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ICAS Foundation Launches New Micro-Grant Program

March 17th, 2023

The ICAS Foundation has begun accepting grant applications for its new Air Show Sustainment, Training, Advancement, and Recruiting Talent (START) grant program. This collaborative effort between the Foundation and ICAS provides “micro-grants” to air shows, performers, and support service providers for promising ideas or initiatives that will benefit the entire industry.

 

Grants requests will be assessed on a few simple criteria: 1) Will the grant be used to fund a program that benefits the entire industry? 2) Will the program funded by the grant address an existing deficiency or opportunity in the business? 3) Will the program help to further professionalize the air show community? 4) Will the grant help to fund a new idea or innovation that has the potential to positively impact all or most of the ICAS membership? 5) Is it anticipated that START grant funding will represent the entirety of funding for the program for which a START grant is being requested or is it anticipated that additional funding for that program will come from other sources? 6) A firm commitment by the applicant to provide a written de-brief of how the money was used and what other ICAS members can do to make use of the lessons learned by the grant recipient.

 

“This is the latest step in an ongoing effort by the Foundation and ICAS to provide air show professionals with information and resources to improve their individual businesses and strengthen the air show industry,” says ICAS Foundation Board Chairman Kevin Walsh. “As the program evolves and matures, we expect it to become an increasingly helpful tool in encouraging innovation within the air show community and sharing the details of those innovations with other ICAS members.”

 

The deadline for submitting START grant applications is Friday, March 31 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. START grant requests will be reviewed by a grant request review committee in early April. Grants will be awarded in mid-April. For additional details on the new START initiative and a grant application, click here.