COLORADO, April 25, 2024 — The Boettcher Foundation has announced its first cycle of 2024 Rural Catalyst Grant Recipients. The Rural Catalyst Grant Program provides capacity-building grants to nonprofit organizations that participate in the Foundation’s Rural Leaders Collaborative. So far this year, Boettcher has awarded more than $60,000 to 10 community organizations across our state.
“The Rural Catalyst Grant Program was designed to make timely infusions of catalytic funding to support innovative projects in rural Colorado,” said Garrett Mayberry, Boettcher’s grants program officer. “We’re excited to see the impact that these small, targeted investments make in counties across the state.”
Here is a summary of the organizations and projects:
- The Grand Foundation is a philanthropic organization aiming at improving Grand County’s quality of life by addressing the community’s needs. This grant will support the Grand County Housing Foundation to establish a revolving loan fund for affordable housing projects.
- Bright Futures is an Early Childhood Council in Montrose working with the community to enhance the availability of quality childcare. This grant will support the team in assessing and implementing a series of action items to increase the capacity of childcare services in the community.
- The Logan County Council on Aging provides local services and programs for older adults and their caregivers. These services help adults to remain in their homes for longer. The Recreation Senior Center Project is an ongoing initiative to create a designated age friendly community space that merges recreational and heritage centers.
- CSU Extension is a program that provides research-based information and education to help Coloradans address community issues. This funding will support the Regional Healthcare Partnership Program in Northeast Colorado as they work to address workforce shortages in healthcare, increase the talent pipeline, and enhance patient care quality.
- The Regional Housing Alliance of La Plata County is a multi-jurisdiction housing authority that oversees the planning, financing, acquisition, construction, reconstruction, and management of housing projects or programs in La Plata County. Supporting a Housing Summit will allow the alliance to bring stakeholders together to explore innovative funding solutions for workforce housing.
- The West End Economic Development Corporation is a nonprofit that supports businesses in the West End region of Montrose and San Miguel Counties. This project supports the collaboration between local leaders and community organizations to develop a region-wide plan to manage and direct growth while preserving community heritage.
- United Way of Southwest Colorado works to improve the lives of Coloradans through education, health, and financial stability. This project will engage over 60 organizations across Montezuma, Dolores, La Plata, and Archuleta counties to address food insecurity, mental health, and transportation through a new regional collaboration.
- The Silverton Creative District was founded in 2019 to foster arts and culture in Silverton and San Juan County through a variety of initiatives and events. The funding will support their strategic planning so they can continue their work to increase art in local communities.
- The Wet Mountain Valley Community Foundation supports local nonprofits with critical funding for health services, education, tourism initiatives, and strategic planning efforts. This funding supports the convening of their Youth Philanthropy Initiative in Custer County.
- The Paradox Community Trust is addressing the acute shortage of affordable housing and childcare in southwest Colorado by integrating the Rural Homes Early Childhood Initiative into its Waterview Homes Development in Ouray. This funding will support the initiative to increase opportunities for home-based childcare providers as they analyze the ability to scale this model for other rural affordable housing developments.
About the Boettcher Foundation:
The Boettcher Foundation believes in the promise of Colorado and the potential of Coloradans. We invest in people, programs, and organizations across the state to create a foundation for community building and transformational impact.
