The following recommendation comes from the Aspen Institute’s State of Play Colorado: Aspen to Parachute report. The report assesses the opportunities and barriers for more children to access play, sports and outdoor recreation in rural Colorado communities.

The wealth gap is massive in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys. Opportunities for children to play sports or engage in outdoor recreation often come down to costs. Many sports and recreational organizations generously provide scholarships for children to play.

However, many sports and rec providers and some parents — especially those who are Latino/a — described trying to navigate a confusing flood of scholarship applications. And that’s if they even know that a scholarship or program exists or can afford the application. For instance, Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club scholarships are available by need, but a deposit is required to apply, starting at $100. That deposit amount alone could deter some families from applying.

“There are a lot of opportunities for scholarships here because it’s a generous area, but a lot of families aren’t aware of the information or they’re intimidated,” said a staff coordinator of a recreational program.

Community leaders within the region could collaborate to build one process that manages scholarship applications for sports and rec providers, along with other after-school activities if desired. Think of this like the Common Application, which is accepted by more than 1,000 colleges to help streamline an essential part of the admissions process for students. Imagine a hub in which families fill out only one scholarship form with standardized questions to become eligible for money from various organizations tied to youth sports, recreation, arts, music and other activities. This could cut down on duplicative requirements asked of families to access scholarship money. This may also help families learn of certain programming for the first time.

One inspiring model is in Boulder, Colorado. The PLAY Boulder Foundation's PLAYpass program awards eligible families with noncash vouchers of $250 to register at approved service providers' sports and recreation programs throughout the city. Low-income families who live in Boulder with kids ages 17 or under are eligible. Donors support PLAYpass with gifts ranging from $10 to $1,000.

Research shows that the odds of a child participating in organized recreational and extracurricular activities more than doubles by using a voucher program.

Locally, cooperation between sports and rec providers to serve the greater good would be vital. Providers currently operate in silos with their own processes and criteria for selecting scholarship recipients. There would need to be a level of transparency among organizations disclosing their criteria for scholarships. Those who opt in would have to agree upon the qualifications to receive financial aid and the distribution mechanism to provide the funding. Incentives to organizations could help them opt in, such as:

Become eligible for additional funding from sponsors/donors supporting the scholarship hub.
Receive greater access to parks, fields and sports facilities owned by local municipalities.
Gain access to school activity fairs that help promote the scholarship hub and the provider’s program, potentially increasing the number of participants.

Creating a joint scholarship portal in the region could entice more sponsors and philanthropic donors than the current practice of individual fundraising efforts by a single sport or recreational provider. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Jon Solomon is Community Impact Director of the Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative. Jon can be reached at jon.solomon@aspeninstitute.org.