Moab Seeks Official 4WD Sponsor to Fund Housing, Trails, and City Events
Moab is soliciting 4WD manufacturers to become the city's official sponsor, with the winning partner funding housing, trail work, and events like Easter Jeep Safari.
Vehicle manufacturers have been slapping "Moab" on their trim packages for years without putting anything back into the trails and housing that keep the city running. The City of Moab is looking to change that with a formal request for proposals targeting street-legal four-wheel-drive manufacturers, with a submission deadline set at 2 p.m. on April 7, 2026.
The partnership on offer goes well beyond a logo deal. The winning sponsor would earn the right to use Moab's name and official city logo on promotional materials, but the city expects something substantial in return: contributions to public infrastructure, affordable and workforce housing, environmental preservation, trail maintenance, and direct support for city events.
City Manager Michael Black made the commercial logic explicit: "Moab's name gets used with a lot of these vehicle manufacturers ... we're already seeing our name out there being used and being synonymous with off-road capability." The Jeep Wrangler MOAB trim is the most visible example, but it's far from the only one, and some manufacturers had already expressed interest in a formal arrangement before the RFP was published.
The Easter Jeep Safari figures prominently in the city's pitch. The RFP specifically contemplates sponsor activations at Moab's high-profile off-road events, giving manufacturers direct access to the exact audience that buys their vehicles. In exchange, the city is asking that sponsor commitments translate into tangible public benefits, not just marketing exposure.
The framing throughout the RFP is community partnership rather than advertising. The city envisions the winning manufacturer as a recognized leader in four-wheeling technologies and stewardship, and the scope of eligible project areas is intentionally broad: the RFP covers everything from dark skies preservation to workforce housing.
The April 7 deadline gives interested manufacturers less than two weeks to respond. If a partner is selected, the city will face its own test: building accountability structures that ensure the money and in-kind support actually reach Moab's trail crews, housing projects, and the event infrastructure that draws the off-road world here every spring.
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