Photograph courtesy and copyright Denver Zoo
Photograph courtesy and copyright Denver Zoo
The Boettcher Foundation believes 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.
This idea guides our responsive grantmaking opportunities – Community Connections and Rural Catalyst Grants – which are detailed below.
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Community Connections: Supporting connections that create a sum greater than their parts is vital to the health of communities in our state. As such, we invest in initiatives or infrastructure projects that are bringing people together or deepening the connections between individuals and/or organizations.
We have three annual funding cycles in which we accept Community Connections inquiries through a Grant Inquiry Form. Colorado-based nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply. After a competitive review, inquiries that most align with the Community Connections focus area may be invited to submit a full proposal. Grants awarded in this category are typically in the range of $20,000 – $75,000.
In practice, our Community Connections grants often support the construction of buildings with multi-use community space, the co-location of numerous nonprofit or multisector partners, or one-time strategic investments that help take a proven initiative or program to the next level.
Examples of Recent Community Connections Projects Funded
There are two funding cycles to apply for Rural Catalyst Grants. The intent of the Rural Catalyst Grant Program is to strengthen the internal capacity of organizations to achieve their goals related to the topics covered in the Foundation’s Rural Leadership Collaborative meetings. This is done through the distribution of capacity-building grants, which will range from $1,000-$10,000, to support the following types of projects:
Eligible Issue Areas
Additional issue areas will be announced in 2023. Current eligible areas include affordable rural housing, childcare, hiring and retaining a rural workforce, leadership pipeline and diversification, mental health, and strategic collaboration across a region or multiple communities.
Eligibility and Criteria
All applicants must have had at least one staff member, volunteer, or board member attend the collaborative meeting focused on one of the above issue areas. Organizations that are based in rural Colorado or primarily serve rural Colorado will be prioritized.
Key criteria to consider when applying include:
Grants will be awarded after a competitive review. To learn more about the leadership collaboratives, contact Curtis Esquibel, curtis@boettcherfoundation.org.
Cycle 1 – Community Connections Grants Only
Cycle 2 – Community Connections Grants and Rural Catalyst Grants – OPEN
Cycle 3 – Community Connections Grants and Rural Catalyst Grants
* The Grant Inquiry Form link will become ‘live’ during the cycle dates outlined above. Please apply only during the noted submission windows. We prefer that organizations only submit one application of either grant opportunity per cycle.
Staff will review inquiries during the acceptance windows, typically responding within six weeks of receipt, to inform organizations if they will be invited to submit a full application. Questions about the grants process for Community Connections or Rural Catalyst Grants can be emailed to Garrett Mayberry, program manager, at garrett@boettcherfoundation.org.
Please note that the Boettcher Foundation does not fund, or prioritize funding, for the following:
For more information, please visit our frequently asked questions page.
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See where our Colorado capital nonprofit grants go.
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