According to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, 57 license plates have raised funds for a variety of groups and causes, ranging from wildlife conservation to university support. This one is in support of historic preservation projects by the city of Las Vegas.
Thursday, June 27, 2019 | 2 a.m.
Specialized license plates are likely to not be the first items to spring to mind when potential funding sources are considered, but multiple organizations and charities around Nevada have shared in millions of dollars from them over the past 20 years.
The close of the 2019 legislative session saw the passage of two bills that created new specialized license plates — one for the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center and another celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. The plates can be a significant source of funding.
According to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, 57 license plates have raised funds for a variety of groups and causes, ranging from wildlife conservation to university support. Only 30 plates are generally allowed to be in circulation at one time, although this requirement can be waived.
And even though a group's specialty plates are not issued anymore, it does not mean they stop bringing in funds — vehicle owners can renew them annually.
Kevin Malone, a spokesperson for the state DMV, cited the Carpenters Union license plate, which was discontinued in 2009 but brought in almost $400 in the first half of fiscal year 2019, as an example.
How are the plates approved?
There are two ways a specialty plate can come to fruition in Nevada — legislative action or a request from a registered nonprofit organization. There are two tiers of plates under the request, one that requires 1,000 active registrations and another that requires 3,000.
Though the Legislature has approved most requests to create new specialized license plates in the past few sessions, a measure that would have created a plate commemorating the Moulin Rouge casino failed to receive more than one hearing.
Once a plate is approved and offered to vehicle owners, their life is dependent on demand. DMV reviews active registrations in the fourth quarter of each year and ceases production of plates that have not met the required level by the end of that year. Requested plates are brought in by order of application after past plates are phased out.
The recently approved Raiders plate, which funnels money to the NFL team’s nonprofit Raiders Foundation, is an example of a requested specialty plate. Sales data is not currently available for the Raiders plate.
The Golden Knights have their own specialized plate created by legislative action in 2017, but money raised under it is not currently earmarked for any charitable organization.
Specialty plates for charitable organizations generally cost $62 initially, and $30 for an annual renewal. Twenty-five dollars of the initial fee and $20 of the renewal goes to the earmarked organization. Money collected for the specialty plates is distributed by the state treasurer to the organizations, generally on a quarterly basis.
The newly approved plates
While the availability dates for the women's suffrage centennial specialty plates are not set in stone, Assemblywoman Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, indicated in testimony that she was told the plate would be available for the entirety of 2020. The 19th Amendment, which affirmed women's right to vote, was ratified in 1920.
The funds from this plate would go to the Nevada Commission on Women.
The other plate approved this session — the “Vegas Strong” plate — would provide funding for the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, which provides assistance to victims of the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip.
Tennille Pereira, the center’s director, said in the past that money raised from these plates could go to help families who needed financial assistance. Currently, the center is not equipped to handle such requests. She cited a family from California affected by the tragedy that had called for help paying their electric bill.
“We did not have any money to help them keep their power on. What we did do is navigate the system for them, get them all the benefits they did qualify for, but, unfortunately, we did not have the means to provide them financial assistance,” she said in a hearing. “This is a common scenario we see consistently — small holes which need to be plugged to keep them afloat while they deal with the trauma and heal to find again their new normal.”
So, what could the bottom line be for the two organizations with new specialty plates? Some plates have brought in millions for organizations or charities, and only two — both relatively new — have failed to bring in more than $4,000 total, so the potential impact could be big.
Highest-grossing specialized plates
The plates can be a significant money flow for the organizations earmarked to receive funding. For example, the plate marking the Las Vegas Centennial has raised over $25.6 million for grants from the city’s Centennial Commission.
These grants have funded Las Vegas Days — formerly Helldorado Days — and the neon signage in the downtown street medians, among other projects.
Revenues from this plate are much higher than any other, with the next-highest revenue coming from "Veterans" license plates, which have brought in nearly $8.3 million.
What all the plates that have broken $1 million have going for them is longevity. The “Children in the Arts” plate, which supports programs in the Nevada Arts Council and Arts for All Nevada, sits at $1.04 million — the smallest increment over a million dollars any plate has hit — and has been around since 2001.
Plates supporting Lake Tahoe, veteran charities, UNR and UNLV have been around since 1998, and, predictably, sit at the top of the list.
Lowest-grossing specialized plates
Most of the plates that bring in less money are either newer — Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts — or discontinued, like the Carpenters Union.
Still, the money coming in is not insubstantial. Among the plates that have brought in under $50,000, the majority sit between $10,000-$40,000.
