2012 TELLURIDE GRANT AWARDS

31 Dec 2012 TELLURIDE GRANT AWARDS

For 12 years, Telluride Foundation consistently supports regional nonprofits, awarding grants to 76 local organizations in 2012

The end of the year brings an extra holiday gift to many local nonprofit organizations that serve the Telluride community and region. On Friday, December 28, the Telluride Foundation Board of Directors awarded almost $900,000 in Community Grants to 76 regional nonprofits, bringing the total grants given in 2012 by the Foundation to over $2.1 million.

“The Community Grants program provides a significant investment in the community and affords critical funding to programs that not only make Telluride the special place it is, but also serve and support area residents that may be less fortunate,” said Dan Tishman, board member and grants committee chair. “The community is fortunately to have such committed and generous donors, especially during the last few years of challenging economic times.”

In its 2012 annual Community Grants cycle, the Foundation received 86 applications seeking $1.2 million. The Foundation awarded grants to the majority of applicants who applied, with awards ranging from $1,900 to $40,000.

Thirty percent of the grants went to human services; 22 percent funded arts and culture; 20 percent was assigned to early childhood development; 15 percent supported education; 8 percent targeted athletic groups; and 4 percent went to the environment/animals.

Local groups receiving grant awards included organizations serving Telluride, Ouray, Ridgway, Norwood, Nucla and Naturita. The Telluride Foundation supports organizations in the community that serve the people who live or work in San Miguel County.

“The Grants Committee continues to improve its in-depth analysis and decision-making process each year, comparing and discussing program outcomes, evaluating financials, and examining a number of key metrics, which measure financial sustainability, growth, and program effectiveness,” said Paul Major, president & CEO of the Telluride Foundation. “By ensuring Community Grant dollars support high-performing nonprofits and effective programs, the Foundation remains accountable to our donors and the Board of Directors.”

“This year, we incorporated measuring program or organization outcomes into our on-line grants application process,” said April Montgomery, programs director at the Telluride Foundation. “New this year, environmental and arts and culture organizations estimated their program or organization outcomes, using a common set of previously determined indicators of success.  These grantees will report on the results of their outcomes at the end of next year, and we plan to incorporate outcomes for additional categories of nonprofits next year, such as athletics and education.”

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 Chairman Dan Tishman, Richard Betts, Davis Fansler, Allan Gerstle, Megan McManemin, Brian O’Neill, and Susan Saint James. Their recommendations were reviewed and approved by the board of directors at its meeting on December 28, 2012.

The Foundation’s next round of local grant applications are due in October, 2013 and announced at the end of December, 2013.

In addition to its annual Community Grant awards, the Foundation has continued to expand its funding and the reach of its initiative-based granting programs, such as the Telluride Venture Accelerator, the Tri-County Health Network, Bright Futures Early Childhood Development Fund, the family emergency Good Neighbor Fund, its Paradox Community Development Initiative, and the Special Initiatives Grant Program.

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, go here

The following is a break-out of the 2012 grants:

7th Judicial District Child Advocacy Center DBA The Dolphin House

$9,000, to provide assistance to victims of child abuse in the San Miguel watershed area.

Ah Haa School For The Arts

$16,500 for general operating support.

Angel Baskets Inc.

$5,000, for general operating support.

Animal Humane Society of Ouray County Inc

$9,000, to support the SCHS Community Outreach Program, promoting education and prevention practices to impact regional pet overpopulation issues.

Basin Clinic, Inc.

$12,500, to provide sliding scale indigent care.

Bright Futures

$6,000, to support the Parents as Teachers program.

CASA of the Seventh Judicial District Inc., d/b/a Voices for Children

$3,000, to assist in recruiting and supervising volunteers within San Miguel and the West End of Montrose counties.

Colorado Avalanche Information Center

$4,000, to help support and operate the Telluride Avalanche Forecast Office.

District R2J Library District #2 dba Norwood Public Library

$2,440, to provide additional computer access and education to the patrons of the Norwood Library and community.

Habitat For Humanity of Telluride Region

$10,000, to complete Habitat for Humanity’s Norwood project.

Hilltop Health Services Corporation

$8,000,to increase the accessibility of advocacy services and shelter/safe housing to victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault who live in Ouray and San Miguel counties.

iCAST

$4,000, to support the San Miguel Power Partners Program.

Many Hands Fiber Arts Festival

$2,000, for educational materials, judges, rent, marketing and displays.

Mesa County Land Conservancy dba Mesa Land Trust

$5,000, to protect important natural lands in western Montrose County and help leverage a $415,000 federal grant.

Midwestern Colorado Mental Health Center

$18,000, to provide general operating support, including emergency services, sliding fee scale, uninsured benefit packages, and therapy in Norwood and West End schools.

Montrose County Health & Human Services

$9,000, to serve elderly, low-income and/or disabled senior citizens over age 60 to promote independence and safety by completing necessary household tasks.

Montrose County Senior Citizens Transportation, Inc.

$15,000, to provide transportation services in west Montrose and San Miguel (Norwood) counties.

Montrose Regional Library District/Naturita Library

$10,000, to expand early literacy programs.

Mountain Munchkins Child Care and Preschool

$32,000, for scholarships, general operating support and continuing education.

Mountain Sprouts Preschool

$15,000, to provide general operating support.

Mountain Studies Institute

$3,000, to explore research and education opportunities in the San Miguel Watershed.

