Meaningfully linking your employees to each other and authentic stewardship
Naming Grants Program
Our mission is to build a more resilient Vermont through strengthening the connection between Vermont’s outdoor-minded business community and the essential network of non-profits working to visualize, create and maintain our outdoor recreation infrastructure.
How do Naming Grants benefit your outdoor-minded company?
These grants are an opportunity for your company to have an influence on Vermont’s outdoor recreation infrastructure in a way that reflects the outdoor passions of your employees. Together we can embolden employee happiness, loyalty, camaraderie and connection to place, which all translates into your company attracting and retaining the best talent in the world.
Show your employees that you share their passion for the outdoors through a VMBA Naming Grant. Here’s how it works:
- Your company gathers employees that love trails – they develop grant criteria that reflect the types of trail projects they want to see built
- VMBA shares your grant with the chapters
- Chapters develop proposals for your employees’ consideration
- Your employees determine which project(s) to support
Naming Grants are a wonderful opportunity to show your employees that you value what is important to them and their families. Naming Grants are typically developed in September, published in October and awarded at the annual meeting in November.
The grants are meant to:
- Lift up the value of volunteerism as critical and respected asset in Vermont
- Ignite a culture of shared stewardship among outdoor-minded businesses and VMBA chapters
Do you own an outdoor minded business? Do your employees and their families love trails? Get in touch today with Nick Bennette, Executive Director.
2023 Naming Grant Awardees
Darn Tough- Waterbury Area Trails Alliance
Fuse Marketing- Fellowship of the Wheel
MTBVT- Upper Valley Mountain Bike Association
Royal Group- Richmond Mountain Trails
VBT Bicycle Vacations- Velomont Trails Collective (VTC)
Check out our 2023 Naming Grant blog for more details on the Chapters and their projects!
2022 Naming Grant Awardees
Cabot – Addison County Bike Club
Outdoor Gear Exchange – Franklin County Mountain Bike Club
Press Forward – Stowe Trails Partnership
Velocio Apparel – Richmond Mountain Trail
Turtle Fur – Brewster River Mountain Bike Club
Green Mountain Solar – Fellowship of the Wheel
VBT Bicycling Vacations – Fellowship of the Wheel
Ranch Camp – Addison County Bike Club
Check out our 2022 Naming Grant blog for more details on the Chapters and their projects!
2021 Naming Grant Awardees
Cabot – Caledonia Trail Collaborative
Outdoor Gear Exchange – Slate Valley Trails
Mascoma Bank – Fellowship of the Wheel
Ranch Camp – Woodstock Area MTB Association & Southern Vermont Trails Association
Vermont Country Store – Ridgeline Outdoor Collective
Fuse Marketing – Waterbury Area Trail Alliance
Vermont Country Store – Jamaica Area Mountain Bike Alliance
Suncommon – Richmond Mountain Trails
Check out our 2021 Naming Grant blog for more details on the Chapters and their projects!
2020 Naming Grant Awardees
Burton – Mad River Riders
Cabot #1 – Fellowship of the Wheel
Cabot #2 – Bennington Area Trail System
Cabot #3 – Woodstock Area Mountain Bike Association
Outdoor Gear Exchange – Rochester/Randolph Sports Trails Alliance
Ranch Camp #1 – Richmond Mountain Trails
Ranch Camp #2 – Ascutney Trails Association
Vermont Country Store – Jamaica Area Mountain Bike Alliance
Mountain Flyer Magazine – General Chapter Trail Fund
Check out our 2020 Naming Grant blog for more details on the chapters and their projects!
More Time in the Woods
The number of people looking for more time in the woods on their bikes is at an all time high and there’s no end in sight. VMBA’s membership has jumped from 1,250 in 2013 to over 9,500+ in 2022.
Two-way Stewardship
- $31K in Naming Grants were awarded to 8 Chapters’ projects in 2022
- Chapters added 55 miles of new singletrack in 2021
- Growth in ridership suggests a 20% increase in the overall impact on the outdoor recreation economy
- 70% of our members view supporting local businesses as a major factor in their bike-related purchases
- Trails support businesses of all types and are a critical part of driving visitations to VT