Town of Vail Community Grants

Council Contribution funding requests are organized into four designated categories for funding consideration: Signature events, Destination events, Services, or In-Kind. Criteria for submission in each category are listed below.

Contributions will be evaluated and awarded to applicants who can show the contribution will be used directly to benefit the entire community of Vail, fulfillment of the Town’s mission, and how the contribution will affect our resort community’s future health. Funding is subject to approval by ordinance of a supplemental budget appropriation.

Please Note: Event and Education Enrichment funding applications are available through the Commission on Special Events (CSE). Application for the CSE are available at Event Funding Application Information.

The Town of Vail provides two opportunities to request Council Contribution funding each year- the annual application and the midyear application:

Annual Contribution Requests

Annual contribution requests are considered during the annual budget process for the coming year. Town Council reviews the application along with staff recommendation for contribution requests submitted by the June 30th Deadline.

Midyear Contribution Requests

The purpose of the midyear review is to provide an opportunity for organizations that have newly identified projects or unforeseen changes to their budgets to come forward all at the same time and for Council to provide consistent criteria and evaluations. Midyear requests are considered during the second budget supplemental in July and must be submitted by March 30th.

The application, guidelines, and accompanying information are available for submission online through the link below. No hard copy application will be accepted.

Grant Categories 

Signature Events:

Signature Events represent events and programs that have been built by solid organizations over a period of time and enjoy national and international recognition for excellence. These events represent the Vail brand at the highest level and the loss of any one of them would have a negative effect. The customer base includes a significant portion of destination guests and economic impact to the town is profound. Example of these events and programs would include Bravo!;, Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships, Vail International Dance Festival and Vail Jazz Festival. Funding of this category is allocated outside of the CSE annual budget; however the results will be reported to the Commission on Special Events as part of the standard recap process and will also be presented to Town Council.

Destination Events:

This category represents events and programs that provide the town an opportunity for new or one-time major events such as the US Pro Challenge, and the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships. While funding will be allocated outside of the Commission on Special Event’s budget, event results will be reported to the CSE as part of the standard recap process and will also be presented to Town Council. The funding for this category will not be automatic each year, but major events and/or programs with the potential to build the Vail brand even further and have a significant impact on the town’s economy will be considered on an individual basis. Signature events are able to apply for funding from this category with a new opportunity that fits this criteria.

Services:

This category funds an aspect of services/expertise that the town does not already provide, supports the TOV physical plant and is appropriate for governmental support. Examples of this category include support of TV5, Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens and Eagle Valley Childcare. Applications are required to be filled out every other year (for odd year funding) for ongoing operating support of established service providers, which will be included in the annual budget at a set level each year.

In-kind Requests:

Annual in-kind funding allocations such as ice time at Dobson Arena, use of Donovan Pavilion/Grand View, parking passes/coupons and public works or police department services will be subject to staff-level approval. The town does require an annual application to be filled out for transparency and tracking purposes.