Wednesday Evening Meeting, April 23, 2025: Susan Brand, Community Grants Committee, presented a $1,500 CG check to Justin Clapp, Executive Director for KRFC 88.9FM Radio. Rotary funds will be used to purchase four new turntables to enhance the local radio station's volunteer-powered community-driven programming, and help preserve the authenticity of vinyl broadcasting. KRFCis dedicated to community engagement through music and storytelling; and reaches 33,000 listeners over the age of 25 years in Larimer, Weld, and Boulder counties, along with online streaming.
Community Grants Program
The charitable needs of our community are great and every quarter the Rotary Club of Fort Collins will distribute Community Grants sponsored by our membership to very deserving non-profit service organizations in the local Fort Collins area. The Rotary Club of Fort Collins Community Grants Committee looks for innovative projects and services that respond to community issues, address local needs, are available to the community as a whole or large segment in need, and will improve community members lives. The Rotary Club of Fort Collins Community Grants Committee will review all Grant applications.Quarterly Schedule of Grants
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Arts & Culture - 1st Quarter
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Youth Programs - 2nd Quarter
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Application Accepted Starting on April 1st
- Application Final Due Date - May 23rd
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If you have any questions, please contact us at grants@rotarycluboffortcollins.org.
April 14, 2025: Community Grants representative Susan Brand presented a $1,000 CG check to the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra via Alyssa Roggow, representative for the Symphony's "B-Sharp" Community Engagement Program.
Wednesday Evening Meeting, April 9, 2025: Colleen Reyes, Integrative Studies Teacher with Fort Collins High School, received a $1,000 Rotary STEM Grant check on behalf of FCHS to support the physical resources needed for expansion of science classes held in its Greenhouse. Rotary funds will help provide supplies for STEM students to do hands-on planning, initiating, monitoring, and evaluating numerous outdoor science projects involving soils, plants, and insects.
April 9, 2025: Dr. Bryan Wallick, Associate Professor of Piano, and Dr. Janet Landreth, Professor Emeritus, CSU, received a Community Grants check for $3,000, to support the upcoming International Keyboard Odyssiad Competition and Festival, held the first week of August, 2025. The international piano competition, held at the CSU University Center for the Arts, will feature pianists, instructors, and students from more than 20 countries. Volunteers are needed to help greet, process, and guide guest artists, students, teachers, and piano enthusiasts, and will have the opportunity to experience free professional performances each evening. For more information: https://www.odyssiad.com.
April 23, 2025: Rotarian Steve Schaefer presented a $1,000 Community Grants check to Sabrina Stoker, Executive Director for the Poudre Heritage Alliance. Rotary Club funds will be used to support "Capture the Cache" Art Exhibition, a juried art show of local art works and photographs celebrating the natural beauty, culture, and heritage of the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. Art piece categories include Agriculture, Community, and Weather. The exhibition is free and open to the public June 4-29. Opening reception is 5-7pm, Tuesday, June 3, at the "Visit Fort Collins Welcome Center," #1 Old Town Square; entrance is on the north side of the street across from the intersection of Mountain + Remington Avenues. For more information: www.poudreheritage.org.
The Community Grants committee awarded $1,000.00 to the “Off The Hook Arts’
The Rotary Club of Fort Collins presented the Big Horn District of Scouts America with a $1,000 donation to offset the cost of the 24th annual Rotary Merit Badge University.
Our Community Grants Committee presented a $1,000 check to Kellie Falbo, on behalf of the Sustainable Living Association.
On Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, our club's Community Grants Committee presented a $2500 check to Delanie Daniels and Ann Lance on behalf of Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center.
Money will be used to support the Girl Education Initiatives (Girl Leaders & Role Model Art Workshops) which bring the community together to invest in the next generation of girls and provide self-determination, positive identity formation, and social connectedness.
A grant was recently presented to Janet Hatfield, business development manager for Healing Warriors. Rotarian Susan Brand presented a Community Grants check of $2,500 to be applied towards its mission of providing non-narcotic therapy for veterans, service members, and their families to treat pain, PTSD, and sleep disorders.
Rotarian Susan Brand presented a check to Gina Wallick, treasurer of the Front Range Chambers Players. She represented this organization at last Wednesday’s noon meeting when the Community Grants Committee presented the educational grant for $2,000 to support FRCP’s free children’s concerts.
Last Wednesday, our Rotary Club presented a $1,000 check to Gene Apuan, Captain of the Fort Collins Salvation Army, to be used for backpacks and school supplies distributed to 700 students during SA‘s Back to School Carnival.
Community grants recently awarded a $1270 youth program grant to Sustainable Living. They will use our grant to help fund their youth climate action event. This is a youth-developed, youth-driven, and youth-led event to promote climate awareness.
Our community grants committee recently awarded a $3,000 youth program grant to the Food Bank for Larimer County to purchase snack items for their mobile food truck. As part of this grant award, we were able to volunteer by helping to provide meals and snacks at recent locations for the Food Bank’s mobile food truck. Thanks Rotarians for making a difference in our community!
Our Community Grants Committee recently awarded $3,000 to the Gary Bamford Pack Pantry. The students at Bamford elementary researched the needs of the people in their area. They will use our grant to help purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meat and poultry, and new sock & underwear. This pantry serves Poudre School District families in Southeast Fort Collins. The pantry is open to families in the Bamford area or anyone in the greater community area that has a need.
Community Grants recently awarded a youth program grant to the Food Bank for Larimer County. They will use our grant to provide snacks to every child who visits their mobile Lunch Lab meal program this summer. This take-home snack will be a supplement to the free lunch they eat on site.
Junior Achievement was awarded $5,000 to support JA’s K-12 financial literacy, entrepreneurship & work readiness programs in Poudre School District in 2023. An emphasis will be placed on program implementation in schools where the Free &Reduced lunch percentage is 40% or higher.
