TELLURIDE, Colo. (Dec. 29, 2022) – The Telluride Foundation’s Community Grants provide an annual financial boost to regional nonprofits, supporting critical services for individuals and families as well as programs that enhance the community. Climate resiliency planning, immigration legal services, and adaptive sports opportunities represent the breadth and diversity of the organizations that received grants this December. These and many more projects and programs enrich and sustain our region, and the Foundation is proud to be able to support so many of these community partners.
The Telluride Foundation recently announced its annual Community Grants, awarding $1,000,000 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. “This year the grants committee faced a record number of applicants and the largest amount ever requested, in addition to four larger capital requests,” said Megan McManemin, Telluride Foundation Board Member and Chair of the Grants Committee. “It was certainly a challenging year for the committee, but we were grateful that we were able to award $1M to so many nonprofits doing essential work in our community.”
In its 2022 Community Grants cycle, the Foundation received 84 applications seeking almost $1.7 million. Of the $1,000,000 awarded, $160,000 will support capital projects, including Haven House’s low-income apartments for homeless families, Telluride Arts’ restoration of the Transfer Warehouse, Home Trust of Ouray County’s & Habitat for Humanity’s Ridgway duplex project, and Uncompahgre Medical Clinic’s new dental chairs and equipment. Grant awards ranged from $1,500 to $157,000, with 40 percent funding health and human services; 19 percent to arts and culture; 18 percent to early childhood development; 10 percent to education; 7 percent to the environment/animals; and 6 percent to athletic groups. This distribution, with an emphasis on health and human service, has 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 as well as the Town of Rico.
The Telluride Foundation’s Community Grant award recommendations were drafted by a seven-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 is comprised of Megan McManemin, Chair, Arnie Chavkin, Sara Bachman, Kim Fulton, DeeDee Decker, Danny Craft, 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 Community Grant applications will be accepted in the fall of 2023 and announced at the end of December 2023.
This year’s awards, which combined with other programs and initiatives, brings the total invested in our region in 2022 to $5.5M. Since its inception in 2000, the Telluride Foundation has provided over $80 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 also allowed the Foundation to expand the reach of its Impact Initiatives, including Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; Affordable Housing; Telluride Venture Network; Workforce Development; Local Food; Tri-County Health Network; Climate Resiliency; and Strong Neighbors. If you would like to learn more about the work of the Telluride Foundation, please contact (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 enterprise. 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. Please visit www.telluridefoundation.org.
