River Rat firmly believes in supporting our community. We do so regularly through sponsorships, annual partnerships, and donations. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate all requests presented to us.
To be considered for a donation, your non-profit organization must submit your request through our submission form below. Review the guidelines below to see if you qualify for a donation request:
Donation requests cannot be submitted over the phone. Requests that fail to cover the required fields listed below will not be considered.
REQUEST GUIDELINES & QUALIFIERS:
TIMING AND EVALUATION PROCESS
Unfortunately, the number of donation requests we receive will always exceed funds and resources available.
All requests must be submitted 6 weeks prior to the event date. If you are not contacted within 1 month of your event, this means River Rat is unable to fulfill your donation request.
TAX EXEMPT STATUS
We only support 501(C)3 organizations. This submission will not be considered without a Tax Exemption Number.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS
Although we don’t limit our contributions to only local organizations, we do give priority to organizations that support our local community.
PRIORITY SUPPORT
We prioritize support for organizations that are dedicated to the following activities/goals (in no particular order below):
- Preservation of the Smoky Mountains and its heritage
- Environmental protection, preservation of natural resources, natural habitats, and biodiversity
- Feeding, housing, clothing or directly assisting those in need
- Art, literacy, and education
- Youth development
- Animal safety, prevention of animal cruelty, and care/placement for stray animals
- Domestic and substance abuse recovery/prevention
- Amateur athletics, team sports, physical fitness
- Historical preservation
EXCLUSIONS
River Rat does not support individuals or their projects, private foundations, recurring expenses for operations, programs, or salaries (except those previously listed above), or political activities/advertising.
