November 2022

Our CORE Giving Circle gathered this fall for its fourth round of funding decisions. Since the program began in in 2019, the CORE Fund has awarded over $140,000 to 35 projects. This year, donors reviewed 26 projects requesting $128,000. The Giving Circle awarded $60,000 to 13 impactful projects across western Colorado.

  • Citizens for Clean Air, Biochar 2023, $4,500 – Multi-year biochar study surveys the impact of biochar in working agriculture as a potential resource for farmers to utilize green waste that would otherwise be burned and contribute to air pollution.
  • Colorado Canyons Association, Stewardship Collaborative, $4,000 – The stewardship collaborative is working to advance the following goals: Engage and mobilize more volunteers to steward local lands and waters; increase collaboration between organizations for stewardship projects; develop new ideas, models, partnerships and tools to increase collective impact on the stewardship of public and private lands and waters.
  • Colorado Discover Ability, 2023 Adventure Camps, $5,000 – Funds support a series of day camps designed and delivered for youth (ages 8-20) and young adults (21-38 years) with disabilities. These camps are held at various Mesa County locations, with experiences centered around adaptive cycling, indoor climbing, and river rafting, kayaking and other water sports.
  • Colorado Water Trust, Restoring the 15-Mile Reach, $3,000 – Colorado Water Trust (CWT) partners with Orchard Mesa Irrigation District (OMID) and Grand Valley Water Users Association (GVWUA) to strike an innovative agreement designed to boost flows in the 15-Mile Reach when the river runs low. The 15-Mile Reach project is implemented by securing water from upstream sources. The CORE award provides an important local match for the project.
  • Colorado West Land Trust; Monument Corridor Stewards, $2,000 – CWLT will continue restoration work, working with youth and community volunteers to pull weeds, plant native vegetation, cut and transplant willows, collect native seed and re-seed, and monitor progress.
  • Colorado Wildlands Project, Dolores River and Unaweep Canyons Protection, $5,000 – CWP is leveraging federal legislation to create a National Conservation Area in San Miguel, Dolores and Montezuma counties to include permanent protections in Montrose and Mesa counties. This includes scenic treasures like the Gateway area and Sewemup Mesa. Funding will help CWP educate key stakeholders and the public through field trips, overflights, social media, and local media outlets…

Read the rest of the e-news here.