Some 2.5 million people from all walks of life and around the world come to Fiesta® San Antonio to have fun while giving back. One of the most important functions of the Fiesta San Antonio Commission is the funding of Fiesta events that are not financially self-supporting. In 2019 the commission provided nearly $600,000 in funding and support to the participating member organizations that sponsor such events. The commission itself is funded entirely by the private sector and receives no governmental funding. Instead, it relies heavily on membership dues, retail sales and corporate participation to remain self-sustaining. In 2017, the UTSA Center for Community and Business Research released its economic impact study of Fiesta San Antonio. Economic Impact is the total effect of financial activity (expenditures) that only occur because of the existence of an event. The study found that Fiesta San Antonio:
- Contributed $340.1 million in sales to the local economy (compared to $284 million in 2007).
- Supported 3,464 full-time-equivalent local jobs.
- Provided $206.3 million in value added to the area.
- Generated sales tax collections of $3.6 million for local government
- Generated $188.0 million in spending by non-local visitors, which supported more than 1,840 full-time-equivalent jobs, $111.8 million in value added and $2.0 million in sales taxes for local government.
- Attracted 2,512,489 event attendees.
- Mobilized 75K volunteers.
Parade Chairs for Nonprofits: The Commission also supports other local nonprofit groups like Scout troops, PTAs, civic clubs and others through parade street chair sales. By setting chairs along the route of the two major street parades and selling tickets to both parades, these organizations combined earn nearly $900,000 each year.
