Garfield County grants $30,500 to local nonprofits
County budgeted $120,000 in discretionary grant funding for 2021
PRESS RELEASE
February 11, 2021
The Garfield County Board of County Commissioners has approved more than $30,000 in first quarter discretionary grants to local nonprofits. These grants help these organizations thrive, providing numerous opportunities for the citizens of Garfield County.
The Rifle Elks Lodge was granted $4,000 toward its replacement of its lone broken furnace/air conditioner unit; KSUN Community Radio received $5,000 for transmission and other electric equipment; Colorado Mountain College was granted $2,000 for a non-traditional college student scholarship fund; Youthentity received $5,000 for financial literacy and career development programs for local students; the Rifle Masonic Lodge received $4,000 toward a matching grant for restoration efforts of its building; West Elk Trails was granted $1,500 toward the cost of a new needed grooming/work snowmobile for its free winter recreation trails management program; Carbondale Arts received $2,000 for the 50th Carbondale Mountain Fair operations and historical collections; Roaring Fork Leadership was awarded $5,000 for its leadership development program; and the Glenwood Springs Arts Council received $2,000 toward programming and scholarships.
In 2021, $120,000 was budgeted for these quarterly grants out of the BOCC’s Discretionary Grant Fund, with $89,500 remaining for the next three quarters. All told, $44,000 was requested by 10 nonprofits in the first quarter.
“As we’ve been saying for many years now, we have been very generous to many organizations in many ways, whether it’s conservation trust funds, human services grants, or discretionary awards,” said Commissioner Mike Samson. “But times have changed. I wish we could fully fund things as we have in the past, and the crystal ball tells me these grants probably will be pared down some more next year.”
For more information on discretionary grant funding, go to the Board of County Commissioners web page.