Avon is now accepting applications for its 2022 Community Grant Program

The town of Avon is now accepting applications for its 2022 Community Grant Program.

Started in 2014, the program aims to provide funds to local nonprofit organizations providing programs and services to Avon residents.

In 2021, the grant program distributed $92,000 to 18 different organizations. While it is anticipated that the funding for the 2022 grant recipients will be similar, the exact amount is up to the discretion of the Town Council. Funding recommendations will be included in the annual proposed budget and be determined in final budget discussions, which are expected to take place in December 2021.

This year, funding for each organization will be capped at $10,000, something that was not established in previous years.

Since its inception, the grant program has aided a wide variety of nonprofits. This has included those providing programs and services in areas of arts, culture, education, environment, health, heritage, housing, human services and recreation.

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“However different in scope, all of these services improve the quality of life for Avon residents, which is why the Community Grant Program is so important to the town,” wrote Elizabeth Wood, the communications and marketing manager for the town of Avon, in an email. This will be Wood’s second year running the program for the town.

One example of a grant awardee is Vail Valley Foundation’s YouthPower365, which received funds to bring its mobile preschool to Avon. The funding allowed YouthPower365 to bring its Magic Bus program to the Aspens Mobile Home Village and the Eagle Bend Apartments in Avon. The program provides four hours of preschool each week for 30 weeks for 3 to 5-year-olds who otherwise would not have access to vital early learning.

For several years, this grant has also helped to fund Catholic Charities’ Community Integration Services program. This program provides local resources and connections to struggling immigrants. Examples of services include interpretation and translation, victim assistance, wage theft investigation, housing dispute mediation and more.

Additional past recipients include the Salvation Army for its Get Out and Grow program in Avon, Mountain Valley Developmental Services for the services it provides to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the Vail Valley Art Guild for its Art in the Valley program, Buddy Werner League, Small Champions, SOS Outreach, Friends of Mountain Rescue and more.

This year, the town created new application review guidelines, which will be used by the Grant Review Committee to review the applications and make its recommendations to the Town Council on who should be awarded funds.

Per the guidelines, applicants must present a program or service that meets the needs of the community in ways that are not already being met by existing businesses or organizations. This can include requests made to either start a new service or expand an existing one.

Tentatively, the town intends to announce the 2022 grantees Dec. 17, pending the approval of the town’s final budget.

Interested organizations can apply now until Aug. 31 to be considered for the grant. For more information visit Avon.org/2357/community-grant-program.