Telluride F’ndat’n: Grants to 75 Local Entities

31 Dec Telluride F’ndat’n: Grants to 75 Local Entities

The end of the year brings an extra holiday gift to many local nonprofit organizations that serve the Telluride community and San Miguel County. On Monday, December 30, the Telluride Foundation Board of Directors awarded over $900,000 in Community Grants to 75 regional nonprofits, bringing the total grants given in 2013 by the Foundation to over $2.7 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, Chair of the Grants Committee. “The community is fortunate to have such committed and generous donors, especially during the last few years of challenging economic times.”

In its 2013 annual Community Granting cycle, the Foundation received 84 applications seeking almost $1.2 million.  The Foundation awarded grants to the majority of applicants that applied, ranging from $1,900 to $50,000, with 28 percent going to human services; 25 percent funding arts and culture; 20 percent to early childhood development; 16 percent to education; 8 percent to athletic groups; and 3 percent 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 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, the  Board, and the community.”

“New this year, we invited organizations to submit a three-minute video explaining why they needed and how they would use grant funding “ said April Montgomery, Programs Director at the Telluride Foundation. “We received some wonderfully creative videos from the groups that chose to participate and believe that some organizations found it to be a fun new way to share their story and demonstrate their impact.”

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, Joanne Brown, and Susan Saint James. Their recommendations were reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors at its December 30th meeting. The Foundation’s next round of local grant applications will be due in October, 2014, and announced at the end of December, 2014.

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 which 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.

Organization, 2013 Grant Recommendations For:

Pinhead Institute, Inc.,

$13,000

to support science educational programs.

7th Judicial District Child Advocacy Center DBA The Dolphin House

$12,000

to provide assistance to victims of abuse in the San Miguel watershed area.

 Ah Haa School For The Arts

$18,500

for general operating support.

Angel Baskets Inc.

$5,000

for general operating support.

Arts Community and Education (ACE) of Norwood

$4,000

for general operating support.

Basin Clinic, Inc.

$12,500

to provide sliding scale indigent care.

Bright Futures

$15,000

for the Parents as Teachers Program.

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

$3,500

for recruiting and supervising volunteers in San Miguel and west Montrose counties.

Colorado Avalanche Information Center

$4,000

to support avalanche forecasting in the Telluride region.

Colorado Fourteeners Initiative

$5,000

to build a sustainable trail to El Diente Peak.

District R2J Library District #2 dba Norwood Public Library

$2,500

for technical assistance.

Haven House of Montrose, Inc (dba Haven House)

$2,000

to provide assistance to families in San Miguel, west Montrose and Ouray counties.

Hilltop Community Resources’ Tri-County Resources

$8,000

to increase accessibility to advocacy, shelter & safehouse services for victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault who live in Ouray and San Miguel counties.

ICAST (International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology)

$7,500

to provide outreach for the San Miguel Power Partners program.

Many Hands Fiber Arts Festival

$2,000

to support the annual Fiber Arts Festival.

Midwestern Colorado Mental Health Center

$18,000

to provide general operating support, including emergency crisis services, sliding fee scale, and uninsured benefit package.

Montrose Regional Library District

$9,000

to provide afterschool, Friday, and summer educational programming.

Mountain Munchkins Child Care and Preschool

$26,500

to support infant operating expenses, continuing education, and scholarships.

Mountain Sprouts Preschool

$10,000

for general operating support and specialty programming.

Mountainfilm Ltd

$20,000

for general operating support.

National Film Preserve “Telluride Film Festival”

$20,000

to help underwrite the Nugget Theater.

Norwood Fire Protection District, EMS Service

$4,000

to support the emergency treatment and transport of low-income and indigent individuals.

Norwood School District

$4,000

for diversity and anti-bullying programming.

One to One San Miguel Mentoring

$40,000

for general operating support and technical assistance on fundraising.

Ouray and San Miguel County WIC Program

$2,500

for the 2014 Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program.

Ouray County Food Pantry, Inc.

$3,000

to support the Ouray County Food Pantry.

Ouray County Performing Arts Guild

$3,000

to support art performances for families and children.

Ouray County Public Health/Homemaker Program

$5,000

to support residents over 60 years of age or with disabilities, enabling them to remain in their homes.

