The City of West Hollywood has embraced events that support the unique character and diversity of the City. The City has a longstanding history of co-sponsoring community events that provide a public benefit to people who live, work, and spend time in the City.

A co-sponsored event or program is one in which the event organizer – usually a community organization or nonprofit – is responsible for programming, advertising, and producing the event, including all associated costs. For approved events or programs, the City partners with the event organizer to provide direct and/or in-kind support in the form of fee waivers, help with promotion, use of the City’s logo, or in some cases monetary support.

To ensure transparent and equal access to government resources and to appropriately review and manage the volume of requests, the City has established a policy for co-sponsorship of events and/or programs. To read the City's full policy, please click here, or you can check out the step-by-step guide below to help you navigate the application/review process. 

Step 1 - Read the City Policy to Ensure Eligibility.

Interested in applying? It is recommended that you first read the City's full policy on co-sponsored events at the link above. For an application to be considered, the City requires that the event organizer meet the following eligibility criteria:

• The event organizer must be a valid nonprofit organization, West Hollywood Neighborhood Watch association, West Hollywood business or business that serves the West Hollywood community, or a governmental organization.
• The event organizer must serve the West Hollywood community and/or have demonstrated ties to the West Hollywood community.
• Events must be consistent with the City's core values, mission, and/or strategic goals and programs.
• Events/programs must provide a clearly articulated benefit to the community of West Hollywood.
• Demonstrated capability to deliver high-quality events and/or programming.
• Timely completion of any post-event documentation from prior co-sponsorships.
• Application must be submitted in writing at least 90 days prior to the event.

Step 2 - Apply.

Once you've determined that your organization meets the City's eligibility criteria and you wish to apply for City co-sponsorship, please fill out the event co-sponsorship application form by clicking here. As noted above and per the City's policy on co-sponsored events, applications must be received no later than 90 days before the event day. 

Step 3 - Initial Staff Review.

Once submitted, City staff may reach out to the event organizer for more information on either the organization or proposed event. Staff will evaluate the application based on the above eligibility requirements, along with a consideration of the availability of City resources including but not limited to staffing, space, funding, other calendared events and programs, etc. 

Step 4 - Approvals.

Applicants that pass the initial screening process for eligibility and resource availability will be required to enter into an agreement between the applicant and the City to solidify the terms of the co-sponsorship. Once this agreement is signed by the event organizer and any/all required insurance policies are procured by the event organizer, staff will prepare a City Council item to be placed on a future City Council meeting agenda for approval. 

Insurance Requirements

The review of insurance policies is handled by the City's Risk staff. Click here for a link to the baseline requirements in most City contracts. These requirements are meant to give you a general idea of the insurance needed for a co-sponsored event but may be subject to change. Each event is ultimately reviewed on a case-by-case basis and is up to Risk staff to ultimately determine what is required for each event.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding a co-sponsorship or the co-sponsorship process, please contact Jennifer Del Toro, Community and Legislative Affairs Supervisor via email at jdeltoro@weho.org.