The City Events & Recognition Committee (CERC) told the Economic Development Committee on Sept. 30 that it will pursue private sponsorships to bolster a special-events grant fund that has fallen from about $164,000 a year to roughly $90,000.

"Why wouldn't Boeing want their name on the MLK celebration?" CERC Chair Jessica Johnson said during the presentation, arguing sponsorships could relieve pressure on limited public funds while keeping events free and accessible.

CERC outlined how it administers the special-event grant application program, awards events based on access, opportunity, belonging, merit, need and organizational capacity, and provides enhanced event-support services. Jessica Johnson said the committee has worked with Tacoma Venues & Events (TVE) and staff to create additional education and technical assistance — including permit and grant-writing workshops — intended to grow the applicant pool and help events secure outside revenue.

The committee highlighted two signature events: the Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, scheduled for Jan. 19, 2026, at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center with the theme “Community in Service: A Path to Action,” and the City of Destiny Awards, returning in May 2026. CERC said it has enacted a sponsorship committee to seek private funding for those produced events and described a plan for TVE and CERC to promote and support applicants through Q&A and skills‑shop sessions on Sept. 30 and Oct. 10.

CERC members also described changes to how city departments support events. The presentation said the City Event Services program centralizes review of requests for complimentary department services (police, fire, public works, traffic, environmental services) and makes eligibility recommendations to the city manager’s office. According to CERC, 16 major events received either "citywide" or "city of Tacoma" sponsorship designations in 2025; committee materials said city departments "contributed to events with more than 158,000," but the presentation did not specify whether that figure refers to attendees, staff hours or another metric.

Jessica Johnson credited a newly implemented food-and-beverage excise tax at the Tacoma Dome and the Greater Tacoma Convention Center with stabilizing funding for major programs. "This tax now completely funds the MLK Junior and the City of Destiny Awards, the special events grant funding program, and the summer blast fourth of July fireworks," she said, and committee materials noted first-year collections are on pace to meet or exceed projections. CERC said TVE is finalizing a distribution plan for those funds to secure long-term program stability and to increase support in the community.

Committee members asked how sponsorships would interact with existing grants and whether awarded groups could access other city funds. TVE staff said sponsorships would not be directed to external events that already seek sponsors; instead, sponsorship revenue would primarily underwrite city-produced events (MLK, City of Destiny), freeing public dollars for broader grant distribution. CERC also said recipients of its grants remain eligible for other city programs.

CERC recommended continuing public education and technical assistance to level the application field; it said an internal scoring database has been created to ensure equitable assessment of applications. The committee encouraged council members to share the committee’s one‑pager and outreach materials with constituents.

The committee concluded by inviting council members and staff to participate in promotion and to contact TVE staffer Ashley Young for additional information and materials.