Pilot City is offering free support to select cities, counties, and regions to organize their first Pitchfest event. What that support entails, exactly, is tailored to your specific needs—an itemized list of ways in which we can offer support is included in the following section. After receiving support from Pilot City, our goal is that most localities eventually develop the expertise to continue hosting the event on their own in future years (sort of like TEDx).

Having said that, there are a number of indirect costs, which may be borne by the host organization. These indirect costs include:  

• Staff Time: The host organization(s) needs to assign a “lead” responsible for spreading the word in their community and coordinating a successful Pitchfest.
• Event Venue: The host organization(s) needs to reserve a venue that is large enough to accommodate the in-person event.

Lastly, we have found the program works best when there is a supplemental funding pool to support matched teams to execute against their projects. In many places, project-level funding may be available from local philanthropy, a local university, or potentially even the government itself. If you have yet to identify a project funding pool, that’s okay—the Pilot City team can work with you to explore funding that may be available in your area, or from our donor network.

Once a host organization submits an interest form, Pilot City reaches out to coordinate and determine the exact type of technical assistance that would be most useful. We then co-develop a project plan that outlines roles and responsibilities. Our goal is to support hosts in delivering their own “white label” version of a Pitchfest that feels adapted to their local context, while offering a shared resource library and community that is useful across geographies.

With that in mind, the range of support we can offer includes the following…

• Dedicated Project Manager
• Web Presence & Event Management
  
  • Customized webpage
  • Event registration 
  • Event attendee profiles
• Customized Templates & Resources
  
  • Agency pitch template
  • Marketing materials
  • Project interest form
  • Funding application
  • Legal templates 
  • Impact metrics collection
• Community, Publicity, and Fundraising
  
  • Publicity through Pilot City’s website and social media
  • Potential project funds from Pilot City’s funder network
  • Global community of government agency staff and topical experts
  • Pipeline to Renaissance Philanthropy programming (see last FAQ)

A successful Pitchfest requires strong buy-in and ongoing engagement from the local host organization(s). 

Each city, county, or region needs to designate a “Pitchfest Lead”—a member of the Mayor’s Office (or equivalent), responsible for getting the word out to relevant agencies and encouraging participation. In addition, many locations will also choose to designate a “Pitchfest Co-Lead” from a local R1 university, responsible for getting the word out to the local academic community.   

The local leads are also responsible for planning the Pitchfest—including reserving the venue and staffing the event—with support from Pilot City. Exact roles and responsibilities will be outlined in a project plan, drafted in coordination with Pilot City.

Pilot City typically signs a simple MOU with the local host organization, detailing roles and responsibilities to ensure a successful program. (An MOU is not needed in some jurisdictions; we’ll take your lead on whether an MOU would help with planning the event!) 

Once agency-expert teams are matched and projects are selected for funding, a variety of other agreements may be required, with the exact composition dependent on input from the local government host. Pilot City has templates for each agreement, which can be adapted for each locality: 

• Project Scope: Covers project activities, and roles and responsibilities of the government agency and the expert partner.
• Conflict of Interest: Requires the expert partner to self-certify that they do not possess any conflict of interest. 
• Non-Disclosure Agreement: Guards against disclosure of sensitive agency information; however, academic experts still retain their right to publish.

If you are a government or university partner interested in hosting a Pitchfest event, fill out our short interest form, so we can begin the intake process. We will follow up with you to discuss next steps within two weeks of form submission.  

The questions ask about where you are in your planning process, and any local resources that may exist already to support a successful Pitchfest. It’s okay to not know all the answers! We plan to support three additional geographies this year, with the possibility of more pending availability of funding.