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TELLURIDE FOUNDATION AWARDS $1.17 MILLION IN COMMUNITY GRANTS – 79 Local Organizations Benefit from Generosity of Foundation Donors

  • Published
  • On January 2, 2019
Graph of Grant awards by category

TELLURIDE, Colo. (Dec. 28, 2018) – The Telluride Foundation’s Community Grants are an annual financial boost to many nonprofits and help keep the things we care about in our region operating. Grants are used for programs like San Miguel and Ouray counties’ Juvenile Diversion, which helps regional youth learn from their mistakes without being incarcerated; the last theater production you saw, which may have had you laughing to tears; countless scholarships for quality childcare and afterschool programs critical for working parents; and the local ski club that teaches children to ski.

The Telluride Foundation recently announced its annual Community Grant awards, giving a record amount of money to regional nonprofits. This year, $1,174,850 will be distributed to organizations working every day to improve the quality of life in the communities of Nucla/Naturita, Norwood, Telluride, Rico, Ridgway, Ouray and everything in between. “It is because of the incredible generosity of our donors that we are able to support so many critical needs in our community, including regional food banks, early childhood education, youth programs and sports, as well as two capital projects” said April Montgomery, Vice President, Programs at the Telluride Foundation.

On December 28th, the Foundation’s Board of Directors met to finalize this year’s awards, which combined with other programs and initiatives, brings the total invested in our region in 2018 to just over $4M. Since its inception in 2000, the Telluride Foundation has provided over $50 million in grants and other financial support to the Telluride region. All of this without an endowment.

“The Grants Committee was pleased to be able to fully fund two deserving capital requests this year,” said Megan McManemin, Telluride Foundation Board Member and Chair of the Grants Committee. “A new home for Ah Haa School for the Arts and Naturita Town Park were both well-developed projects, which have already raised or have commitments for at least 75% of the overall costs. It feels good to be able to provide some of the final funding necessary to complete these important projects.”

In its 2018 annual Community Grants cycle, the Foundation received 86 applications seeking over $1.46 million. Grant awards ranged from $1,000 to $100,000, with 26 percent going to health and human services; 28 percent funding arts and culture; 13 percent to education; 14 percent to early childhood development; 7 percent to athletic groups; and 8 percent to the environment/animals. The Telluride Foundation supports regional organizations that serve San Miguel, Ouray, and west Montrose counties and the Town of Rico.

“We are constantly trying to improve our Community Grants process,” said Montgomery. “We survey applicants each year, making changes accordingly to improve the applicant experience; we also are improving our grant evaluation process by implementing reporting and measurement requirements based on real outcomes, as well as using visualization software, which can quickly demonstrate the impact of grant dollars.”

The Telluride Foundation’s Community Grant award recommendations are drafted by a 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 then forwards their recommendations for funding to the full Board for review and final approval. The Grants Committee is comprised of Megan McManemin, Chair, Anne Andrew, Sara Bachman, Karen Conway, DeeDee Decker, Adam Max, and Ximena Rebolledo-Leon. Their recommendations were reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting on December 28th. The Foundation’s next round of local grant applications will be accepted in October 2019 and announced at the end of December 2019.

The Foundation’s generous donors not only enable its annual Community Grant awards but have allowed the Foundation to expand its funding and the reach of its Impact Initiatives, including Telluride Venture Accelerator, Broadband Expansion, Local Food, family emergency Good Neighbor Fund, and Strong Neighbors. If you would like to learn more about the work of the Telluride Foundation, please contact them at (970) 728-8717.

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. The Foundation’s 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.