Telluride Foundation: Community Grants, Most $ in History

Telluride Foundation: Community Grants, Most $ in History

The Telluride Foundation just awarded $1.1M and 74 local organizations benefit from generosity of donors.

Dan Tishman, Board Chair with Paul Major, President of TF & Susan Saint James, who is retiring from the board after 17 years of service.

The Telluride Foundation has announced its annual Community Grant awards, giving a record amount of grants to regional nonprofits and organizations. This year, $1,100,900 will be distributed to organizations improving the quality of life in Nucla/Naturita, Norwood, Telluride, Rico, Ridgway and Ouray.

As a result of the largesse of its donors, the Foundation is able to support many of the needs in our community, including regional food banks, early childhood education, youth programs and sports, plus various capital projects, including medical equipment upgrades and the remodel of the historic Wright Opera House in Ouray. 

On December 29, the Foundation’s Board of Directors met to finalize its Community Grant awards, one of the Foundation’s core programs that funds organizations that benefit the region and provide essential services. In its 16th year of giving Community Grants, the Foundation awarded $1,100,900 to 74 nonprofit and governmental organizations serving the region, bringing the total grants given in 2017 by the Foundation to just over $4 million. The Foundation has provided over $41 million in grants to the region since its inception in 2000 – without an endowment.

“This was the largest request the Grants Committee has ever faced and, as a result, this grant cycle was extremely competitive,” said Anne Andrew, Telluride Foundation Board Member and Chair of the Grants Committee. “We saw a large jump in health and human service requests reflective of the fact that despite a stronger economy, we are seeing more needs and struggling families in our communities.”

In its 2017 annual Community Granting cycle, the Foundation received 85  applications seeking almost $1.6 million. Grant awards ranged from $1,900 to $67,000, with 34 percent going to health human services; 28 percent funding arts and culture; 12 percent to education; 14 percent to early childhood development; 7 percent to athletic groups; and 5 percent to the environment/animals. The Telluride Foundation supports regional organizations that serve San Miguel, Ouray, west Montrose and portions of Dolores counties.

“For the second year, the Foundation has been accepting applications for capital projects within the Community Grant program, and we had five requests this year,” said April Montgomery, VP Programs at the Telluride Foundation. “The Grants Committee was pleased to award $50,000 to the remodel of the Wright Opera House in Ouray, given that the Opera House has already raised over $1 million of the $1.5 million project. Other capital projects funded included radiology equipment at the Basin Clinic ($15,000) and a cardiac monitor at the Uncompahgre Medical Center ($20,00). 

 “The Foundation implemented a new, more advanced online grant system this year,” added Montgomery.“While switching to a new software program always has its challenges, I think grant applicants will be pleased with its ease of use and streamlined application and approval process. It also provide the staff and Board better data management, data analysis and decision making capabilities.”

Telluride Foundation Board voted to distribute $1.1 Million in Community Grants on Dec. 29th at their bi-annual board meeting.

The Telluride Foundation’s Community Grant award recommendations are drafted by the seven-member Grants Committee, all of whom sit on the Foundation’s Board of Directors. The committee evaluates the grant requests against a rigorous set of criteria and forwards their slate of recommendations to the full Board for review and final approval. The Grants Committee is comprised of Anne Andrew, Chair; Karen Conway;, DeeDee Decker; Kevin Holbrook; Adam Max; Megan McManemin; and Ximena Rebolledo. Their recommendations were reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting on December 29. The Foundation’s next round of local grant applications will be due in in Fall 2018, and announced at the end of December 2018.

The Foundation’s generous donors not only enable its annual Community Grant awards, but also have allowed the Foundation to expand its funding and the reach of its Impact Initiatives, including its Telluride Venture Accelerator, Broadband Expansion initiative, Local Food Initiative, family emergency Good Neighbor Fund, and Paradox Community Development Initiative.

More about the Telluride Foundation:

The Telluride Foundation is committed to enriching the quality of life of the residents, workforce, and visitors of the Telluride region. It is a nonprofit, apolitical community foundation that makes grants and runs programs in arts, education, health and human services, community development, and social enterprises. The Foundation strives to achieve excellence for the community through its mission and core values of inclusion, self-reliance, and innovation. Our work is funded through the generous support of hundreds of donors as well as grants from state and national foundations.

Pease visit www.telluridefoundation.org.

Organization

2017 Grant Award

Grant Award For

Ah Haa School for the Arts

26,000

for general operating.

Angel Baskets

10,000

for the Food Bank, Holiday and School Supplies programs.

Basin Clinic

12,500

to provide primary care for sliding scale and indigent care.

Basin Clinic    (Capital)

15,000

for capital support to purchase radiology equipment.

Bright Futures

37,000

to support Parents As Teachers in San Miguel, Ouray and west Montrose counties.

CASA of the 7th Judicial District

5,000

for general operating support services in San Miguel, Ouray, and west Montrose counties; Multi-year funding. (Yr. 1 $5,000; Yr2 $5,000; Yr3 $5,000)

Center for Mental Health

18,000

to support the operations of a new crisis clinic.

Colorado Mountain Club

5,000

to close and restore off highway vehicle travel on National Forest land in the East Dallas road area and trail maintenance along the Dallas Trail.

Community Radio Project

2,000

for news broadcasting and radio operations at KSJD’s satellite studio in Rico.

EcoAction Partners

7,500

to help residents in west Montrose County and Rico reduce their utility costs and greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency efforts.

FRESH Food Hub/ SWIRL

5,000

to  increase distribution and economic viability of the Hub.

