Funding applications now available for Vail Community Relief Fund

Applications for funding from the Vail Community Relief Fund are available online from the Town of Vail. The $500,000 Vail Community Relief Fund has been established by the Vail Town Council to provide local financial relief associated with COVID-19 impacts in the areas of food, shelter and health for the Vail community.

To qualify for funding consideration, applicants must be an existing nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission aligns with the intent of the Vail Community Relief Fund to provide immediate assistance to frontline workers and other individuals most in need. Organizations applying for the funding are asked to provide an overview of the request, how the relief funds will be distributed, as well as budget documentation, board member listing, revenue sources, contributors, etc. 

As directed by the Town Council, a Community Support Fund Committee has been established and tasked with reviewing the applications and allocating the funds. The committee is comprised of two Town Council members, the Town Manager, Finance Director, Economic Development Director and other town staff as deemed necessary. At this time there is no minimum or maximum funding requirement of nonprofit applicants, but the Fund Committee will be working to maximize the number of organizations benefiting. Funds will be distributed as quickly as possible after an award decision has been made, which will be on a rolling basis until the Community Support Fund has been depleted. Prioritization of funding will be for organizations that are based in Eagle County and provide assistance to those who may live or work within Vail.

In addition to the Vail Community Relief Fund, the Town Council has authorized rent relief programs for residents at Middle Creek at Vail Apartments and Timber Ridge Village, two properties the town owns interest in. In each scenario temporary rent concessions of up to 50% of the monthly rental rate are to be provided to residents in good standing for up to 90 days. More than 500 local Vail residents and their families currently reside at these two properties which represents approximately 10% of Vail’s permanent population. The objectives of the rent relief programs are to temporarily relieve the financial stress on a great number of the residents that have suddenly found themselves unemployed or without a reliable income and ensure a large percentage of the community workforce remains in Vail so businesses can hit the ground running when circumstances change. Additional community relief considerations will be evaluated based on identified needs.

A list of external resources available to both individuals and businesses are included on the town’s COVID-19 resource page at www.vailgov.com/COVID-19, including federal and state stimulus programs and unemployment benefits that may be available to help individuals with rent or mortgage, utilities and household supplies. Eagle County has a link to many resources as well.

For questions about the Vail Community Relief Fund and the online funding application, contact Finance Director Kathleen Halloran at khalloran@vailgov.com.