Visit Leadville-Twin Lakes (VL-TL) has budgeted $20,000.00 from the lodging tax dollars to support Lake County community members that preserve or enrich Lake County for the good of our community and our visitors.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM APPLICATION HERE

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Visit Leadville – Twin Lakes endeavors to collaborate with community members through this support program. Community members may receive support for specific projects and programs that are accessible to the community of Lake County, address some of the key needs of our citizens, and align with VL-TL priorities.

SUPPORT RANGE

Projects can request a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $5,000. Not every application will receive funding, and partial awards may be granted. Projects are encouraged to consider and describe what they will do if offered a partial award.

FUNDING PERIOD

Funded projects may occur (and funds must be spent) between November 15th 2024 and September 1st 2025. If the funding has not been utilized and no report about the status of the project has been submitted by the end of the funding period, VL-TL reserves the right to require a refund of the full application amount.

DEADLINE

The application period will start on Monday, September 2nd and run until Friday, October 18th. Awarded organizations will be notified by November 15th.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

VL-TL will consider projects and programs from community organizations that meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Applications will be accepted from community members that provide defined project scope, timeline, and budget. This Support Program is not intended for sustaining support.
• Only one (1) application may be submitted per organization or community member of Lake County. The application can be obtained online at leadvilletwinlakes.com or hard copies are available at the Leadville Visitor’s Center. Completed applications can be submitted electronically to welcome@leadvilletwinlakes.com or delivered to the Leadville Visitor’s Center c/o Adam Ducharme- Tourism Director.
• Please download this document or make a copy and submit via email or in person. Include your organization/name in the title of the document. 
• Supplemental documentation may only be sent to VL-TL or the Tourism Director at their request.

REVIEW PROCESS

Each application will be evaluated by a panel of community members according to its strengths, merits, and completeness. Applications will be ranked based on their alignment with program goals, and whether it is described as feasible, inclusive, creative, will benefit residents and visitors of Lake County, and will be more likely to happen based on support from this program. The number of awards, funding agreements, and comments to applicant organizations will be sent out after November 15th, 2024.

PROJECTS WILL BE MOST SUCCESSFUL IF THEY MATCH VL-TL VALUES AND PRIORITIES AS DESCRIBED BELOW.

VALUES

• Supported Projects or Programs should benefit the Tourism and the Community of Lake County.
• VL-TL promotes and supports collaboration and cross-pollination between entities that have shared interests. Collaborative proposals are encouraged.
• We provide staff/technical support to make conditions to help people meet our needs/criteria.

PRIORITIES – INSPIRE INNOVATION BY LOCALS TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES THAT HELP MEET PANEL PRIORITIES

• MITIGATING THE IMPACTS OF TOURISM, I.E.
• Signage
• Recycling
• Porta potties at select trailheads

• MAINTAINING VISITATION OPPORTUNITIES, I.E.
• Signage for trailheads
• Capital Improvements
• Parking
• ADA requirements
• Repairing damaged assets

• ADDRESSING TOURISM WORKFORCE NEEDS, I.E.
• Providing childcare at events
• Creating tourism workforce employee incentive programs such as funds for insurance reimbursement, housing costs, shared childcare, a utility stipend in the winter
• Childcare training classes
• Trades oriented equipment
• Internship assistance

• INCLUSIVE TOURISM INITIATIVES, I.E.
• Example: Visitor Information in Spanish and English
• Family Friendly public programs
• public art/engagement

• ENCOURAGE OFF-PEAK VISITATION AND REGENERATIVE TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES, I.E. VOLUN-TOURISM

• Examples: Volunteering programming for visitors (Runners for public lands)
• Heritage and Preservation Programming
• Art & Culture Programming
• Historic Homes Tour
• Parade of Lights
• Saint Patty’s Day
• Ski/Bike Races
• Mural program
• Festivals (food, drink, art, etc)
• Improvement in sustainability/evolution of recurring events

ACCOUNTABILITY

If you receive funds, a report of up to 2 pages is required within 1 year of the award. Information should include, but not necessarily be limited to:

• Project status
• Actual use of funds
• Describe how your organization/program benefited the community
• Describe any problems with your programming or organization that the Tourism Panel should know about
• A budget showing that VL-TL funds were used on the project specified

OTHER CONDITIONS

Nondiscrimination:  including statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, creed, disability, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, or marital status.

Credit/Acknowledgement:  grantee agrees that a notice will be included in appropriate announcements and promotional efforts stating:

“This project/program is supported by Visit Leadville- Twin Lakes.”