Region leaders of the Sports Car Club of America® know how difficult it is to run a successful motorsports program. From facility rental, to marketing, to something seemingly as simple as supplying lunches to volunteers, the “to do” list goes on and on. And while Regions succeed on these event-to-event tasks, there’s always more that can be done to grow the program, especially if funding is available. Take, for example, Philadelphia Region – this Region was utilizing an aging facility for autocross events, schools, and Tire Rack Street Survival teen driving programs. With time, the location might have fallen into a state of disrepair, forcing the Region to abandon the facility. Instead, the local town and Philly Region put together a plan and raised $16,500 of the $19,000 needed for repairs. The SCCA Foundation stepped in with its Region Development Grant to close the gap, enabling the site to continue use for teen driver training, SCCA events, and other community events. This isn’t the only Region to benefit from the Foundation’s Region Development Grant, and your Region could be next if you have a project in mind – but you need to apply soon if your project is near, as the next deadline is not far off.
What It Is
The Region Development Grant program supplies Regions with up to $2,500 in assistance and is designed to provide supplemental funding by the SCCA Foundation for qualified programs. An eligible Region program must have an educational or charitable purpose consistent with the mission and purpose of the SCCA.
For example, a Region may need funding for an exhibit space at an auto show to educate the public about teen safe driving and SCCA activities. In addition to promoting the Tire Rack Street Survival program, there might be educational flyers providing safe driving tips, suggestions for ways parents might help their teens to learn to drive safely, and opportunities to build driving skills at local SCCA events.
In evaluating a grant, the selection committee will give the most attention and focus to projects which meet the following criteria:
- Educational or charitable purpose.
- Open to or benefiting the general public and not just Club members.
- It is innovative or demonstrates need.
- It is backed by a detailed project management plan that includes a description of the request, a project schedule, and specific project management.
- The majority of project funding is coming from other sources.
Region Development Grants are not intended to fully fund a Region project. Therefore, Regions should be prepared to indicate in their application the cost of the project, the Region investment in the project, other contribution sources, and the amount needed from the Foundation.
The application deadline for the next round of the Region Development Grant is Aug. 31, with other quarterly deadlines being Nov. 30, Feb. 28, and May 31.
Grant details can be found here, with the application in the link below.
Help Support the Foundation
The Region Development Grant program is only possible thanks to generous donations made by SCCA members, Regions, and Divisions. The available number and size of the grants will vary based on fundraising each year. As such, the Foundation asks that Regions and Divisions keep the Foundation in mind as a possible recipient for future charitable events, and that individuals consider supplemental donations in support of the grant program.
