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In today's climate of taxes, budgets and water restrictions, has anyone secured grants or corporate sponsors for the installation of artificial turf fields?

Over the years I have installed logos purchased by banks, rental and asphalt companies and even Coke has chipped in on two of them. You may be able to find pictures of them, one in Hillsboro Oregon the other in Bismark N.Dakota. One crafty Athletic Director in Wyoming was able to get a lot of local donations. He was able to get a gas company to make their goalposts out of drill pipe. He also went to the equipment rental company I used for the installation and talked them out of the profits from my rentals. As to Florida I am unsure but California has grants for both water conservation and rubber recycling for which conversion to artificial qualifies.

I believe NIKE and the Bill Bauerman foundation have a grant set up for track revitilization. Because it is after all Track and FIELD, there may be some money there that could be secured.

This is a question that more school districts are asking, and it's a topic we explored in the July 2007 issue of Athletic Business [Green Strategies]. Grants, government securities and private fund-raising groups all have been used to secure funding for synthetic turf fields. Some districts also have saved money by soliciting in-kind donations from local contractors and getting student-athletes themselves involved in the process. One high school in Indiana even asked its football team to help put the finishing touches on its new field, saving labor costs and boosting team pride. Good luck...