Franconia, NH – The New England Ski Museum has announced that the organization’s Cal Conniff Grant program to support individuals and organizations that align with the Museum’s mission to preserve the history of skiing and winter sports will be increased to $3,000 in 2011. Applications are now being accepted.nThe grants are funded with proceeds of the Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Race, held each March at Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway, N.H. The Cal Conniff awards will be announced on Friday, Mar. 11, 2011 at the opening reception of the Schneider Race at Cranmore.

The Cal Conniff Grant Program is open to individuals, organizations and educational institutions with an interest in winter sports, such as alpine and nordic skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing. Anyone who can demonstrate the need for funding for the purposes of education, preservation of skiing history, encouraging winter sports participation, or other involvement in snow sports is eligible.

The selection process is conducted by the Museum’s Grant Committee based on: the importance of the grant to the success of the proposed program; the proposal’s contribution to the preservation of ski or snowboard history; the educational value of the proposal; the extent to which the project encourages skiing or snowboarding participation; and the applicant’s degree of organization in the pursuit of the project.

The Grant Program is named in honor of Ski Museum Board member Cal Conniff, a former Executive Director of the National Ski Areas Association who while President of the Ski Museum founded the Hannes Schneider Meister Cup as a benefit event for the non-profit group. Conniff’s life in skiing reaches back to his youth, when at age 14 he operated the town rope tow in Springfield, Vt., hiking up the slope each night to fire up the engine located at the top of the tow. In the late 1940s, Conniff worked as an assistant cook at Pinkham Notch Camp, located at the trailhead for Tuckerman Ravine, so that he could ski one of the most remarkable ski sites in the East.

The application process is purposefully kept informal. 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 a resume for individuals or organizational description for groups, two letters supporting the merits of the individual or program, and a representative photograph for publication if the applicant is successful.

Questions about the program or application materials should be e-mailed to staff(at)skimuseum.org or mailed to:

Cal Conniff Grant Committee
New England Ski Museum
PO Box 267
Franconia, NH 03580

The deadline for applications is Feb. 10, 2011.