Vail Valley Foundation unveils ambitious $72 million capital campaign to transform arts, athletics, education and community support services

Since its inception in 1981, the Vail Valley Foundation has embraced a “big idea mentality” in its mission to enhance the community it serves through arts, athletics, education, and community services.

On Tuesday, the nonprofit unveiled its next big idea to the public — a $72 million capital campaign that will transform its venues and programming for the next generation.

It’s an ambitious undertaking that launched 16 months ago with support from key donors and stakeholders, with $40 million already raised. The list of projects includes facility upgrades to the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek and the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail; securing endowments for the Vail Dance Festival; building a new early childhood education and development center in Avon; expanding the World Cup ski racing festival that has been a hallmark of the nonprofit; and building a community center that would house YouthPower365 and its COPA and middle school soccer programs.

Chris Jarnot, the board chair, said the decision by the nonprofit’s leadership to embrace a comprehensive vision that would set up the Vail Valley Foundation for the next 30 years took a lot of guts.

“So many of our supporters support many of the facets of what we do, and rather than keep going back to them, we wanted to present this generational vision for what the organization could do and show it all together,” Jarnot said. “As overwhelming as it might be for us taking it on, it’s inspiring.”

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Vail Valley Foundation President Mike Imhof said there was spirited debate among leadership and the board about taking on capital projects sequentially versus showing donors “the entire menu.” In the end, he said, “We wanted to make a difference sooner.”

“It’s going to take us a few years to get through all of this, but if you did it just project by project, we could be seven years from now trying to still chip away at something,” Imhof said. “We wanted to take action sooner.”

Investing in world-class venues and the arts

The Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater recently ranked fourth among the nation’s amphitheaters in a new study compiled by readers and editors of USA Today, ahead of Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison and Dillon Amphitheater in Dillon.

Over the next three years, the venue will undergo a $20 million facelift, which will enhance the experience for performers and attendees through new and improved seating and safety upgrades. The renovations will expand The Amp’s operating season, expand food and beverage operations, diversify programming during the summer season and modernize the facility for its staff and longtime partner Bravo! Vail. The upgrades are projected to increase the economic impact for the town of Vail by up to $3 million annually.

Renovations will be phased over the next three winters to avoid interrupting the peak summer season. Phase 1, which will launch this coming fall and last through the winter, will include the replacement of pavilion seating and the installation of safety railings in select areas of the pavilion. Phases 2 and 3 will take place during the winter seasons of 2026-27 and 2027-28.

Completed upgrades to the Vilar Performing Arts Center are also part of the capital campaign. Following its 25th anniversary in 2023, the venue underwent a comprehensive $2 million renovation that included sound system and acoustic panel improvements, lighting upgrades, a new HVAC system and a new projector and screen.

The campaign also includes two endowments for the Vail Dance Festival, a staple of the summer calendar at The Amp in late July and early August. The Carol F. Storr Endowment for Classical Ballet will ensure the inclusion of classical ballet in the Vail Dance Festival in perpetuity, while the Vail Dance Festival Artistic Direction Endowment will ensure continued excellence in artistic leadership, building on the foundation established by Damian Woetzel, the festival’s longtime artistic director.

Addressing the child care crisis

In July, the Vail Valley Foundation and the town of Avon expect to break ground on a new early childhood education and development center, with plans to open in fall 2026.

The town is providing the 3.5-acre parcel for the center on a 49-year lease, with a pair of 10-year extensions built into the contract. The center will operate as a nonprofit and will provide child care, learning, and development for 165 children under the age of 5.

The facility brings together a swath of community partners: Local architectural firm Zehren & Associates is the designer, local builder RA Nelson is the general contractor, and Access Early Education Foundation will be the facility operator.

The Vail Valley Foundation has already raised 80% of the $13.7 million project goal for the facility. It is also establishing a $5 million fund to help with tuition assistance and employee housing to ensure that facility staff have access to housing and that tuition remains affordable and accessible for all.

Expanding world-class ski racing

Bringing World Cup racing to the valley has been a staple of the Vail Valley Foundation since its founding in 1981, continuing a legacy that stretches over 60 years to the founding of Vail as a world-class ski destination.

The capital campaign will secure and expand upon that legacy by continuing to host the annual Birds of Prey World Cup races at Beaver Creek to showcase the fastest male and female skiers in the world.

Last winter, the addition of a second weekend of women’s races to follow the men’s races yielded an economic impact for Beaver Creek and Avon of $6.8 million.

A gift of $10 million from John and Karen Arnold, as part of naming rights unveiled in 2024 as the “John and Karen Arnold Red Tail Stadium,” has accelerated the fundraising initiative to secure men’s and women’s World Cup races for perpetuity.  

Expanding education by investing in youth and families

The last piece of the capital campaign seeks to propel YouthPower365 programming to the next level, through facilities, scholarship funding, and program expansion.

In 2022, a $500,000 seed gift from Amy and Steve Coyer, along with additional funding from the Vail Valley Foundation, launched the YouthPower365 Scholarship Fund, providing scholarships to high school graduates attending four-year colleges and two-year trade school programs. The campaign aims to increase this fund to $5 million, which will provide opportunities for high school seniors over the next 15 years.

YouthPower365’s COPA and middle school soccer programs have also provided a healthy extracurricular option for valley youth and their families, with more than 900 kids participating annually.

To address a significant lack of year-round soccer facilities and the need for dedicated program space, the Vail Valley Foundation plans to build a headquarters for YouthPower365 and its soccer programs in the Eagle/Gypsum area. The $15 million initiative will include a center for YouthPower365 family engagement; a safe and inspirational space for children after school on weekends, and during the summer; offices for all YouthPower365 full-time and part-time staff; and a community indoor, year-round soccer center.

The Vail Valley Foundation is also fundraising for a non-permanent $4 million operating reserve fund for education and sports to provide critical annual financial support, enabling YouthPower365 and the new Family Engagement and Community Soccer Center to maintain staffing, continue growing, and serve the community’s most pressing needs.

The Vail Valley Foundation anticipates that the YouthPower365 campaign project will move forward once appropriate land can be secured.