Festival organizers have scaled back their annual grant opportunities for local nonprofits this year after receiving about 15 percent less money toward the event from large corporate donors.
The event organizer, the Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee, announced on Monday that it would still distribute $63,000 to its annual stable of nonprofits and community groups, many of which assist with activities at the Pumpkin Festival. Traditionally, organizers have opened up the grant process for any nonprofit interested in benefiting from event proceeds, but they say they won’t be doing that this year in order to keep the festival solvent into the future.
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Palmer said the donation were also scaled back to keep the event preparations “healthy” for this year. He and other organizers wanted to make sure the upcoming autumn festival went off without a hitch.
Last year’s festival marked the third year of declining grants given by the Beautification Committee. Revenues reached a peak of more than $104,000 in 2007 with the help of corporate sponsors like Kahlua liqueur, organic food companies and even an alternative-rock radio station.
Event organizers say the rough-and-tumble economy slowed corporate spending last year, but it didn’t stifle attendance or sales at the event. The say local organizations that participated in parking, games and food and beverage sales made more than $400,000 from the event, which has long been a staple fundraiser for local groups such as Senior Coastsiders, the Adult Day Health Center, and Rotary and Lions clubs.
“It’s been a tough economic climate, but we did well on-site,” said Tim Beeman, the contracted organizer for the pumpkin festival. “The grants are important, of course, but the more important is that we offered a world-class opportunity for local nonprofits.”
Headed by a nine-member board, the Beautification Committee made a $25,000 donation to help ongoing maintenance of the city downtown corridor, which will include installing new wooden benches, planting flowers, litter pickup and other cleaning duties.
The committee also gave donations to the Coastal Repertory Theatre ($11,000), San Mateo County Sheriff’s Explorers Program ($5,760), I.D.E.S. Society ($5,000), Coastal Arts League ($4,000), Agricultural Clean Water Initiative ($2,500), No Strings Attached Breakfast ($1,500), Half Moon Bay Pirates ($1,200), Clean & Sober Teens ($1,000), Police Athletic League ($830), and Spanishtown Historical Society ($500). An additional $5,000 was contributed to the annual scholarship program at Half Moon Bay High School.
“There have been years when this was more flush, but we still have a good this going on here,” Palmer said. “The show’s going to go on.”
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