The Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF) 2020 Community Grants for Youth Outside! focuses on youth development through outdoor recreation. WCCF recognizes that youth are under stress across our communities, leading to anxiety, depression, and in extreme cases, suicide. Current research shows a wide range of benefits for children and youth through outdoor experiences, including improvements in physical health and emotional well-being as well as increased learning, personal, and social skills. Our 2020 Community Grants will target projects that directly help youth, middle through high school age, address stress and anxiety through organized outdoor recreational activities.

The Community Grants for Youth Outside! funding opportunity is available to organizations that operate within the seven counties we serve (Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, and Rio Blanco). This funding is made possible through WCCF’s community grants endowment and generous donors across western Colorado.

Goal of 2020 Community Grants for Youth Outside! To fund projects that support youth development through outdoor recreation activities, in order to build confidence and self-esteem, strengthen resilience, and reduce stress and social isolation.

Primary areas of focus are projects that address one or more:

• Develop or expand outdoor recreation activities for in-school/after-school or summer programs.
• Increase opportunities for participation in outdoor recreation activities for at-risk and low-income youth.
• Support youth team building activities and other leadership opportunities.
• Engage college students and community members in mentoring youth through outdoor recreation activities.

 
Additional guidance

• • All projects should support a social/emotional learning component that emphasizes the potential harmful effects of excessive screen time and social isolation and the importance of spending time outside, engaged in confidence, resilience and team building activities.
  • Preference will be given to projects that involve collaboration of multiple organizational partners and/or develop intergenerational activities.
  • Grants will not support marketing or sponsorship of an event.

Funding Range: Grants will be awarded in the $2,500 – $10,000 range.  Funding up to $100,000 will be available to grant.

Criteria: Eligible organizations must be a 501 (c) (3) or other qualified charitable entity (school, church, govt.), recognized by the IRS and working within WCCF’s seven county region. Organizations should also be registered with the Colorado Secretary of State and be in good standing.

Grant Application will open Monday, February 24th and the deadline to apply is Friday, April 3, 2020, 5pm MST.  For more information, contact Tedi Gillespie, Director of Grants and Community Outreach at tgillespie@wc-cf.org. For all technical questions regarding site administration of our grant center and application process, contact Talitha Costello, Administrative Assistant at tcostello@wc-cf.org. 

As of January 1, 2020, WCCF’s RFF process will be temporarily unavailable as we make upgrades and improvements to this process.  This process will open again on April 1, 2020.  If your funding needs are critical for 1st Quarter 2020 only, contact Tedi Gillespie at 243-3767.

The Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF) offers nonprofit organizations an open Request for Funding (RFF) opportunity as a means to share information with our grants team about funding needs.  This is not an application process and there is no guarantee of funding, since the majority of our grant making is donor-advised/donor directed.  The RFF is an opportunity for organizations to submit a summary of their funding needs (general operating, project/program or capital campaign) so that the grant team can determine if there is a good fit with one of our donor-advised or field of interest funds. The RFF is available to organizations that operate within the seven counties we serve (Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray and Rio Blanco).

Eligible organizations must be a qualified 501(c)(3), public school or tax-exempt public service agency providing services within WCCF’s seven county region.  Organizations should also be registered with the Colorado Secretary of State and be in good standing.

Questions should be directed to Tedi Gillespie, Director of Grants and Community Outreach through our contact form.

Resources for Housing Related Needs in Mesa County

This process will open again in the summer of 2020 with a new deadline, to be determined based on the committee review schedule.

The Bray Cares Foundation supports organizations that operate within Mesa County to provide support for housing-related needs.

​Resources for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment

This process will open again in the summer of 2020 with a new deadline, to be determined based on the committee review schedule.

Formerly the Bridge House, the Brownson Memorial Fund affiliated with WCCF in 2004, becoming WCCF’s first field of interest fund.  Since 1985, the Brownson Memorial Fund has granted over $350,000 to organizations addressing substance abuse prevention and treatment in Mesa County.

These grants are for the purpose of improving education by supporting special projects, professional development of teachers, classroom environment improvements, field trips, etc.

Applicants must be a certified teacher ( no administrative or support staff) from one of the following schools:

Crystal River Elementary
Carbondale Community School
Carbondale Middle School
Roaring Fork High School
Ross Montessori
Bridges High School

Up to $1,000 in funding may be requested. The review committee will make final selections and candidates will be informed of the outcome.

This fund will open for applications on February 3, 2020. Applications are due March 3, 2020 by 5:00 pm.

Small Grants that Make a Difference

This process will open again in the summer of 2020 with a new deadline, to be determined based on the committee review schedule.

The community leaders who established this fund are fond of quoting Eleanor Roosevelt, “Energy can be generated for the solution of all kinds of problems by having a small amount of money in the right place.”  Mesa County Small Grants are available for Mesa County projects where a modest amount of dollars ($200 to $500) in the right places will make a difference.

This process will open again in the summer of 2020 with a new deadline, to be determined based on the committee review schedule.

The Mt. Callahan Community Fund  was established in 2002, by local community leaders to benefit the people in communities from Parachute to Battlement Mesa.

​This process will open again in the summer of 2020 with a new deadline, to be determined based on the committee review schedule.

The San Juan County Community Fund (SJCCF) was established by local community leaders in order to help local nonprofits through the distribution of annual grants. This is made possible with support from both the Western Colorado Community Foundation – Dave and Mary Wood Fund, and Citizens State Bank.

Citizens State Bank (CSB) has been in operation for over 100 years with locations in Ouray, Ridgway, Silverton and Naturita. CSB partners with people and businesses to make the communities they serve successful today and sustainable tomorrow.

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This process will open again in the summer of 2020 with a new deadline, to be determined based on the committee review schedule.

The Two Rivers Unrestricted Endowment Fund (T.R.U.E.) was established in 2018, by local community leaders to benefit the people in communities from Carbondale to New Castle.  This year, in celebration of the Two Rivers Community Foundation’s 20th Anniversary, the TRUE grants committee would like applicants to document how this year’s funding will help their organizations grow and have impact over the next 20 years.

Funding Available for Organizations Serving Veterans in Mesa and Delta Counties

This process will open again in the summer of 2020 with a new deadline, to be determined based on the committee review schedule.

 Improving Access to Health Care

This process will open again in the summer of 2020 with a new deadline, to be determined based on the committee review schedule.

The Western Colorado Health Fund offers funding for clinics, hospitals and other organizations to address issues of access to health care and to improve health care delivery in smaller, rural communities in our region. Tax-exempt organizations with programs to improve resident health through innovative or creative staffing arrangements, new technologies or other program, system or infrastructure investments are invited to submit an application. Preference will be given to programs serving less populated communities.

This process will open again in the summer of 2020 with a new deadline, to be determined based on the committee review schedule.

The Ouray County Community Fund was established as an endowed fund by local community leaders in Ouray County in order to build resources to help local nonprofits through annual grant distributions.

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This process will open again in the summer of 2020 with a new deadline, to be determined based on the committee review schedule.

WECF grant funding is available to organizations that primarily operate within the three communities we serve (Hotchkiss, Paonia and Crawford). This funding is made possible from WECF’s community grants endowment and from generous donors in the North Fork Valley.

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General Project Budget Template
Youth Outside! Budget Template – Spring 2020