Mountainfilm

$25,000, for general operating support.

National Film Preserve (Telluride Film Festival)

$18,500, to support the Nugget Theatre.

Norwood Fire Protection District, EMS Service

$3,000, to offset the loss of operating revenue due to the underinsured population.

One Telluride

$12,000, to fund the ESL program in Telluride.

One to One San Miguel Mentoring Program

$40,000, for general operating support.

Ouray and San Miguel County WIC Program

$2,500, to fund the 2013 Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program.

Ouray and San Miguel County/Homemaker Program

$5,000, to provide house cleaning services for people who live independently.

Ouray County Performing Arts Guild, Inc.

$3,000, to help underwrite two diverse arts and cultural experiences in dance and music for the adult community and student population of the region.

Ouray County Schools Community Resource Consortium (Voyager)

$13,500, for general operating support.

Palm Arts Inc.

$15,000,for the Palm Arts dance program, Palm Theatre subsidies for nonprofits, and general operating.

Paradox Valley School

$9,500, for after-school programs.

Rainbow School & Day Care Center

$36,500, for scholarships.

Reach Out And Read Colorado

$1,900, to support the Reach Out and Read program in San  Miguel and west Montrose counties.

Rico Preschool

$3,000, for general operating support.

Ridgway School District

$5,700, for the “Learn to Ski” program in grades 3rd-5th.

San Juan Field School

$6,000, to fund the winter activities of the San Juan Field School, including the Telluride Avalanche School.

San Miguel Basin 4-H Program

$3,000, for 4H Program coordination in the west end of San Miguel and Montrose counties.

San Miguel Basin Gunnison Sage-grouse Working Group

$2,500, for the Save the Sage-Grouse Project.

San Miguel Educational Fund dba KOTO Community Radio

$8,000, for a signal survey to increase service.

San Miguel Resource Center

$39,900, for general operating support.

San Miguel Watershed Coalition

$8,500, to help fund collection, analysis, and use of water quality data to improve overall watershed health.

Sheridan Arts Foundation

$18,500, for general operating support.

Sparky Productions

$2,000, to fund company members’ travel to Telluride and marketing for new programs.

Telluride Academy

$28,500, to support tuition assistance for summer programming and for operating support for New Horizon after-school programming.

Telluride Adaptive Sports Program

$22,500, to provide training for adaptive instructors, provide scholarships for low income residents, offer the Disability Awareness Program to local youth and for the No Barriers Summit.

Telluride Aids Benefit Inc

$6,500, to fund regional HIV free testing and middle/high school HIV education/prevention programs.

Telluride Arts

$20,000, to support core programs  and implementation of Telluride Cultural Master Plan priorities.

Telluride Chamber Music Association

$6,000, for general operating support.

Telluride Choral Society

$8,500, for general operating support.

Telluride Community Television (Telluride TV)

$7,000, for general operating support.

Telluride Early Childhood Center

$13,000, to continue the Working Families Scholarship Assistance Program.

Telluride Education Foundation dba We R-1

$10,000, to support Program and Teacher Magnet Grants, which expand and enrich educational opportunities for local students.

Telluride Historical Museum

$12,500, for educational and community programming, connecting classrooms, residents, and visitors to Telluride’s rich history and culture.

Telluride Lizard Heads

$8,000, to support the region’s youth hockey program.

Telluride Mountain Club

$4,000, to support the regional Telluride Trails Initiative.

Telluride Mountain School

$10,000, for financial aid to support families in need.

Telluride Nordic Association, Inc.

$5,000, for trail maintenance, primarily grooming and equipment maintenance.

Telluride Preschool

$20,000, for scholarships, maintaining teacher salaries, and general operating, including moving to a new space.

Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club

$20,000, for financial assistance for low-income youth and for programming.

Telluride Society For Jazz

$15,000, for general operating support.

Telluride Theatre

$16,500, for general operating support.

Telluride Youth Lacrosse Association

$2,000, for school district sponsored travel for high school players for the 2012-2013 season.

Telluride Youth Soccer Club

$6,500, for general operating costs and technical assistance.

The Pinhead Institute, Inc.

$13,000, to support the Internship, Punk Science, and Scholars in the Schools programs.

The Wright Stuff Community Foundation

$40,000, for general operating expenses, including tuition assistance for children at risk.

Toddler Town of Telluride, Inc.

$14,000, to help with operating expenses, including rent.

Tri-County Health Network

$20,000, to hire an analyst to assess effectiveness of existing TCH Network programs, perform economic modeling, and identify initiatives to improve health and reduce cost in our region.

Uncompahgre Medical Center

$20,000, to support the dental program and provide subsidized care for underserved citizens in the region.

Uncompahgre Volunteer Legal Aid Inc.

$4,000, to support pro bono legal services.

University Centers of the San Miguel, Inc (UCSM)

$10,500, to support higher education programming and technical assistance.

Valley Land Conservancy dba Black Canyon Regional Land Trust

$3,000, to support the BCRLT Ouray County Strategic Conservation Planning Project to increase amount of land conservation in Ouray County.

Volunteers of America Senior CommUnity Meals

$10,000, to continue providing meals each month to benefit San Miguel County and western Montrose County senior citizens.

Weehawken Creative Arts

$4,000, for general operating support.

West End Family Link Center

$10,000, for general operating support.

West End Ski Club

$3,000,to support the West End Ski Club, allowing underserved children to experience skiing.