
The Town of Herndon is formalizing its donation program for cultural festivals in an effort to create a system for supporting and encouraging events that encourage cultural celebrations and promote its brand.
The move follows the council’s adoption of a policy statement that supports community cultural festivals on Oct. 24.
“Often referred to in discussions with Town Council as ‘mini-festivals,’ the desire is to complement the town’s already robust community event opportunities, with focus placed on celebrating and sharing the cultures represented in the community,” the policy statement reads.
The Herndon Town Council will discuss the matter in a meeting tomorrow (Tuesday). Organizations may request donations, but not all events will be eligible to receive town money.
Under the approved policy statement, the host organization must be a nonprofit or not-for-profit in good legal standing that’s either located in the town or offers services and programs that directly benefit the Herndon community.
The event itself must be a new community-oriented event, located within the Town of Herndon, free and open to all, and celebrate cultures found in Herndon.
If the program is approved, applicants must request a donation at least 90 days before the proposed event and submit a companion review application for the event itself.
Events that receive donations will be allowed to feature the Town of Herndon’s logo and will be used in the town’s marketing efforts.
Once the donation program is agreed upon, the town will launch it on its website.
Discussions on ways to support cultural programming in the Town of Herndon have been underway for several months. In October, the council approved $2,015 for Pakistan Heritage Day organized by town Councilmember Naila Alam and the nonprofit Global Beat Foundation. During those discussions, council members called on town staff to formalizes the processes for donation and event approvals.



