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 Program
The charitable needs of our community are great and every quarter the Rotary Club of Fort Collins (RCFC) will distribute Community Grants sponsored by our membership to very deserving non-profit service organizations in the local Fort Collins area. The RCFC 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 RCFC Community Grants Committee will review all Grant applications and submit recommendations to the Rotary Club Board of Directors for final selection. Please review the following important links and information if you are interested in applying for a Community Grant:Health and Wellness Programs Press Release July, 2022
If you have any questions, please contact us at grants@rotarycluboffortcollins.org.
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.
The Community Grants committee in February awarded and Health and Welfare grant to the Fort Collins Mennonite Fellowship. They will use our $2,500 grant to establish a new local Community Center within their building to provide food, showers, laundry, a community closet and support for some of the unhoused people of Fort Collins.
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).
Funds will help support their 3 summer club programs in Fort Collins. During June and July, they will serve 200 youth M-F from 7:30am – 6:00pm. They will be provided meals, mentoring, mental health services and activity enrichment in music/arts, fitness/athletics, STEM/academics/social--emotional learning, and special initiatives.
RCFC recently announced 5 Community Grants totaling $33,000. This is the first of those grants. FoCo Café provides nutritious meals to people in Fort Collins, regardless of their ability to pay for these meals. Prior to COVID, patrons were asked to pay what they could, or pay it forward by paying more than the cost of the meal, or by allowing people to work in the café as a way to pay for their meals. During COVID, they are only preparing meals for delivery or take out. They have delivered meals to at-risk teens, isolated seniors, and low-income families. Our grant of $7,750 will provide food and delivery supplies for 1,000 meals.
Rotarians Sally Lee and Kathy Nicol are presenting the check to Mallory Garneau, Executive Director.
The RCFC Community Grants Committee recently awarded $2000 to Larimer County Search & Rescue, a volunteer-based organization dedicated to saving lives and educating the public on wilderness safety. Their objective is to find and rescue lost or injured people and to recover the deceased. They will use our $2,000 grant to repair equipment as well as to improve their training, computer, and communication operations to enhance their field operations. Your Charitable Contributions at work!
Rotarian Dan Mackey presents our check to Stan McMahon, Treasurer.
Homeward Alliance was recently awarded a $7750 Community Grant from RCFC. Homeward Alliance operates a continuum of services for individuals including basic needs, housing-focused case management, behavioral health, and employment programs, and they oversee the Murphy Center, a resource center in Larimer County for people experiencing homelessness.
Rotarians Don Jorgensen and Kathy Nicol present the check to Pam Brewer, Development Director.
During February, the RCFC Community Grants Committee awarded the Food Bank for Larimer County (FBLC) a $7500 grant. FBLC provides food to all in need through community partnerships and hunger-relief programs. When COVID closed the schools, FBLC created an emergency feeding plan to serve schools, housing authority complexes and mobile home parks with free and reduced meals.
Rotarians Dan Mackey and Kathy Nicol present the check to Amy Pezzani, Chief Executive Officer.
RCFC Community Grants recently awarded $7,750 to the Fort Collins Rescue Mission. The Mission provides more meals and shelter to people experiencing homelessness than any other agency in northern Colorado. Their goal is to help these individuals become productive, self-sufficient citizens by providing temporary living spaces and access to long-term rehabilitation programs.
$4,000 award to provide advocacy and support services on-location to victims of sex trafficking throughout the Fort Collins area through mobile response services.
The Matthews House
$4,000 to help support safe in-person case management, as well as virtual technology. It will help low-income parents navigate the online educational needs of their children during PSD’s current hybrid learning model.