Friends of Colorado Avalanche Information Center

5,500

for San Juan backcountry avalanche forecasting operations.

Friends of the Wright Opera House

7,500

to grow the theatre program.

Friends of the Wright Opera House (Capital)

50,000

to support the Wright Opera House capital campaign to remodel and expand the theatre.

Habitat For Humanity of the San Juans (Capital)

25,000

for capital support to build a Habitat for Humanity project in Ridgway.

Haven House of Montrose

3,000

for general operating.

Hilltop Community Resources

7,500

for advocacy, shelter & safe-house services in Ouray and San Miguel counties.

Hispanic Affairs Project

10,000

to provide immigration legal assistance and to assist victims of crime and domestic violence.

KOTO Radio (San Miguel Educational Fund)

25,000

for general operating; to improve Norwood translator; and to develop KOTOGO.

Latino Advocacy Committee Collaborative

35,000

to empower and build the efficacy of the Latino community.

Lizard Head Hockey Club

7,500

for general operating.

Many Hands Fiber Arts Festival

2,000

to provide a children’s project in Norwood or Naturita, and support our communications and educational efforts.

Mountain Munchkins Childcare and Preschool Program

30,000

to support the scholarship program and help to offset infant room costs.

Mountain Sprouts Preschool

11,000

for general operating.

Mountainfilm

20,000

to support Mountainfilm’s 40th annual festival programming.

Naturita Community Library

10,000

for multi-year funding to provide youth and adult educational programs and general operating.

Norwood Fire Protection District

9,000

for a Community AED Program.

One to One Mentoring Program

40,000

for general operating.

Ouray County Performing Arts Guild

4,500

for general operating.

Palm Arts

15,000

for subsidized rentals to community nonprofits and for program scholarships.

Partners of Delta, Montrose and Ouray

3,000

for mentoring programs and professional case management for at-risk youth in Ouray County.

Pinhead Institute

18,000

For Norwood, West End, Ridgway, and Ouray programming.

Reach Out and Read Colorado

1,900

for new books, provider training, and expansion research in southwest Colorado clinics.

Rico Preschool

3,000

for general operating.

Ridgway School District R-2

6,000

to fund the Learn to Ski Program.

San Juan Field School

5,000

to provide affordable and free avalanche education.

San Juan Independent

4,000

to help produce an article highlighting a critical issue relevant to the San Juan region.

San Miguel Resource Center

44,000

for general operating.

San Miguel Watershed Coalition

10,000

to fund the water quality testing program and the 2018 update to the State of the San Miguel Watershed Report. 

Second Chance Humane Society

9,500

to fund primary programs in prevention and outreach that reduce pet overpopulation.

Sherbino Theater (Ridgway Chautauqua Society)

10,500

for general operating and programming support.

Sheridan Arts Foundation

22,500

for non-profit rental subsidies, scholarship funds for Young People’s Theater and West End students at Wild West Fest.

TED-Ed Club-Ouray Public Library

2,500

to purchase needed technology and enhance the afterschool TED-Ed Club.

Telluride Academy

25,000

for local, low income tuition assistance.

Telluride Adaptive Sports Program

25,000

for general operating.

Telluride AIDS Benefit

2,000

for free local HIV aids testing and education.

Telluride Arts District

25,000

to support programs that advance the Telluride Cultural Master Plan goals.

Telluride Chamber Music Association

5,000

for general operating.

Telluride Choral Society

6,000

for general operating.

Telluride Community Television

10,000

for community television content.

Telluride Early Childhood Center

20,000

to provide scholarships and support parent education classes

Telluride Education Foundation

15,000

to enrich educational programs for students and support teachers and paraprofessionals in the Telluride School District.

Telluride Film Festival

20,000

to help underwrite the Nugget Theater.

Telluride Historical Museum

15,000

for general operating.

Telluride Mountain Club

12,500

to support regional trails maintenance, planning, mapping, trails-related events and the Via Ferrata.

Telluride Mountain School

9,000

to provide financial assistance to low-income families.

Telluride Nordic Association

7,500

for a multi-year, general operating grant.

Telluride Preschool

15,000

to support the scholarship fund, teacher salaries, and continuing education.

Telluride R-1 School District

12,500

To provide English language classes to non-native-English-speaking adults.

Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club

22,000

for financial assistance for families and general operating.

Telluride Society for Jazz

15,000

for general operating.

Telluride Theatre

20,000

for general operating.

Telluride Youth Lacrosse Association

5,000

for general operating expenses.

Tri-County Health Network

20,000

for general operating.

True North Youth Program

10,000

for positive youth development programs for under-served teens in San Miguel County and the West End of Montrose County.

Uncompahgre Medical Center

20,000

to support the purchase of a cardiac monitor.

Uncompahgre Volunteer Legal Aid

5,000

to provide legal assistance to seniors, low-income and at-risk individuals.

Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership

9,000

for general operating.

Voyager Youth Program

15,000

for general operating.

Watershed Education Program of the Telluride Institute

8,000

to implement STREAM-based experiential curriculum and field-trips for watershed school districts.

West End Family Link Center

18,000

for general operating.

West End Seniors Collaboration (Region 10)

67,000

to provide community services that support seniors and disabled adults in the west end of Montrose , San Miguel and Ouray counties.

Western Colorado Council, Boy Scouts of America

2,000

to support low-income youth joining Scouting in Telluride and the surrounding communities.

Wright Stuff Community Foundation

40,000

for general operating.

 

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