FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2022: A Milestone Year of Growth & Impact as Foundation Celebrates 85th Year
DENVER, December 23, 2022 — The year 2022 was a milestone year for the Boettcher Foundation. Not only did 2022 mark the 85th year since the organization’s founding, and 70 years of the Boettcher Scholarship Program, the Foundation also increased its impact in multiple areas.
“For 85 years, the Boettcher community has acted as stewards of our great state,” said Katie Kramer, president & CEO of the Boettcher Foundation, who celebrated her 25th year anniversary as a staff member earlier this year. “Our annual investments in transformational leadership and community building compounds the legacy of the investments that came before, and we know that the ripple effect of supporting our state’s doers and difference makers will be felt for generations to come.”
- In May, for the first time, Boettcher Foundation awarded 50 comprehensive Scholarships to an accomplished and diverse cohort of high school seniors from across Colorado. In total, Boettcher provided over $4 million to current Scholars studying throughout the state. Moving forward, the Foundation will award 50 scholarships annually after awarding 42 every year since the mid-2010s.
- In 2022 the Foundation also increased the number of Fellows in its Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship Program from six to 10. The Boettcher Fellows represent communities throughout Colorado and are known as community champions for their impact, passion for service, and leadership potential.
- This year, the Foundation piloted a Catalyst Grant Program for participants in our Rural Leaders Collaborative who are tackling key issues like access to child care, workforce development, affordable housing, and diversifying the leadership pipeline. We are thrilled with the interest in these grants and were honored to award 14 organizations from across the state. We are eager to continue to pilot the Catalyst Grant Program in 2023.
- Additionally, around $1.8 million was issued to support the Foundation’s Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards. These awards support promising, early career researchers, allowing them to advance their research and compete for major grants. In 2022, Boettcher Investigators were awarded $25.6 million in federal grants, received 16 patents, and published 156 articles. Since 2020, half of the investigators have been women researchers, compared to 35 percent during the program’s first nine years.
RESPONSIVE GRANTMAKING
The Boettcher Foundation also provided approximately $2.1 million in grants throughout the Colorado. Highlights of our grantmaking this year are as follows:
Community College of Aurora Foundation – Center for STEM, Power Mechanics, and Applied Technologies ($70,000)
This new state-of-the-art facility will more than double the college’s annual number of skilled associate degree graduates in STEM, diesel-tech, and homebuilding trades, creating pathways to high-demand and high-paying careers in Colorado.
Full Circle of Lake County – Community Hub ($25,000)
Support will help this one-stop hub for youth and families to connect with resources and opportunities. The newly renovated space will provide much needed room for youth programming, adult education, cooking classes, and leadership training.
Grand Mesa Arts & Event Center ($25,000)
After successfully operating for four years in downtown Cedaredge, the Center had a timely opportunity to purchase a facility. The newly acquired home – complete with art galleries and a 175-seat theater – will ensure a long-term home for arts and community gatherings in rural Cedaredge.
Gunnison Food Hub ($50,000)
A joint project by Mountain Roots and Gunnison Country Food Pantry, the Hub improves access to food and food production. The 7,000 square-foot former bowling alley is being refurbished into a space that includes the county’s largest food bank, a community kitchen, and produce-processing equipment available to local farmers.
Latino Leadership Institute (LLI) – Ignite Program Expansion ($40,000)
With support from Boettcher, LLI will continue to expand the footprint of its burgeoning Ignite Program – a virtual professional development course for emerging Latino leaders – and scale-up its model to ensure long-term sustainability.
Ouray Ice Park – Sustainable Water Infrastructure ($40,000)
Since 1997, the Ouray Ice Park has been an off-season economic driver for Ouray County. Grant support from the Boettcher Foundation helped protect Ouray’s spring-fed water supply and build improved infrastructure to ensure that the town and the ice park have access to sustainable water sources for decades to come.
Town of Hayden – Coworking and Entrepreneurship Center ($50,000)
The Center will function as a coworking space, business incubator, and community gathering spot for local entrepreneurs, replete with resources of a Small Business Development Center. As area coal mines and power plants are scheduled to close in the coming years, this space will support workers and a transitioning regional economy.
About the Boettcher Foundation
At the Boettcher Foundation, we believe in the promise of Colorado and the potential of Coloradans because courageous leadership benefits every community in our state. By investing in people, programs, and organizations, we provide a foundation for transformational impact and community building.
