TELLURIDE, Colo. (Dec. 29, 2021) – The Telluride Foundation’s Community Grants are an annual financial boost to regional nonprofits, supporting many critical services for individuals and families and programs that enrich the community. Grants are used to help San Miguel Resource Center support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, provide tuition assistance for pre-school children attending Naturita Early Learning Center, support programming for the Wright Opera House in Ouray, and help the Telluride Mountain Club plan and build trails. These are just a few examples of organizations receiving grants this December that will use funding to benefit their communities.
The Telluride Foundation recently announced its annual Community Grant awards, giving $918,000 to regional nonprofits. These grants 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 everywhere in between. “There were a large number of requests, including several capital grant applications, making this a challenging year for the Grants Committee, said Arnie Chavkin, Telluride Foundation Board Member and Chair of the Grants Committee. “We recognize the dedication of so many nonprofits that provide critical services and support for the struggling families in our communities, and we’re grateful that we could award almost $1M because of the generosity of our donors.”
In its 2021 annual Community Grants cycle, the Foundation received 75 applications seeking almost $1.5 million. While the Grants Committee focused its giving on human service and health organizations and programs, it did award capital grants to Mountainfilm and the Telluride Nordic Association. Grant awards ranged from $1,000 to $65,000, with 37 percent going to health and human services; 23 percent funding arts and culture; 19 percent to early childhood development; 11 percent to education; 6 percent to athletic groups; and 5 percent to the environment/animals. These percentages, with an emphasis on health and human service, have remained relatively constant over the Foundation’s grant making history. The Telluride Foundation supports regional organizations that serve San Miguel, Ouray, and west Montrose counties and the Town of Rico.
The Telluride Foundation’s Community Grant award recommendations were drafted by a five-member Grants Committee, all of whom sit on the Foundation’s Board of Directors. The Committee evaluated the grant requests against a rigorous set of criteria and then forwarded their recommendations for funding to the full Board for review and final approval. The Grants Committee was comprised of Arnie Chavkin, Chair, Sara Bachman, Karen Conway, DeeDee Decker, and Ximena Rebolledo-Leon. Their recommendations were reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting on December 29th. The Foundation’s next round of Community Grant applications will be accepted in October 2022 and announced at the end of December 2022.
This year’s awards, which combined with other programs and initiatives, brings the total invested in our region in 2021 to just over $6M. Since its inception in 2000, the Telluride Foundation has provided over $70 million in grants and other financial support to the Telluride region. All of this without an endowment. 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 Rural Homes, Telluride Venture Network, 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 exists to create a stronger Telluride and regional community through the promotion and support of philanthropy. 2021 marks 20 years of making more possible through the Telluride Foundation’s commitment to enrich the quality of life of the residents, visitors, and workforce of the Telluride region. The Telluride Foundation is a nonprofit, apolitical community foundation that makes grants to nonprofits, owns and operates programs that meet emerging and unmet community needs, and makes investments. The Foundation approaches this work through the lens of its core values of inclusion, self-reliance, and innovation. Its work is funded through the generous support of individual donors as well as grants from state and national foundations. The Foundation hopes the community will join it in celebrating its 20th anniversary as it honors the nonprofits, donors, and community members who have all partnered together to achieve a significant positive impact on the region. For more information click on www.telluridefoundation.org.
