As 2024 draws to a close, we wanted to look back on what was a big year for our internal grant programs. Direct grantmaking is one of the most important ways we support our Chapters and pursue our organizational goal of accessible, well-planned, progressive, and sustainable trails. Last year, we awarded over $90,000 in funding across 19 trail projects!
Trail Grants
The VMBA Trail Grant program relies on a committee of Chapter Representatives to review applications and make awards, a unique model that creates incredible cross-pollination among our Chapters. Through two rounds of applications, we awarded ten (10) Trail Grants in 2024 to the tune of $59,550!
$7,000 to the Woodstock Area Mountain Bike Association (WAMBA) for major rehabilitation of legacy trails at Mt. Peg (completed last fall)
$7,000 to Richmond Mountain Trails (RMT) to help finish Phase One of the Driving Range trail system (completed last summer)
$7,000 to Stowe Trails Partnership (STP) for climate resilience upgrades to Sterling Forest (in progress)
$7,000 to Southern Vermont Trails Association (SoVTA) for water management upgrades to Crosstown Trail (completed last summer)
$5,250 to Ludlow Area Sport Trails (LAST) for an extension to the new Back 40 Trail System (completed last fall)
$1,800 to Addison County Bike Club (ACBC) to support strategic planning
$3,500 to the Montpelier Area Mountain Bike Association (MAMBA) to help fund a Montpelier Parks Connector Trail
$7,000 to the Jamaica Area Mountain Bike Association (JAMBA) to fund Phase 1 of a skills trail system at the Jamaica Village School (completed last fall)
$7,000 to Ridgeline Outdoor Collective (ROC) for a new blue progressive jump trail in Rochester
$7,000 to Fellowship of the Wheel (FOTW) in RTP matching funds for a aMTB-friendly summit loop at Saxon Hill
Congrats to all the recipients of 2024 Trail Grants!
Adaptive Upgrade Grants
We were deeply grateful to once again partner with the Kelly Brush Foundation in providing grant funding to Chapters to implement adaptive mountain bike (aMTB) upgrades identified as part of our Adaptive Assessment Program, which we run in partnership with Vermont Adaptive. This year, over $13,000 went to four Chapters to help make their trail systems more accessible.
$4,000 to Velomont Trail Collective (VTC) to implement improvements along the Perspiration trail.
$3,075 to Fellowship of the Wheel (FOTW) for Additional improvements and adjustments to Sunny Hollow, Mud Pond, and Saxon Hill.
$4,000 to the Southern Vermont Trails Association (SoVTA) for trail tread upgrades along the Crosstown Trail
$2,200 to Brewster River Mountain Bike Club (BRMBC) for an adaptive extension to Meagan’s trail at Cricket Hill
Huge thanks to both KBF and these Chapters for helping make more riding accessible to folks with physical disabilities.
Major Storm Recovery Fund Grants
While we were fortunate to avoid the widespread flooding that came in the summer of 2023, last year nonetheless saw intense, historic storms hit localized areas in Vermont. Once again, we mobilized our Major Storm Recovery Fund to help get Chapters back up and running as quickly as possible, awarding nearly $14,000 to four Chapters.
$8,000 to Fellowship of the Wheel (FOTW) for emergency drainage repairs and cleanup to reopen networks across Chittenden County
$2,500 to Millstone Trails Association (MTA) to address washouts on Mainline, Grand Lookout, Boulder Dash and Rauli’s Run
$2,000 to Brewster River Mountain Bike Club (BRMBC) for the removal of blowdowns and root balls throughout the Macomber and Schneider’s networks
$1,230 to Mad River Riders (MRR) to replace a washed-out bridge on Suki’s Alley
Naming Grants
While the Naming Grant Program took a hiatus for 2024, we did facilitate one major award over the Summer, with Velocio Apparel providing $5,000 to the Woodstock Area Mountain Bike Association for progressive updates to the Schist Creek trail at Mt. Peg, just in time for the Eastern States Cup and VTYC enduro races this past fall. We’re also psyched to announce a new round of Naming Grants will be awarded early this spring – so stay tuned!
A huge thanks to all of our 9,000+ Members for helping fund this work and ensuring we have more and better trails to ride this season!