The Colorado Trust Grants Five Central Colorado Nonprofits via Rural Philanthropy Days

Media contact: Julian Kesner, The Colorado Trust, 303-539-3147

DENVER, COLO.—The Colorado Trust, a foundation dedicated to creating fair and equal opportunities for Coloradans to lead healthy lives, announced it has granted $25,000 to five rural nonprofit organizations in central Colorado in conjunction with the September 2016 Rural Philanthropy Days.

Rural Philanthropy Days (RPD) connects funders with nonprofit organizations and government officials that serve rural Colorado. The biannual three-day event was created in 1991 by the Community Resource Center (CRC) and the Anschutz Family Foundation to strengthen nonprofit-funder relations and address critical needs in rural Colorado communities.

The September 2016 iteration of RPD, which took place at Copper Mountain Resort, convened nonprofit representatives from Chaffee, Clear Creek, Custer, Fremont, Gilpin, Lake, Park, Summit and Teller counties. Grants of $5,000 were awarded by The Trust to each of the following organizations:

• TESSA (Teller County): TESSA offers confidential support and services for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault and their children, including a 24-hour crisis line; a safe house that provides emergency shelter, food and services; victim advocacy, and much more. The funds will help them continue to operate their programs as well as expand staff to the Woodland Park area.
• Chaffee County Oral Health Program (Chaffee County): The program helps community members connect with free or low-cost dental services and providers, as well as transportation to and from dentistry care. The funds will be used to help educate communities—specifically through the use of promotoras—on varying fluoride levels in the water.
• Rocky Mountain Rural Health (Park County): Working to improve access to quality health care in Park County, Rocky Mountain Rural Health will use the funds to increase outreach and communication with community members; identify and address health- and health care-related issues; and support community initiatives designed to improve the physical and mental health of the people of Park County.
• Custer 2020, Inc./Club America WMV (Custer County): The funds will be used to support the mission of Custer 2020, Inc., which is to provide an accessible, multi-purpose activity center for the community, and enhance the health and quality of life for Custer County residents and visitors. Club America is a local fitness and community center that offers sliding-scale membership fees, as well as low- and no-cost community events.
• Community Partnership Family Resource Center (Teller County): The center provides programs and education for adult and parent enrichment; early childhood and youth; healthy living; and health care coverage. The funds will be used to support their ongoing programming and community meetings.

Since 2010, The Trust has provided more than $385,000 in grants to rural Colorado nonprofit organizations through RPD. In addition, The Trust also provides support to CRC for the statewide RPD program. For more information about RPD, visit the CRC website.

About The Colorado Trust
The Colorado Trust is a foundation dedicated to achieving health equity—ending inequalities that affect racial, ethnic, low-income and other vulnerable populations, so that everyone can achieve good health. The Trust believes all Coloradans should have fair and equal opportunities to lead healthy, productive lives regardless of race, ethnicity, income or where we live. The Trust focuses on policies and information related to advancing health equity, as well as projects that address health equity in partnership with communities throughout Colorado. For more information, visit www.coloradotrust.org.