Aspen, Colo. (December 3, 2025)—Through the generosity of donors, Aspen Community Foundation’s Community Grantmaking program provided $550,000 to 24 nonprofits that serve communities from Aspen to Parachute in the areas of early childhood development and education and youth empowerment. ACF’s Community Grantmaking program has been providing general operating and program support to nonprofit organizations for more than 45 years.
This year’s Community Grantmaking recipients are providing essential programs and services for youth and families, and are critical to the human service infrastructure in the Aspen to Parachute region. They include organizations providing early childhood education, healthcare, mental health services, and enrichment and empowerment activities for youth.
Grants were provided to 15 Early Childhood-focused organizations, totaling $300,000, and 19 grants totaling $250,000 were given to support Youth Empowerment.
“Aspen Community Foundation’s Community Grantmaking program personifies exactly the mission of ACF, which is to inspire philanthropy and ignite collaborative action that leads to community-led change. We are so grateful to our donors, funders, and other supporters who make these grants possible, improving the lives of so many children, youth, and families, who are also our friends and neighbors,” said Erica Snow, President and CEO of Aspen Community Foundation.
The following are the areas impacted by Early Childhood funding:
- Strengthening the skills of caregivers – parents, teachers, childcare staff, family/friends/neighbor (FFN) providers – so they can support the healthy development of children in their care.
- Providing tuition assistance to increase families’ access to quality care, especially for those who:
- Are low-income
- Live in communities where childcare is scarce
The following are the areas impacted by Youth Empowerment funding:
- Opportunities that support physical, social-emotional, and mental health needs in a culturally responsive and youth-centered way.
- Opportunities for youth to learn, explore and discover new interests and activities outside the classroom setting, and those that intentionally serve disengaged youth.
- Opportunities include, but are not limited to, career-connected and experiential learning and postsecondary planning.
- ACF defines “disengaged youth” as individuals, 6 to 24 years old, who do not regularly participate in programs and activities beyond those mandated during the school day or are neither enrolled in an educational institution nor employed.
ACF’s nonprofit support is made possible through contributions from dozens of individuals, families, businesses, foundations, and Donor Advised Funds. 100% of contributions to Community Grantmaking are awarded as grants to nonprofit organizations serving the region from Aspen to Parachute.
ABOUT ASPEN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Since 1980, Aspen Community Foundation (ACF) has invested in a future where everyone from Aspen to Parachute has equitable opportunities to thrive. To ensure this potential is accessible to all, ACF actively listens and learns about the region’s challenges, connects nonprofit and community leaders advancing solutions and partners with donors and funders to catalyze community-led change. To learn more about ACF, visit www.aspencommunityfoundation.org.
