Vail Valley Foundation
The Vail Valley Foundation is a nonprofit based in Avon, Colorado, working to enhance quality of life in the Vail Valley through arts, athletics, education, and community initiatives. Its website describes work that includes cultural programming and sporting events, youth and family programs, and efforts to address community needs.
Vail Valley Foundation at a glance
In short: Vail Valley Foundation gave $2.9M across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $295K), mostly in Colorado. 10% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,945,322
- -11.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $294,532
- -11.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $17,089
- Total assets
- $40,890,321
- +78.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 10% first-time grantees (1 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Vail Valley Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Its website invites donations to the foundation’s general fund and offers targeted donations for the Vail Dance Festival, Vilar Performing Arts Center, and YouthPower.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 6550, Avon, CO 81620
Phone: (970) 777-2015
Website: https://vvf.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Vail Valley Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was YOUTHPOWER365 ($1.2M). Together the top 10 received $2.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
79 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 54 grants of 79 (68%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Colorado. The listed 2025 recipients are based in Colorado communities including Avon, Vail, Eagle, Gypsum, and Edwards. The foundation describes its work as serving the Vail Valley and Eagle River Valley.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Vail Valley Foundation open to new grantees?
10%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 10 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $326K. How we count
Medians: $13K first-time, $19K repeat.
- 90% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+15%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.1M (2020) to $3.3M (2024). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $2.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| YOUTHPOWER365 Avon, CO | General Support | $1,234,013 |
| Eagle River Valley Center Avon, CO | General Support | $1,050,000 |
| Vilar Performing Arts Center Avon, CO | General Support | $556,362 |
| Bravo Vail Vail, CO | General Support | $27,170 |
| Ski and Snowboard Club Vail Vail, CO | Genarl Support | $19,177 |
| The Cycle Effect Eagle, CO | General Support | $15,000 |
| Roundup River Ranch Gypsum, CO | General Support | $12,600 |
| Walking Mountains Avon, CO | General Support | $11,000 |
| Bright Future Foundation Avon, CO | General Support | $10,000 |
| Family Learning Center Edwards, CO | General Support | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Vail Valley Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Filing type: Form 990 (a public charity).
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $40,890,321 | $39,283,892 | $22,805,925 | $2,945,322 | 10 | $425,903 |
| 2024 | $22,947,537 | $18,338,909 | $18,231,990 | $3,313,798 | 10 | $433,948 |
| 2023 | $23,091,607 | $16,349,038 | $17,260,616 | $1,783,599 | 12 | $136,383 |
| 2022 | $22,993,237 | $18,789,291 | $17,159,635 | $2,569,420 | 21 | $205,829 |
| 2021 | $34,085,817 | $10,605,524 | $10,248,013 | $1,786,890 | 26 | $289,417 |
| 2020 | $29,545,665 | $20,434,551 | $18,752,462 | $1,115,902 | 8 | $1,010,246 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to provide leadership in arts, athletics, and education, and address community needs to enhance the Valley as a place to live, work, and visit. Its website describes arts programming such as the Vail Dance Festival and performances at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater and Vilar Performing Arts Center; athletics events including Birds of Prey and the GoPro Mountain Games; and youth programming through YouthPower365.
The 2025 grants included support for organizations whose own missions cover youth education and recreation, arts programming, youth athletics, education and empowerment for underserved girls, medically supported camp programs for children with life-altering diagnoses, environmental education, and alternative education for low-income families. These are the recipient organizations’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
The foundation’s website identifies childcare as a community need and describes its role in establishing the Eagle River Valley Childcare nonprofit and developing the Lettuce Patch Early Learning Center.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $2,945,322. The grants ranged from $10,000 to $1,234,013, with a median of $17,088. The three largest were $1,234,013 to YouthPower365, $1,050,000 to Eagle River Valley Center, and $556,362 to Vilar Performing Arts Center; each was listed for general support. Other listed recipients included Bravo Vail ($27,170), Ski and Snowboard Club Vail ($19,177), The Cycle Effect ($15,000), Roundup River Ranch ($12,600), Walking Mountains ($11,000), Bright Future Foundation ($10,000), and Family Learning Center ($10,000).
The foundation’s 2023 filing says it receives periodic reports from grantee organizations about how grant funds were used and considers those reports, together with its community relationships, adequate for monitoring.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Michael Imhof as president and CEO and Chris Jarnot as chairman. Directors listed on that filing are Andy Arnold, John Arnold, Sam Bronfman, Jeffrey Byrne, Susan Campbell, Will Cook, Steve Coyer, and Johannes Faessler.
