subscribe

* indicates required
Email Address *
First Name
Last Name

 

If you have a sponsorship enquiry, please contact us.