Polaris donates $97K in grants to off-road organizations

Deepening its commitment to providing support for the development and improvements of trail systems throughout the United States, Polaris in October announced a total donation of $97,000 through its T.R.A.I.L.S. Grants program. The grants are awarded to off-road and ATV organizations and are designated for use toward developing, improving and expanding trails and educating on ATV/ORV safety and riding.

Ten nonprofit organizations received a Fall 2020 T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant, with awards ranging from $8,000 to $10,000. The organizations will focus on a range of trail and rider safety activities, such as providing safety courses for youth and adults, trail maintenance and repair and improving signage and the development of a digital trail database.

For example, the Fall 2020 grant awarded to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital will fund ATV Rider Camps for youth participants to learn about safe and responsible ATV use, including current and relevant traffic laws, responsible and courteous rider behavior; injury prevention and how to obey the rules of the off road.

“Seeing the many ways the T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant program is used to improve and enhance trail systems and promote safety throughout the country is meaningful,” said Steven Menneto, president of Polaris Off-Road. “We are proud to support these organizations as they improve the trail systems, promote safe riding practices and serve as stewards within the community of off-road riding and beyond.”

The T.R.A.I.L.S. Grants provide funding to national, state and local organizations in the U.S. to help support the future of ATV and off-road riding. The program covers two main objectives: promoting safe and responsible riding and supporting environmental preservations and trail access. Organizations can use funds from the grant to increase and maintain land access through trail development, maintenance projects, safety and education initiatives and other projects.

The Fall 2020 T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant Recipients are:

• Day Mountain Road Association (Avon, Maine)
• Great Basin Institute (Reno, Nevada)
• Kokopelli ATV Club (Mesquite, Nevada)
• Nevada Outdoor School (Winnemucca, Nevada)
• North Idaho ATV Association (Hayden, Idaho)
• Over the Hills Gang ATV Club (Outing, Minnesota)
• Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation (Phoenix, Arizona)
• Trap Corner Ridge Riders (West Paris, Maine)
• Uncompahgre Valley Trail Riders (Montrose, Colorado)
• Wilderness Wheelers ATV Club (Bigfork, Minnesota)

This latest round of recipients joins an additional 12 grants that were announced in June, amounting to nearly $210,000 awarded to 22 organizations in 2020. Since it was founded in 2006, the T.R.A.I.L.S. Grants program has supported 315 off-road and ATV organizations with more than $2.7 million in grants.

“The T.R.A.I.L.S. Grants helped us refurbish a popular rest area the Prospectors Trail, just as it crosses the Kawishiwi River that is frequented by a variety of trail enthusiasts, including those who ride ATVs and snowmobiles, canoeists, hikers, and more,” said Ron Potter, the trail administrator for the Prospectors Trail Alliance in Ely, Minnesota, which was awarded a T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant in March. “Thanks in part to the grant, we were also able to help fund the boardwalks that are being built as part of this trail system to reduce impact to wetlands.”

For more information on the T.R.A.I.L.S. Grant program and to apply for a grant, follow this link to the Polaris website: https://www.polaris.com/en-us/trails-application/.