Fee assistance
The City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Division provides high quality recreation programs for all residents of Bloomington that will benefit their physical, cognitive, social, emotional and recreational needs, at an affordable price.
The goal of the fee assistance service is to assist Bloomington residents, who demonstrate a financial need, to pay for a portion of the recreation program fees or create an alternate payment plan. Eligibility for the program is determined by completing an application and supplying the correct documentation.
Qualified household members will be eligible to receive a discounted price on certain Parks and Recreation program fees identified on a Two Tier Fee Schedule, with NO LIMIT to the number of programs per calendar year. The discount is valid for the calendar year in which you applied and you must reapply for fee assistance each year.
- Households that have gone through the qualification process and have qualified for fee assistance can register for programs via our online registration.
- No more limits to the number of programs discounted per calendar year!
- Fees are based on a Two Tier Schedule determined by the documentation you provide.
FAQs and Other Information
Fee assistance can be used for, but is not limited to, the following programs:
- Camp Kota
- Summer Adventure Playgrounds
- Bloomington Family Aquatic Center season passes
- Skate School classes
- Garden plots
- And more
There are some programs where fee assistance cannot be used. If you have any questions, please call us at 952-563-8877.
Applications for 2023 are accepted and processed beginning January 9, 2023.
- Complete a fee assistance program application and provide documentation.
- Return completed application and any required documentation to:
- Bloomington Parks and Recreation
1800 W. Old Shakopee Road
Bloomington, MN 55431-3027
Phone: 952-563-8877
Fax: 952-563-8715
Email: parksrec@BloomingtonMN.gov
- Bloomington Parks and Recreation
Documentation needed for the application is as follows:
- Copy of your 2022 - 2023 eligibility notification letter from ISD271 Food Service Department if your child participates in the Free or Reduced Lunch Program.
Or ALL of the following:
- You must complete ALL SECTIONS on the application.
- Provide a copy of your 2022 federal tax returns, and copies of two months of income for your household. Income is based on gross pay.
- If aid is received from Social Security, please obtain verification of financial status. You can call 1-800-772-1213 to request a printout.
- If aid is received from Hennepin County, please obtain verification of your monthly income. This information can be obtained by calling your Hennepin County financial worker.
To request an Eligibility Notification Letter that verifies your child participates in the Free or Reduced Price Lunch Program, call the Food Service Department at 952-681-6570. Please note that the Food Service Department cannot fax or send letters directly to Parks and Recreation.
If you want to pick up a copy of your letter from the Educational Services Center, it is located at Oak Grove Middle School, 1350 W. 106th Street Door C, Bloomington, MN.
Eligibility will be determined and verified in writing within one week. Please allow us this time to evaluate and process your paperwork.
All information submitted to the fee assistance program for the purposes of eligibility determination is considered confidential and is not shared with the staff working in the programs.
The discount is valid only for the one calendar year in which your application has been accepted.
You must reapply every calendar year.
2023 fees for Tier 1 and Tier 2 |
Resident Fee |
Tier 1 Fee |
Tier 2 Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Summer Adventure Playgrounds |
$300.00 |
$150.00 |
$225.00 |
| Playground Littles Full Day | $300.00 | $150.00 | $225.00 |
| Playground Littles Half Day | $150.00 | $75.00 | $115.00 |
|
Camp Kota |
$250.00 |
$130.00 |
$195.00 |
|
Kota Kids |
$215.00 |
$110.00 |
$165.00 |
|
BFAC Season Pass - Adult 16-54 |
$68.00 |
$34.00 |
$51.00 |
|
BFAC Season Pass - Young Adult 11-15 |
$48.00 |
$24.00 |
$36.00 |
|
BFAC Season Pass - Senior 55+ |
$40.00 |
$20.00 |
$30.00 |
|
BFAC Season Pass - Child Age 2-10 |
$40.00 |
$20.00 |
$30.00 |
|
Garden Plot Rental |
$44.00 |
$22.00 |
$33.00 |
|
BIG – Ice Skating Lessons |
Varies |
50% off |
25% off |
|
Adaptive Softball |
$70.00 |
$35.00 |
$55.00 |
|
ARLE Qualifying Programs |
Varies |
50% off |
25% off |
If accepted into the fee assistance program, you will be expected to pay the discounted fee at time of purchase.
If for any reason your account becomes delinquent (for example, a returned check), you must pay the outstanding balance on the account, as well as any service fees that apply, prior to registering for any future programs (discounted or full price). Your household will become ineligible for this program and removed from any future fee assistance program mailings until your account it brought up to date.
Download the 2023 Fee Assistance application and brochure
Follow these steps to properly download, complete and submit the fillable application form:
1) Click on the link above to open the PDF application in a new browser tab.
2) Save the PDF to your computer by clicking the "download" button (arrow with line under it) in upper right portion of the page.
3) Locate where you saved the PDF application to your computer and open it.
4) Complete the PDF application by filling in all of the applicable fields.
5) Save the PDF application to your computer to preserve the information you filled in.
6) Send the completed form either as an attachment via email to parksrec@bloomingtonmn.gov or print and fax to 952-563-8715.