For Immediate Release
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Contact
Jessica Savage, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation
802-249-1230 | jessica.savage@vermont.gov
Rebecca Kelley, Office of the Governor
802-828-6403 | rebecca.kelley@vermont.gov
GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT ANNOUNCES UP TO $200,000 IN FUNDING FOR OUTDOOR RECREATION COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM
Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today announced the availability of a new round of funding through the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Communities Grant Program to help Vermont communities use outdoor recreation opportunities to grow their local economies. The program will again award grants ranging from $10,000 to $200,000 to Vermont towns, villages or cities to support development of “outdoor recreation friendly” communities.
“This program has already demonstrated great success with high levels of interest in the last round of funding and positive feedback from communities around the state,” said Governor Scott. “I appreciate the work of the VOREC Steering Committee, my teams at the Agency of Commerce and Community Development and the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, and the legislature for supporting this program to strengthen outdoor recreation-based economic development.”
The program stemmed from a recommendation by the Governor’s Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) and successfully awarded grants to Newport and Randolph in 2019. These pilot projects are underway and will be used as a model for the next set of VOREC communities.
Grant funding will be awarded to support a range of eligible activities, including environmental stewardship, recreational programming and events, capital projects, marketing and planning activities. Communities must demonstrate how they expect to grow their local economy by leveraging outdoor recreation and supporting each of VOREC’s goals. Successful communities will be used to inform development of a longer-term community designation program with the goal of driving economic growth in all recreation-oriented communities.
“Last year, we received over $1.6 million in funding requests from 29 applicants, demonstrating the real need and enthusiasm for sustainable outdoor recreation and the many benefits it provides,” said Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner and VOREC Chair Michael Snyder. “This grant helps communities that are already close to achieving significant goals and just need a boost to get across the finish line. And it directs valuable resources to communities that can serve as models for others to replicate their success.”
Grant applications are due January 20, 2020. Q&A conference calls for interested applicants will be held on Wednesday, December 11 from 11:00-12:00 p.m. and Wednesday, December 18 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Call-in information will be posted at https://fpr.vermont.gov/vorec-community-grant-program.
The program is administered as a partnership between the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. For information and application materials, visit http://fpr.vermont.gov/VOREC or contact Jessica Savage at 802-249-1230 or jessica.savage@vermont.gov.
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