Ouray County Schools Community Resource Consortium/”Voyager”

$13,500

for general operating support.

Palm Arts Inc.

$14,000

to support dance scholarships, Palm Theatre programming and general operating.

Paradox Valley Charter School

$9,500

to support arts and academic focused after school programs.

Rainbow School and Daycare Center Inc.

$30,000

for tuition assistance.

Reach Out And Read Colorado

$1,900

to support the Reach Out and Read program in San Miguel and west Montrose counties.

Region 10 Economic Assistance and Planning

$50,000

to provide coordinated services to seniors and disabled adults in west San Miguel and Montrose counties.

Rico Preschool

$3,000

for general operating support.

Ridgway Elementary School

$2,000

to provide scholarships for extended day preschool and kindergarten.

Ridgway School District R-2

$6,500

to support the Learn to Ski program.

San Juan Field School

$6,000

to support winter programs, the Telluride Avalanche School, and the Community Avalanche Awareness Program.

San Miguel and Ouray Counties Juvenile Diversion Program

$10,000

for general operating support.

San Miguel Educational Fund, KOTO

$19,000

to enhance daily news coverage and to develop and implement public affairs programming.

San Miguel Resource Center

$39,900

for general operating support.

Second Chance Humane Society

$9,000

to fund prevention, outreach, and education programs to reduce regional pet overpopulation.

Sheridan Arts Foundation

$18,500

to support nonprofit rental subsidies and the Young People’s Theater scholarship fund.

Telluride Academy

$28,500

for tuition assistance for Academy summer and after-school programming and for operating support for after-school programming.

Telluride Adaptive Sports Program

$22,500

for instructor and volunteer training, scholarships for low income residents, and the Disability Awareness Program.

Telluride Aids Benefit Inc.

$6,500

to provide regional free HIV testing and student education programs.

Telluride Arts

$25,000

to maintain programming and implement the Telluride Arts District.

Telluride Avalanche Dogs

$1,000

to support the avalanche dogs.

Telluride Chamber Music Association

$6,000

for general operating support.

 Telluride Choral Society

$5,000

for general operating support.

Telluride Community Television (Telluride TV)

$15,000

for general operating support and $10,000 for equipment and space renovations.

Telluride Early Childhood Center

$20,000

for working family scholarships, parent education, and quality improvements.

Telluride Education Foundation dba We R-1

$12,500

to support Program and Teacher Magnet Grants and Community Outreach Programs.

Telluride Historical Museum

$12,500

for general operating support.

Telluride Lizard Heads

$6,000

for general operating support.

Telluride Mountain Club

$4,000

for the Community Climbing Wall Program, the Regional Trails Initiative, and general operating support.

Telluride Mountain School

$10,000

for financial aid.

Telluride Nordic Association

$5,000

for trail maintenance, equipment and technical assistance.

Telluride Preschool

$12,000

for scholarships, teacher salaries, and technical assistance.

Telluride R-1 School District

$5,000

to support a pilot Entrepreneurship Class at Telluride High School.

Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club

$20,000

for financial assistance for low-income youth and for programming.

Telluride Society For Jazz

$12,500

for general operating support.

Telluride Theatre

$16,000

to support the 2014 season and the ACTions education programs.

Telluride Volunteer Fire Department

$4,000

to help fund the annual Chief’s Banquet.

Telluride Youth Lacrosse Association

$2,000

for general operating support.

Telluride Youth Soccer Club

$6,500

for general operating support.

The Wright Stuff Community Foundation

$40,000

for general operating expenses.

Toddler Town of Telluride

$10,000

for general operating support and quality improvements.

Top of the Pines, Inc.

$2,000

for road and trail signage.

Tri-County Health Network

$19,400

for general operating support, including increased participation in outreach programs, improved clinical outcomes, and movement toward sustainable funding.

Uncompahgre Medical Center

$20,000

to provide subsidized dental care for underserved children and adults.

Uncompahgre Volunteer Legal Aid

$5,000

for general operating support.

Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership

Technical assistance

for financial and Quickbooks technical assistance.

University Centers of the San Miguel

$10,000

for general operating support.

Weehawken Creative Arts

$14,000

for general operating and programming support and technical assistance with your collaboration efforts.

West End Family Link Center

$10,000

for general operating support and technical assistance on financials.