T-Ride Foundation: Accepting Grant Applications Now!

05 Sep T-Ride Foundation: Accepting Grant Applications Now!

Over $35 million in total given to Telluride community since Foundation’s inception in 2000.

The Telluride Foundation’s annual Community Grant application is now available, and regional nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply. This year, the Foundation will be instituting two new aspects to the Community Grants program, introducing outcome measures and a year off policy. Grant applications are due Monday, October 26 at 5 p.m.

As the largest grant funder on the Colorado Western Slope, the Telluride Foundation made over $2.8 million in grants in 2014 and has granted over $35 million in total since its inception in 2000. Last year, the Foundation awarded over $949,750 in Community Grants to 79 regional nonprofits, and it expects to award up to $1.5 million this year.

“The donors of the Telluride Foundation have been incredibly generous to the community,” said Paul Major, President of the Telluride Foundation, “Because of their passionate commitment to the community, we are fortunate to be able to increase our funding to $1.5 million for the 2015 Community Grants cycle, our largest cycle ever.”

The Community Grants program now has grant outcome measures for every nonprofit sector. These measures are the culmination of a three-year process of working with nonprofits to identify practical, but informative, indicators which demonstrate that designated outcomes have been met. All applicants will report on projected grant outcomes and indicators, which will be used as a basis for reporting and evaluating program performance during the next year. Second, the Foundation is instituting a new policy of rotating to take one in five years off from applying for a grant. At least seven nonprofits have volunteered to take this year off, providing additional funding that the Grants Committee can allocate to new programs and projects as well as to capital applications. By instituting a flexible year off policy, the Foundation is reinforcing nonprofit sustainability and financial health by encouraging financial reserves, diverse revenue streams, and earned income opportunities, in addition to reducing dependency on a single funder, such as the Telluride Foundation.

The grant application, reporting, and award process is entirely electronic, and the application and all necessary information is now available on the Foundation’s website at www.telluridefoundation.org  (Click on “Our Work”, Click on “Community Grants”, and scroll down to “Community Grants Application”).

A webinar is also able for applicants to review at their convenience, which highlights new components of the application, reviews criteria and guidelines, and walks through the application process and questions. Applicants are strongly encouraged to listen/view the live webinar on the Foundation’s website (Community Grants Page).

If you have any questions regarding the grant guidelines or application, please contact April Montgomery, Programs Director at the Foundation at 970-728-8717 or april@telluridefoundation.org.

Any qualified nonprofit organization that serves individuals in San Miguel, Ouray, and/or west Montrose counties or Rico, with programs and activities are consistent with the mission of the Foundation, is eligible to apply for a grant from the Telluride Foundation. Applications are reviewed by the Grants Committee, who then makes funding recommendations that are reviewed and finalized by the Board of Directors at their annual meeting in December.

The Telluride Foundation’s annual Community Grants program is just one of the ways the Foundation supports the Telluride community.  The Foundation also provides training, workshops, capacity building, and technical assistance for nonprofit organizations, as well as initiatives in health, rural and community development (Telluride Venture Accelerator and Paradox Community Development Initiative), and early childhood education. The Foundation additionally provides emergency hardships grants and energy assistance grants to low-income residents.

About the Telluride Foundation:

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, visit www.telluridefoundation.org.