Colorado Clean Energy Cluster, dba, She’s in Power was awarded an Education program in the amount o9f $4,000. This grant will support their mentoring program budget to assist with paying mentors who provide training and to provide incentive for program participants.
The Community Grants committee awarded $1,900 to KRFC-Public Radio for the Front Range under our Arts & Culture program area. They will use our grant to purchase an upgrade of their Skimmer Computer. They use this computer to record the station’s on-air programs in support of local music and arts in the Fort Collins community.
ChildSafe Colorado recently received one of our Arts & Culture program grants. They provide therapy services of survivors of childhood abuse, primarily childhood sexual abuse. ChildSafe will use our grant of $3,000 to have their elementary and teen groups work with Chris Bates, a local artist, to design & paint a mural on the handicap ramp leading from the parking lot up to their office.
Our Community Grants committee recently awarded a $1,000 grant to SNAAP under our Health and Wellness category. SNAPP provides empowerment for teens to build relationships and strengthen their sense of self needed to navigate today’s culture and process their lives. Our grant will support their programs to help vulnerable teens experiencing bulling, depression, anxiety and much more. They will be able to broaden their outreach to include a more diverse and underserved population.
The Avery Center was recently awarded a Health and Wellness grant in the amount of $3,000. They will use our grant to help support their digital outreach initiative to help current victims of commercial sex exploitation They offer resources for independence & for victims to escape from their trafficker.
The Community grants committee recently awarded a Health and Welfare Program grant to “A Friend for You”. Our $3,000 grant will help support underserved expectant mothers in Larimer County by providing them with unconditional personalized support through mentoring, tangible services, and connection to community resources. They help reduce isolation for low-income and marginalized expectant mothers. Accepting our check is Lorraine Meyers, Executive Director.
The Community Grants committee recently awarded an Education Program grant to Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center. They will use our $3,150 grant to purchase Creative Curriculum Extended kits, books to support preschool studies and to provide scholarships for students to participate in yoga classes. They have 12 classrooms serving children 6 weeks to 5 years old.
On June 8th, we presented a Community Grant to Global Leaders. Global Leaders is a 9-month student service-learning & leadership program for high school students in Northern Colorado. Our $5,000 grant will support their student work and earn program.
Community Grants committee recently awarded SAVA a grant under our Youth Program category. SAVA will use our $1,250 grant to fund program materials for this summer’s SuperWorld youth program. SuperWorld is an active, outdoor summer program that empowers youth ages 6-12 to develop necessary life skills for healthy bodies, relationships and self-esteem.
The Community Grants committee recently awarded an Arts and Culture program grant to the Museum of Art Fort Collins. The Museum will use our to support their upcoming group exhibition and programs for “A Culture Preserved (in the Black Experience). This exhibition addresses black heritage and how it shapes the values, beliefs and aspirations that define peoples’ identity.
In March, our Community Grants committee awarded $3,000 to the Fort Collins Symphony to support their “Lost in Space” pops concert and specifically the presentations by Dr. Erin Macdonald, an astrophysicist, who serves as a technical science consultant for the Start Trek franchise.
Community Grants awarded a $2,500 Health and Welfare grant to Larimer Court Supports to fund their new Sober Wellness Project. This project will help approximately 150 clients in their Problems Solving Courts. Problem Solving Courts have been shown to be an effective means of reducing substance abuse, managing mental illness, increasing the likelihood of remaining in recovery, and reintegrating into communities as productive and contributing members. PSC also reduces jail and prison costs.
The Community Grants Committee reviewed and selected agencies to receive funding under the Health and Wellness Category. On Wednesday, January 12th, the Fort Collins Audubon Society accepted our $1,600 grant to publish 500 copies of their mindful birding booklet. This will be used by patients at the UC Harmony Cancer Center Patients will practice mindfulness while they connect with nature through birding. Accepting the award is Barbara Patterson.
Northern Colorado Wildlife Center was recently awarded a $1,000 community grant under our education program cycle. They will use this grant to provide free family-friendly wildlife education classes to teach FC residents how to safely intervene when they find wildlife in distress or are experiencing a human-wildlife conflict on their property. Tallon Nightwalker, executive Director is accepting the check from Steve Schaefer.
Junior Achievement Rocky Mountain was recently awarded a $3,500 Education Program grant. They will use this grant to support JA’s K-12 financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness programs in the Poudre School district during the j2021-22 school year. An emphasis will be placed on schools with Free & Reduced lunch percentage of 40% or higher. JA was also presented with a Paul Harris Certificate of Appreciation. The Rotary Club of Fort Collins believes that JA’s work exemplifies the humanitarian and educational objectives of the Rotary Foundation. We thank JA for demonstrating a commitment to helping persons in need here and around the world.
Funds will provide a 10-week summer activities program for 52 children/teens with developmental disabilities. They will meet M-F from 1-5 p.m. They will be involved in art, music and animal therapy, yoga, visits by local sports teams and off-site excursions to City Park pool, Discovery Museum library and more. Children will be among their peers while their families will be able to take a break from the normal caretaking routine.
Funds will be used to offset client fees for young child play sessions. ChildSafe’s mission is to break the cycle and heal the trauma resulting from childhood abuse & neglect. The play therapy sessions are used for children aged 2-10 years, allowing them to process their trauma and give therapists insight into their areas of need. Play therapy helps children express their thoughts, experiences & feelings through playing with toys or through art therapy.
Funds will help support Pathways’ Kid’s Camps. They will offer 7 one-day camps for kids dealing with loss of a loved one or kids with an advanced medical condition. They provide these camps to 65-75 children/youth plus an average of 2 additional family members who join at the end (total served is 195-225 people).