As another year draws to a close, we are taking a look back on 2025 at the Vail Valley Foundation and celebrating all we accomplished together. Through our four pillars of arts, athletics, education, and community supports, the VVF delivered measurable results across our valley. We were able to enrich thousands of lives through a wide variety of programming, positioning the Vail Valley as a model for how comprehensive nonprofit leadership can drive both immediate impact and long-term prosperity.
Arts
Throughout 2025, the VVF's arts initiatives created unforgettable moments that captivated audiences and enriched our cultural landscape. The Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek completed significant facility renovations and continued to diversify its programming across 113 ticketed events. We welcomed 37,437 ticketholders to the intimate venue, all while bolstering existing initiatives and launching new ones to expose community members to the arts.
The Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater ('The Amp') in Vail hosted 71 events and performances across 176 operating days from April - October. The Amp was ranked the #4 Best Amphitheater in the country in the 2025 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, and the free Bulleit Hot Summer Nights concert series earned the #5 spot for Best Outdoor Concert Series.
In 2025, we renewed our partnership with Bravo! Vail Music Festival, reaffirming our commitment to hosting Bravo! performances at The Amp through 2035. Renovations began in October to replace pavilion seating and install hand railings at the venue—the first phase of a three-year, $19 million project.
The internationally celebrated Vail Dance Festival once again transformed our valley into a global dance destination in July and August, giving the gift of live dance to 14,273 attendees. We set new records in 2025 with $964,683 in ticket sales and 7,516 livestream viewers for NOW: Premieres.
Meanwhile down valley, the Town of Eagle ShowDown Town continued the tradition of fostering connections in 2025 during the free summer community concert series. Through an expansion of the Community Arts Access Program, we were able to distribute 10,898 free or discounted tickets to community members in 2025 — a 14% increase from 2024.
In total, 165,585 people attended our 218 arts events and performances in 2025.
Athletics
The VVF's athletic programming continues to energize the community through our two signature events: GoPro Mountain Games and Stifel Birds of Prey. These world-class competitions deliver economic vitality, global recognition, and community pride while fostering active lifestyles and camaraderie.
In 2025, the GoPro Mountain Games introduced multiple new events, including speed climbing and the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge Experience. 94,503 spectators enjoyed the four-day festival, and 5,424 of them downloaded our brand-new mobile app.
Stifel Birds of Prey welcomed 134 men's ski racers representing a record 27 nations in 2025 ahead of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. We worked through challenging weather conditions to successfully deliver three Men’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup races, with modified courses and schedules. The four-day festival thrived through it all, with 29 total activations and a record 21 breweries at the 10th annual Beers of Prey.
Education
The VVF's education initiative, YouthPower365, provides a unique continuum of programs serving youth every step of the way from early childhood to college and career. In the 2024-25 school year, this vital programming engaged 4,000+ students and families in the Eagle River Valley and distributed $850,500 in scholarships to 58 high school seniors pursuing higher education.
The Magic Bus Mobile Preschool served new communities, while culinary activities expanded into elementary school due to rising popularity. PwrHrs added extra programming days and hours at two schools, and the introduction of three new middle school summer camps in summer 2025 led to the highest summer participation level since the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the high school level and beyond, we launched a new Career Pathways Scholarship for the 2024-25 school year, and we introduced a new family learning series to help families navigate the higher education process. The Family Engagement Team also added four Family Specialists, engaging in more than 1,500 one-on-one touchpoints with families and offering individualized support to 59 caregivers.
Community
The Eagle River Valley faces a severe childcare shortage. This lack of accessible, quality early childhood education causes strain on working parents and businesses, and children miss out on the critical developmental foundation they deserve.
That is why the VVF launched the Eagle River Valley Childcare Initiative. We broke ground in June 2025 on the Avon Early Childhood Education and Development Center: a 13,595 square-foot facility with capacity for approximately 165 children ages 0-5, set to open in fall 2026.
A Tuition Assistance fund will provide financial support for families, while a Staff Housing Assistance fund will allow us to attract and retain quality employees.
The Town of Avon leased the land to the VVF for 50 years for $1 and provided significant financial support. Eagle County also contributed crucial funding, and many other partners have been involved throughout the process. This groundbreaking collaboration across local and regional partners, creates a replicable model for expanding regional childcare access.
Empowering Possibility Capital Campaign
In 2025, the VVF made great progress on our Empowering Possibility Capital Campaign: an ambitious $72 million initiative that will create lasting infrastructure improvements to enhance our community's arts, athletics, education, and community support services for generations to come.
With $43 million already raised, the campaign has delivered immediate impact through completed Vilar upgrades, elevated World Cup ski racing events, groundbreaking progress on the Avon Early Childhood Education and Development Center, and the start of renovations to the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater.
Transformational projects still to come include a YouthPower365 Family Engagement and Soccer Center, expanded scholarship funding, and endowments ensuring the future of the Vail Dance Festival.
2025 At-A-Glance
In 2025, our arts programs enriched the cultural life of the valley. Our athletic events energized and united the community. Our education initiatives empowered thousands of local youth and families. Our community support efforts brought us one step closer to addressing our valley’s critical childcare needs. More than anything, our events, performances, and programs brought people together.
In total, the VVF had an estimated economic impact of $61.8 million in 2025. We held a total of 264 events, hosted 103 free performances and exhibitions, and welcomed an estimated 278,073 participants to our events, performances and programs.
And of course, none of it would have been possible without the dedication of 1,428 volunteers giving a total of 34,714 hours of their time across all our initiatives.
You can learn more about our accomplishments from the past year in our 2025 Annual Report.
Together, our interconnected initiatives don't just serve the Vail Valley—they transform it. With the support of our donors, staff, volunteers, program participants and community members, we are creating a powerful ecosystem of opportunity that strengthens every aspect of our community.
Let's continue to empower possibility in 2026!
