The Indian Community Outreach organization will receive a financial contribution for this year’s India Day celebration through the Special Events and Community Arts fund, following a narrow majority vote of support from the Naperville City Council.
However the amount agreed upon falls short of the ask by the ICO, which could put the event’s future in Naperville in jeopardy.
The appointed commission that annually allocates SECA funding recommended denying funding to the ICO in 2026.
The council, on a 5-4 vote, Tuesday, April 21, gave the authority to contribute $24,738 in SECA funds from the 2025 SECA balance to the ICO with the caveat that they are applied toward covering the cost of city services used during the parade portion of the event.
Report issued outlining potential funding options
Since 2015, the ICO has been overseeing India Day. ICO wound up canceling last year’s India Day event for financial reasons related to enhanced security protocols, according to event organizers. The full event typically includes a parade and festival.
ICO did apply for SECA funding this year, but commissioners ultimately denied the organization’s request, citing an inability to reach representatives as questions were raised in relation to the application and the cancellation of the 2025 event.
According to city documents, ICO sought a $63,503 grant for city services in 2026 associated with India Day this year and an additional $335,000 for operations connected to the event.
SECA commissioners had a $1.2 million pool of funds to work with, which are sourced from a portion of the revenue retained from the city’s food and beverage tax.
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.
The denial prompted ICO representatives to go before the city council early this month for a reversal in the SECA Commission’s $0 allocation — an unprecedented move within city government. At the direction of council at the Tuesday, April 7, meeting, after the item was brought up during new business by Councilman Josh McBroom, city staff prepared a report outlining potential funding options, which were hashed over at the most recent meeting.
Fiedler, who prepared the recent funding options report, outlined one of three possible scenarios for the council to consider:
- Funding city services only in association with the event, a scenario of up to $49,463
- Funding city services and operations, a scenario of up to $83,963
- Upholding the SECA Commission’s recommendation and providing no funding this year
ICO, SECA representatives weigh in at council meeting
Representatives from the ICO and SECA were on hand at the recent council meeting, with each giving different takes on the grant funding requests submitted late last year.
Out of the gate, Judith Brodhead, chair of the SECA Commission, said the ICO’s funding request of nearly $400,000 was “a huge ask” of the panel. But she said she and others on the commission did recognize the event’s significance as they poured over applications.
“The SECA Commission, as well as the council, is aware of the importance of legacy events like the India Day parade and India Day itself,” Brodhead said.
Rachna Prasad, another SECA commissioner, reiterated past comments about the inability to obtain answers to questions during deliberations on the scope of the ICO’s application.
“Public funds require transparency, consistency, and a respect for process,” Prasad said. “No event is entitled to funding without proper review.”
Prasad also noted the SECA Commission granted a dozen applications “specifically tied to Indian heritage or culture, more than any other group or community.”
Viral Shah, one of ICO’s organizers, doubled down on past remarks that he and others within the organization were on standby if there were questions. While ICO is intertwined with India Day, Shah also said the event’s success has gone beyond the scope of the volunteer-driven organization.
“It is not just an ICO event anymore,” Shah said. “It is a signature event for the city of Naperville, and a reflection of the vision established by Mayor (George) Pradel. This is not an entitlement. The city leadership has created a more integrated, inclusive, and culturally vibrant community by supporting this event.”
Shah also indicated he and others within ICO are considering relocating India Day to another community because of the increased costs associated with security.
When asked if the ICO would consider helming solely a parade this year, in light of the city’s funding, Shah replied, “We have not talked about just doing the parade and canceling the rest of it; we’ve not discussed it internally. That’s something that we will have to discuss before I can give you a 100% answer on that.”
Bhadresh Patel, who also is with the ICO, implored the council to restore funding, citing the impact India Day has had on Naperville.
“This event is not secluded to Naperville alone,” Patel said. “It’s been widely attended by folks outside of the area … and people outside of this country.”
Councilmembers share varied views during deliberations
Ultimately, the $24,738 approved is a fraction of the amount the ICO sought this year for India Day. On the dais, the council had a range of views, with some expressing a desire to work vigorously to keep India Day in Naperville and others expressing concern a reversal of the SECA Commission’s decision could set a precedent.
Mayor Scott Wehrli and councilmembers Supna Jain, Ian Holzhauer, Patrick Kelly, and Benjamin White voted in favor of the $24,738 funding allocation. Councilmembers Mary Gibson, Josh McBroom, Ashfaq Syed, and Nate Wilson voted against the specific amount.
McBroom, who made the request early this month to discuss funding options for India Day, voted against the $24,738 figure because his desire was for the ICO to have a greater allocation.
“I just elevate this event to a different level,” McBroom said. “SECA does fund and give grants to Indian American groups. This is the biggest one — their biggest celebration. This is hugely important to a huge demographic in our community. I don’t want to see another town get this event, and I don’t want to risk that happening.”
Wehrli said the contribution toward city services made sense and pointed to the growing popularity of India Day since its introduction into the community more than a decade ago.
“The success of the event is what ultimately drove the decision last year for the police department to require more public safety elements to be inserted into the event,” Wehrli said.
Gibson was among the council members who shared concerns of the potential ripple effects from the decision made.
“I would like this event to stay, but in terms of good governance, I think it sets a dangerous precedent to give individual groups post decisions to changing the process that we do for individual groups,” Gibson said. “I don’t think that’s equitable to the other members of our community.”
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