Organizers with Naperville’s Indian Community Outreach organization are seeking financial assistance for India Day from city officials, in the hopes that a municipal contribution will bring the event back after a one-year hiatus.
ICO representatives went before the city council at a recent meeting with the request. Historically, the organization has received funding for India Day through the city’s Special Events and Community Arts fund.
The appointed commission that annually allocates SECA funding recommended denying funding to the ICO in 2026.
ICO members outline reason behind funding appeal
Krishna Bansal, chairman of the ICO, said city funding has been an important part of the backbone of India Day as he made his pitch to the city council during public forum at a Tuesday, April 7, meeting.
ICO wound up canceling last year’s India Day event for financial reasons, Bansal said. The cost associated with implementing new safety recommendations from city officials — including full park fencing and metal detectors — was cited as a reason.
“I really humbly request to please reconsider the grant so that we can definitely proceed with having this event,” Bansal said.
Other ICO representatives also spoke to the council at the recent meeting about the impact India Day has historically had on Naperville since its inception in 2015.
“Over the last decade, Naperville has seen tremendous growth,” said Viral Shah, pointing to the rise in Indian-owned restaurants and retail establishments within the city. “India Day has helped showcase Naperville as a welcoming place for businesses and families to invest in and call home. Through this event, ICO has built a strong 11-year track record of safely and successfully managing one of the city’s most visible community celebrations.”
Other event organizers indicated India Day has gained widespread attention throughout the Midwest because of its size and scale.
“We really want to take this event to the next level,” Munish Kaistha of the ICO added. “It’s been very, very popular. I’ve been getting so many calls, even from the neighboring states, from Indiana, from Iowa, as well as from Wisconsin.”
SECA commission allocated $1.2 million in grant requests
The SECA Commission received a total of 86 SECA grant funding applications this year, Jake Fiedler, special events coordinator, wrote in a memo to the city council in February. A portion of the city’s annual food and beverage tax revenue goes toward fortifying the SECA grants.
Ultimately, the council at the time approved the SECA commission’s pool of grant recommendations, which totaled more than $1.2 million for this year.
According to city documents, ICO sought a $63,503 grant for city services associated with India Day this year and an additional $335,000 for operations connected to the event.
Melanie Marcordes, director of community services, said commissioners recommended complete denial of both requests this year for several reasons during deliberations late last year as the applications were reviewed.
“The commission did consider the cancellation of last year,” Marcordes said. “That was a concern for the commission, but it wasn’t the only concern.”
An additional concern, Marcordes said, included an alleged lack of communication and follow-up to more granular-level questions concerning the pair of funding requests.
Bansal pushed back against such assertions during public forum, stating, “If any further evidence were needed, we have always provided. We are a transparent organization.”
Council members weigh in on request with review continuing
ICO’s funding request dovetails into a big-picture review the city council is slated to have about the overall SECA structure at its next meeting pn Tuesday, April 21.
Alongside that robust review, the council is slated to receive a list of potential municipal funding options for India Day this year. During new business at the recent meeting, Councilman Josh McBroom received unanimous support to have such an agenda item included at an upcoming meeting.
“I think everybody loves the event and wants it to happen, wants it to continue,” McBroom said. “I think there might be a little bit of underappreciation for how big this event is, and what it means to the city. I think we need to do everything we can to make this event happen this year.”
Councilman Ashfaq Syed, who serves as the council representative on the SECA commission, described the overall panel as “the finest, highly qualified, experienced” group of people who do their due diligence.
Syed also expressed a desire to try to mitigate future occurrences such as the complete denial of India Day funding from happening in the future as reviews take place.
“I met all of the SECA commissioners,” Syed said. “I have been engaging them for the last year.”
During a wide-ranging discussion about India Day, several members on the dais shared their support for the positive impact the event has on Naperville.
“I do think, in the same way St. Patrick’s Day is a longstanding tradition that is really important to a major group in Naperville … India Day is similar,” Councilman Ian Holzhauer said.
Stay in the know – sign up for our daily news update!