By Steve Summers and Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The early application deadline is Monday for residents or organizations who want to create a new public event in the city.
The city is encouraging people to apply for funding from its Forward for Fun initiative by Monday because applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis. All events will take place this spring and summer.
The program, which was approved by City Council on Feb. 22, allocates $10,500 to each of the city’s 14 wards for the creation of new, free public events.
“We want to make sure that this summer is filled with a lot of opportunities for families in our community to get together,” Mayor Tom McNamara said on This Week in the Stateline.
The initiative is funded, in part, by the American Rescue Plan Act and supported by Hard Rock Rockford, Northwestern Illinois Building Trades, Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and FurstStaffing.
“It will bring life and entertainment to all 14 wards of our city. It will allow people to get to different parts of our city that they haven’t been to in years or maybe never been to. It will help invest in some small businesses,” McNamara said. “We want people to get together, connect with old friends, build new relationships, because when we are all working together … we’re going to be a better off city.”
How to apply for Forward for Fun funding in Rockford
Residents or organizations who wish to create new events and want to apply for the grant funding should follow these steps:
- Talk to the alderman of the ward. Applications will need to be endorsed by the alderman of the ward before being submitted to the city for approval.
- Fill out the application, which can be found at rockfordil.gov/forward-for-fun.
- Include with the application a budget breakdown, including the amount requested from the city.
- Submit the application to corspecialevents@rockfordil.gov.
All events will be held this year, and applications are reviewed as they are received.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.