Tourism Grant Funds Proposal Information

The City of Surprise is the Major League Baseball Spring Training home of the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers and hosts a variety of regional events including professional, collegiate and amateur tennis, pickleball and baseball tournaments, as well as art and music festivals. As a part of the Tourism Strategic Plan, the City of Surprise Department of Sports and Tourism is looking for a partner to bring new events to Surprise, Arizona and the West Valley Region with the vision to create an annual signature tourism event.

Proposals will be reviewed and the best-fit proposal or proposals will advance to the approval process. The evaluation criteria will be based on:

Knowledge of subject matter for targeted market
Economic Impact to Surprise
Estimated Attendance at the event
Historic performance related to opportunity
Long-term benefit to the community
Regional or national recognition
Evaluation of proposed business/marketing plan

Request for Proposal – New Event Grant

The department of Sports and Tourism is looking for a professional event group to develop NEW single or multi-day events in Surprise, Arizona! The Department of Sports and Tourism is now accepting applications for tourism grant funds that will assist in the funding for the creation of the new event. The funds are provided through the City Tourism Fund, a special assistance fund generated by overnight stays in Surprise (Bed Tax Rates), dedicated to supporting tourism generating events. The event should take place within 12 months of approval and must be held within the City of Surprise, preferably during the months of April through December. New events are events that are not currently being held in Surprise and have the ability to bring in hotel nights. To be considered, apply by completing the following steps:

Submit the statement of interest form
Submit your proposal electronically in PDF format to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
1. The Proposal Must include:
  1. Business Plan (Including budget, financials, marketing plan, etc.)
  2. Estimated economic impact for the City
  3. Business License or 501 c3 certificate
  4. Historical information (past events with statistics- budget, attendance, economic impact, etc.)
  5. Professional References
  6. Proof of ability to obtain general liability insurance with minimum limits of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate.
  7. The City of Surprise Tourism Application pages 7 and 8 (view Tourism Application)

Proposals submitted by 5:00 p.m. on October 30, 2020 will be given first review priority for events in 2021. Proposals submitted after will be reviewed on a regular basis.

For questions or more information, please contact Joe Bertoletti at 623-222-2822 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Reference Material and Attachments