TELLURIDE, Colo. (August 28, 2017) – Since its inception in 2000, the Telluride Foundation has provided significant support to our community’s nonprofits through its Community Grant process. From supporting the One to One Mentoring Program, helping the Telluride Adaptive Ski Program train instructors and volunteers, providing tuition assistance and scholarships to regional early education centers, to funding Telluride Art’s robust arts programming, Community Grants were awarded to 67 regional organizations in 2016. Starting September 1, the Foundation’s will be accepting 2017 Community Grant applications, which will be due Monday, October 23 at 5pm. This year, the Foundation is using a new on-line application process that is designed to make the process easier and more user-friendly for applicants.
Thanks to the generous support of its donors, the Telluride Foundation is the largest grant funder on Colorado’s Western Slope. In 2016, alone, the Foundation provided just under $4 million in grants, including $1 million in Community Grants. Since its inception, the Foundation has granted over $40 million to regional nonprofits and community programs. The Foundation expects to again fund $1 million in Community Grants this year.
The Foundation’s new on-line grant application software will allow each applicant to manage their own grant application portal this year. The application, correspondence, grant agreements and progress reports will all be facilitated through individualized on-line dashboards. “We are excited to launch this new electronic application tool” said April Montgomery, VP Programs at Telluride Foundation, “Although learning a new application process can be challenging, we hope applicants will be pleased with this updated application process. Also, we are now operating with a paperless system, where documents are stored in the cloud and exchanged via email.”
Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the Foundation’s Community Grants Webinar on Wednesday, September 6th at 10AM to learn how to use the new application software. Applicants should visit the Foundation’s Community Grants webpage to sign up for the webinar. Applicants who cannot attend the live webinar will be able to listen to a taped recording after September 6 via a link provided on the Foundation’s Community Grants webpage.
Starting September 1, the grant application will be available on the Foundation’s website at www.telluridefoundation.org (Click on “Our Work”, Click on “Community Grants”, and scroll down to “Community Grants Application”). For more information or questions contact April Montgomery, VP Programs at 970-728-8717 or april@telluride.dreaminblog.com.
Nonprofit, government or community organizations, with program or project aligned with the Foundation’s mission of improving the quality of life for the citizens of San Miguel, Ouray, and/or west Montrose counties or Rico, are encouraged to apply for financial support Applications are reviewed by the Grants Committee, who then makes funding recommendations that are reviewed and finalized by the Board of Directors at their annual meeting in December.
Telluride Foundation’s Community Grants program is just one of the ways the Foundation supports the Telluride community. The Foundation also provides training, workshops, capacity building, and technical assistance for nonprofit organizations, as well as facilitates initiatives in health community development, broadband STEM education, and local food. The Foundation additionally provides emergency hardships grants to low-income residents through its “Good Neighbor Fund”
The Telluride Foundation exists to create a stronger Telluride community through the cultivation and promotion of philanthropy. It is a nonprofit, apolitical community foundation that provides year-round support for local organizations involved in arts, education, athletics, charitable causes, land conservation, and other community-based efforts through technical assistance, education, and grant making. As a grant maker, the Foundation awards grants to qualified applicants that serve the people living and/or working in the Telluride region for the purpose of enhancing the quality of life within the region. For more information on the Telluride Foundation, visit www.telluridefoundation.org