About the Grant

Each year, the New England Ski Museum awards a Cal Conniff grant to support individuals and groups that enhance the mission of the Museum, which is to preserve the history of skiing and winter sports in New England.

The grant program is named for former Museum president Cal Conniff, who founded the Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Race at Cranmore Mountain in 1997. This grant program is funded with proceeds of the Race.

About Cal Conniff

Cal Conniff had a distinguished career in the American ski industry, culminating in 16 years as President and Executive Director of the National Ski Areas Association. Following his retirement Conniff’s energy and ski industry knowledge benefited the New England Ski Museum, where Conniff served as a director, president, and founder of the Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Ski Race. In recognition of those contributions, the Ski Museum designated its existing grant awards the Cal Conniff Grant program in 2006. Cal Conniff passed away on January 8, 2021, one month shy of his 91st birthday.

Grant Recipients

In 2026, the grant committee selected these organizations for support:

Stark Mountain Foundation(SMF) in Waitsfield, Vermont: $500 will go towards their Ski Scholarship Program which provides needs-based elementary school alpine skiing experience in the Mad River Valley. The SMF Scholarship program provides Mad River Glen lift privileges, 12 weeks of Sunday ski lessons, ski equipment, lunch on ski lesson days, ski wear and accessories. Congratulations to the Stark Mountain Foundation on the wonderful work you are doing and the ski opportunities you bring to so many young people!

How to Apply

Applicants submit a letter that outlines a description of the project, its goals, the audience that it will impact, and the dollar amount requested.

Supporting information for the application should include:

  • Organization’s description or individual’s resume, including mailing address;
  • Two letters supporting the merits of the individual or program;
  • One representative photograph for publication if the applicant is successful.

Submissions may be emailed to jenn@skimuseum.org. Subject line should include the words Cal Conniff Grant.

2027 Grant deadline is Feb. 1, 2027.

Grant Criteria

The Cal Conniff Grant is open to individuals, organizations and educational institutions with an interest in winter sports, such as Alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing. To be eligible, the applicant must demonstrate the need for funding for education related to snow sports, preservation of skiing history, or encouraging participation in skiing and riding.

The selection process is conducted by the Museum’s Grant Committee on an objective and nondiscriminatory basis. The committee judges applications based on the following:

  • The proposal’s contribution to the preservation of ski or snowboard history;
  • The extent to which the project encourages skiing or snowboarding participation;
  • The importance of the grant to the success of the proposed program;
  • The educational value of the proposal.