Grants & Applications

Identify, solicit, develop, and allocate funding for youth & amateur sports proposals in Maricopa County which will service a wide variety of sporting and physical activity experiences.

Provide technical assistance, demographic, and facility information as well as outreach to youth and amateur sports participants and their communities about opportunities and activities of AZSTA.

Participate in and encourage partnerships that benefit youth and amateur sports/physical activity.

Ensure that funds provided by AZSTA are distributed in a responsible and effective manner while ensuring compliance with the Authority's enabling legislation.

Adjacent, in proximity, or benefit to a local school.

Benefit to a local community (number of individuals impacted).

Demonstrated financial need.

Sustainability.

Previous AZSTA grant recipients are encouraged to apply, but may not be as highly considered as first time applicants.

AZSTA may match 2/3 of the project's total cost up to a maximum of $250,000.

Applicant must provide evidence that it has set aside 100% of their match.

Applicant must be a Maricopa County agency, municipality, school district or any other incorporated public entity (including a combination of the forgoing) or a 501 (c) (3) or 501 (c) (4) non-profit organization, which has been in operation no less than one calendar year (evidence required).

Project must be located in Maricopa County.

Funding will be considered for facility/field construction, renovations, lighting and equipment, and select program operations.

Funding will not be provided for overhead/administrative expenses, loans or endowments, conferences, individuals, tournaments, travel, capital campaigns, or any other category that the Authority, in its sole discretion, considers to not be related to the goals and objectives of the grant.

Applications will be forwarded to the Authority's Youth and Amateur Sports Committee for their individual review and consideration; the committee will make recommendations to the Board of Directors in a public meeting.

The AZSTA Board of Directors will host a public meeting to consider the committee's recommendations and make final approval decisions for the recommended biennial grant applications.

Applicants must be a Maricopa County agency, municipality, school district or any other incorporated public entity, (including any combination of the forgoing) or a 501(c) (3) or 501 (c) (4) non-profit organization, which has been in operation for no less than one calendar year. Proposed projects must be within Maricopa County. Applicants who have previously received funding from AZSTA may apply for funds, but may not be as highly considered as others who have not received prior funding. For-profit organizations are not eligible for biennial grant awards.

The Authority, per A. R. S., may not fund more than to two-thirds of a project's total cost. A $250,000 maximum guideline has been established for grant applications.

If an applicant is awarded a grant from AZSTA, that portion of the project for which Authority funds have been awarded cannot have started before the execution of a Project Funding Agreement. The Agreement is to be executed within 30 days after the grant is awarded. Funds will be made available on a pro-rata reimbursement basis after the agreement is executed and work has begun.

The project must be completed within 12 months of the funding agreement's execution unless otherwise agreed to by the Authority and documented in the funding agreement. A "Commitment to Complete" provided by the applicants Board of Directors or other appropriate governing body must be submitted with the application. Should the project, as approved, be delayed beyond the twelve month period, the Recipient must provide an extension request in writing with the new projected completion date and explanation of delay. The extension request will be due 30 days prior to the original project completion due date. The Board in its sole discretion may choose to approve or deny the extension request.

Disbursements of grant funds will be available to grant recipients on a pro-rata reimbursement basis. This ensures that the Authority's funds are expended on a pro-rata basis along with the recipient's contribution as the project progresses. For example, the Authority awards $50,000 toward a project with a total value of $150,000. The Authority's contribution as a percentage of the total value is 33%. As the project moves forward, the grant recipient submits a reimbursement for $10,000. Once approved, the Authority makes a payment of $3,333 (33%) to the recipient. This would continue through the completion of the project at which time all funds would have been disbursed under the Funding Agreement. A reimbursement form is available on the Authority's website along with this application and progress reports.

In-Kind contributions are limited in scope and will be reviewed by the Grant Administrator as part of the grant approval process. Additionally, there are specific percentage limitations which determine the maximum amount of "in-kind contributions" allowed for the grant to be considered for approval:

Limit #1 - must be less than 10% of the Total Project Value (example: total project cost = $100,000. Limit #1 = "'in-kind" contributions must be less than $10,000)

Limit #2 - must be less than 25% of the Applicant's Total Contribution (example: total project cost = $100,000. Applicant's contribution = 1/3 = $33,000. Limit #2 = "'in-kind" contributions must be less than $8,250).

Grants are based on projects and programs serving youth and amateur sports and physical activity, which demonstrate financial need, leveraged funding, community partnerships, sustainability, and a demonstrated benefit to a local community in Maricopa County. The Authority will accept grant applications for new facility or field construction, facility or field renovation, field lighting and/or equipment. Funding for programs may be considered and must clearly identify the benefit to the local community, sustainability and demonstration of financial needs.

Funding has been awarded for equipment, transportation, lighting of fields, renovation of existing sports facilities, construction of playgrounds, construction of fitness trails, and construction of sports fields or complexes.

Grants will not be awarded for requests for: fixed overhead/administrative expenses (e.g. salaries, rent, utilities, etc.), loans or endowments, conferences, individuals, golf tournaments or benefit tables, travel (all), capital campaigns, funding to maintain the sustainability of an organization or program, or anything else deemed as not serving the youth and amateur sports community within Maricopa County.