The Colorado Trust Grants Five Southwest 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 southwest Colorado in conjunction with the June 2017 Rural Philanthropy Days.

Rural Philanthropy Days connects funders with nonprofit organizations and government officials that serve rural Colorado. The biannual 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 latest iteration of Rural Philanthropy Days, which took place in Montrose, Colo., convened nonprofit representatives from Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel counties. Grants of $5,000 were awarded by The Trust to each of the following organizations:

• Haven House of Montrose, Inc. (Montrose County): Haven House provides programs and services designed to help homeless individuals and families get back into permanent housing and on a path to self-sufficiency, including academic support for children.
• North Fork Ambulance Association, Inc. (Delta, Gunnison and Montrose counties): Serving a community of approximately 9,000 Coloradans, the association will use the grant as matching funds for a USDA Community Facility Grant to purchase communication equipment for ambulance crew members.
• Mountain Roots Food Project (Gunnison County): Mountain Roots cultivates a resilient food system by enhancing the connection between earth, food and community, and fosters knowledge, skills and opportunities that assure access to affordable, nutritious food that is regionally based and sustainably produced.
• Maslow Academy of Applied Learning (Montrose County): Founded in 2011, this nonprofit independent early-childhood and elementary school in Montrose focuses on developing the whole child, including social and physical skills as well as academic competencies.
• PEER Kindness (Montrose County): An acronym for “Positive Encouraging Empathetic Respectful,” PEER Kindness is a nonprofit organization with a mission to work in partnership with schools, youth programs, community organizations, business and community leaders, families, and youth to reduce bullying and foster a PEER stance.

Since 2009, The Trust has provided $461,500 in grants to rural Colorado nonprofit organizations via Rural Philanthropy Days, and to CRC to support the statewide RPD program. For more information about Rural Philanthropy Days, 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.