New Landmark Report Provides Guide

to State-level Event Procurement Funds

22 U.S. states are leading the way with $233 million in funds to attract sporting events across America

The first-of-its-kind comprehensive tool analyzing state-level funding mechanisms for the entire sports events and tourism industry in America was released today revealing hundreds of millions of dollars available in funding for sports events aimed at creating direct economic impact for destinations.

“The Stoll Report on State Event Funds,” researched and published by Stoll Strategies, led by Dr. Jennifer Stoll, the company’s founder, and colleague, Dr. Blake Price, concludes that 11 states have an event procurement fund and 12 states have grant programs (Arizona has both) totaling in $233.9 million dollars in total available funds to support U.S. sporting events.

The report was published in partnership with Sports ETA, the only trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, who annually releases the State of the Industry report, which sat at $39.7 billion in 2021 in direct spending on amateur sporting events equating to $91.8 billion in economic impact across the U.S.

“Many states are now realizing the importance of establishing dedicated funding mechanisms for the recruitment and support of sporting events to create new channels of economic and community impact,” said Dr. Stoll. “Our report will help states benchmark their state funding against their competitive sets and serve as an advocacy tool as they develop their strategic sports events and tourism plans.”

The report, which will be updated regularly, provides a snapshot of each of the 22 U.S. states and their allocation amounts and funding parameters. For instance, individual state funding sources range in size from tens of millions to hundreds of thousands of dollars and may be funded annually or biannually according to state budgets. In addition, some states have recurring funding sources, while others have dedicated one-time dollars with or without ARPA funds.

The report will be valuable to those leading organizations in the sports events tourism industry and U.S. destinations along with sporting events rights holders who are looking for new host city partners. It also provides a roadmap for states looking to add or update event procurement funds or grant programs.