Vail Valley Foundation is led by Michael Imhof, President & CEO since 2023 (on filings since 2020); 10 of 53 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michael Imhof
President & CEO
President & Chief Executive Officer → President & CEO, 2023
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$326K (2020) → $376K (2025)
Chris Jarnot
Chairman
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian Muller
It Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$129K (2020) → $191K (2025)
Jessica Stevens
Senior Director of Sales
Sales Director → Senior Director of Sales, 2022
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$145K (2020) → $164K (2025)
Greg Bloom
Senior Director of Sales
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$131K (2022) → $202K (2025)
Kristin Dudding
Senior Director of Marketing
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$156K (2025)
Linda Giordano
Senior Director of Hr
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$147K (2025)
Sarah Franke
Senior Vice President of Operations
Vice President Marketing & Operations → Vice President of Marketing & Operations, 2023
Vice President of Marketing & Operations → Senior Vice President of Operations, 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$183K (2020) → $261K (2025)
Dave Dressman
Vice President of Sales & Grfa
Vice President Sales → Vice President Sales & Grfa, 2022
Vice President Sales & Grfa → Vice President of Sales & Grfa, 2023
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$143K (2021) → $226K (2025)
Joshua Cloud
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2024
20 hrs/week
$187K (2024) → $240K (2025)
Sierra Adams
Vice President of Philanthropy
Senior Vice President Philanthropy → Vice President of Philanthropy, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$180K (2024) → $192K (2025)
Al Hubbard
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alexia Jurschak
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andy Arnold
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ann Smead
Board Member
Chairman → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anne-Marie Keane
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Beth Howard
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bj Hybl
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dan Pennington
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ellen Moritz
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Fred Tresca
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gary Woodworth
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jill Plancher
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Johannes Faessler
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Arnold
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kaia Moritz
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ken Schanzer
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kristin Tang
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kristy Woolfolk
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Margie Gart
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sam Bronfman
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Malloy Millett
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steve Coyer
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susan Campbell
Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carrie Besnette Hauser
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cheryl Jensen
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Salvin
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mike Krupka
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Will Cook
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alejandra Corts De Milmo
Board Member
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carlos Gardea
Board Member
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Hyde
Board Member
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nadia Guerriero
Board Member
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tina Vardaman
Board Member
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Donna Lynne
Board Member
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nick Waugh
Board Member
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bobby Murphy
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey Byrne
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Adi Slifer
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Greg Daly
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Molly Kipp
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tina Wilson
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Will Verity
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (33)
- Former: Hap Stein (2020–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Chris Romer (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Melina Valsecia (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Paul Gordon (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Tricia Bancker (2022–2024) — Controller
- Former: Martha Brassel (2024) — Senior Director of Development
- Former: Mike Shannon (2020–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Robert J. Ford (2020–2023) — Chief Financial Officer · Filing note: Thru 112022
- Former: Sarah Johnson (2020–2023) — Senior Vice President Philanthropy
- Former: Linn Brooks (2022–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Peggy Wolfe (2023) — Senior Director of Operations
- Former: Charlene Chen (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Christopher Jarnot (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Rod Slifer (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Sheika Gramshammer (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Tim Finchem (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Tom Boyd (2020–2022) — Pr Director
- Former: Susanna Johnson Shannon (2022) — Board Member
- Former: Andy Daly (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Bill Esrey (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Donna Giordano (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Duncan Horner (2020–2021) — Executive Director Vpac
- Former: Matt Donovan (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Michael Herman (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Michael Price (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Steve Friedman (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Betsy Wiegers (2020) — Board Member
- Former: David Dressman (2020) — Vice President of Sales
- Former: George Johnson (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Gregory Bloom (2020) — Sales Director
- Former: Hans Berglund (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Mary Webster (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Ron Davis (2020) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $376K, to Michael Imhof (President and CEO). 10 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Vail Valley Foundation
How much does Vail Valley Foundation give each year?
Vail Valley Foundation gave $2.9M across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $3.3M across 10 grants.
What is Vail Valley Foundation's typical grant size?
Vail Valley Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $17,089, and its average grant was $294,532, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Vail Valley Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does Vail Valley Foundation give grants?
Vail Valley Foundation gives mostly in Colorado: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Avon, CO (5 grants) and Vail, CO (2 grants).
Does Vail Valley Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 90% of Vail Valley Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (9 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Vail Valley Foundation's largest grantees?
Vail Valley Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include YOUTHPOWER365 ($1,234,013), Eagle River Valley Center ($1,050,000) and Vilar Performing Arts Center ($556,362), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 96% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Vail Valley Foundation?
Vail Valley Foundation reported $40.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $39.3M.
What does Vail Valley Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to provide leadership in arts, athletics, and education, and address community needs to enhance the Valley as a place to live, work, and visit. Its website describes arts programming such as the Vail Dance Festival and performances at the Gerald R. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Vail Valley Foundation?
Its website invites donations to the foundation’s general fund and offers targeted donations for the Vail Dance Festival, Vilar Performing Arts Center, and YouthPower. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Vail Valley Foundation's EIN?
Vail Valley Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 74-2215035. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 1, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 3, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 1, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Vail Valley Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Vail Valley Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/vail-valley-foundation-morg_2c9a61e0d270468099d1520a13cc2155
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_742215035_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Vail Valley Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/vail-valley-foundation-morg_2c9a61e0d270468099d1520a13cc2155},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Vail Valley Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Vail Valley Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?