HOW CHARITIES COMPETE:
The GCC is a relay style equestrian jumping competition with teams consisting of two junior/amateur riders combined with one Olympic or world-class rider. 20+ rider teams are randomly paired with 20+ charities that serve Palm Beach County. Additional grants are drawn the night of the event, adding up to a grand total of 50 benefiting non-profits benefiting from the event.
- 100% of all proceeds go straight to benefit charities
- The winning team of riders will be awarded $100,000 for its charity
- Every charity selected will win a guaranteed minimum of $15,000
- Not a selected charity for the Challenge, don’t panic. In addition to the selected 20+ teams, we hold random drawings and award grants to deserving charities who applied to participate in that year’s Great Charity Challenge (ranging from $1,000 to $10,000).
NON-PROFIT APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
At a minimum, applicants must have demonstrated they are:
– a 501c3 not-for-profit
– are providing crucial needs to the most vulnerable populations of Palm Beach County (PBC)
– have a presence in Palm Beach County (physical location)
– will spend the money directly on service delivery
– commit to spending a minimum of 75% of funding received in PBC
– have a non-discrimination statement and/or policy (including non-discrimination of services on the basis of race, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, or religion).
IMPORTANT: Our board has instilled a new policy regarding recurring grants. If your organization received funding from the 2023 GCC main event, where you were paired with a team of riders/competitors, please note that you are not eligible to receive funding from the 2024 event. If this is your case, we look forward to you applying for the 2025 edition. This does not apply to non-profits who received randomly drawn or assigned grants.
**Please note that Equestrian Sport Productions and Global Equestrian Group reserve the right to donate excess funds to a charity or charities of its choice, including those with nationwide presence.
APPLYING TO THE 2024 EVENT:
Save the Date: The application process for the 2024 GCC will be open October 16 through October 30, 2023.
Should you wish to be added to our email list, please email acv@greatcharitychallenge.com