Aspen, CO – December 6, 2022 – Aspen Community Foundation officially announced its 2022 Community Grantmaking recipients, totaling $729,000 in funding for 48 organizations in the Aspen to Parachute region. The Community Grantmaking program is designed to provide operational and program support to local nonprofit organizations.
“We were able to increase the amount of funding for our Community Grantmaking program this year thanks to our partnership with Aspen Skiing Company and the sale of the Ultimate Ski Passes,” said Valerie Carlin, Cradle to Cradle Director at Aspen Community Foundation. “The funds benefit our Cradle to Career program by supporting and expanding services for youth and families, and a portion of the proceeds goes to youth-serving nonprofits. We are so grateful for this 10-year partnership.”
The organizations selected for funding provide important programs and services to individuals and families that are critical to the region’s broader education and human service infrastructure. They include providing early childhood education, healthcare, mental health and substance abuse services, support for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, enrichment activities for youth and empowerment for immigrant communities. Of the 48 selected nonprofits, 54% focus on youth services, 26% on human services and 20% on early childhood.
“We are very grateful for the generous grant from the Aspen Community Foundation,” said Suzanne Wheeler-Del Piccolo, Executive Director at Raising a Reader Aspen to Parachute. “Because of this grant, we will be able to continue serving the 1,300 children and their families in 28 schools, 9 libraries and one firehouse with books, programming, resources and family guidance to support the joyful family routines of reading at home. We know that our organization continues to inspire young children to fall in love with books. Hence, when they reach kindergarten, they want to learn to read!”
Qualifying applications for Community Grantmaking opened in May 2022 and invitations to apply opened a month later in June. Organizations were required to submit their full applications by July 2022 to be considered for this year’s funding. 86 nonprofits applied with requests totaling $1,780,750.
This year’s 2022 Community Grantmaking organizations are listed below:
A Way Out
Access AfterSchool
Advocate Safehouse Project
Alpine Legal Services
Arc of Central Mountains
Aspen Center for Environmental Studies
Aspen Family Connections
Aspen Hope Center
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club
Aspen Youth Center
Blue Lake Preschool
Buddy Program
Carbondale Arts
CASA of the Ninth
Catholic Charities Western Slope
Children’s Rocky Mountain School
English In Action
Family Resource Center, Roaring Fork Schools
Farm Collaborative
Focused Kids
Food Bank of the Rockies
Garfield County School District 16
Garfield School District Re-2
Growing Years School
Highwater Farm
La Clinica Del Pueblo/The People’s Clinic
LIFT-UP
Literacy Outreach
Marble Charter School
Mountain Valley Development Services
Mt Sopris Montessori School
OUR School
Pathfinders
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains
Raising a Reader Aspen to Parachute
Response
River Bridge Regional Center
River Center of New Castle
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers
Roaring Fork PreCollegiate
Senior Housing Options
Stepping Stones of the Roaring Fork Valley
Summit54
Valley Settlement
Voces Unidas de las Montañas
Yampah Mountain High School
Youth Zone
Community Grantmaking relies on annual contributions from donors including individuals and families, businesses, foundations and donor-advised funds. To learn more about Aspen Community Foundation, visit www.aspencommunityfoundation.org.
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About Aspen Community Foundation
Aspen Community Foundation (ACF) builds philanthropy and supports nonprofit organizations by connecting donors to community needs, building permanent charitable funds, and bringing people together to solve community problems. ACF has been working since 1980 to improve the quality of life in the region. Based in Basalt, Colorado, the Foundation’s efforts have an impact in communities throughout the greater Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys. Through ACF’s broad perspective of the region, and depth and breadth of knowledge of community trends, issues, and needs, the organization directs funding where it is needed most to fill gaps in services and programming.
