The Thriving Jeffco grant is a responsive grant opportunity designed for nonprofits to share ideas and projects they believe will help Jeffco communities thrive. We believe thriving communities happen when our neighbors are living fulfilled lives, are meaningfully involved in their communities, and are connecting with, appreciating, and supporting each other.
Funding Goal
Colorado Gives Foundation will provide unrestricted, one-year grant support to Jeffco serving organizations focused on advancing Jeffco Thrive metrics (see Award Considerations) that complement Colorado Gives Foundation’s strategic impact work and in response to other community needs. Specifically, we are looking for organizations working in these impact areas:
- Essential Needs
- Economic Prosperity
- Resilient and Connected Neighborhoods
- Civic Engagement
Eligibility & Funding Amounts
To be eligible, organizations must be 501(c)(3) Nonprofits and/or government equivalents, or 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, such as neighborhood associations, operating within the defined geographic scope of this grant opportunity. In some instances, for profit organizations may be eligible if they have or serve a charitable purpose.
We think it’s important to understand your funding gaps and organizational dreams. That’s why we are intentionally not putting grant award range amounts. Grant awards will vary depending on the demonstrated impact and alignment related to the primary purpose for proposed funds and award considerations as outlined below.
Key Dates + Important Grant Notes
- Applications closed: September 29, at 5 p.m.
- Applications accepted on a rolling basis between July 25-September 29
- Funding decisions will be made on a rolling basis as applications are submitted and reviewed.
- Funding notifications will be made within two months after receiving an application.
Congratulations to these grantees!
40 West Arts – $35,000
Located in Lakewood, 40 West Arts helps Jeffco thrive by bringing public art, parks, free amenities, and youth programming to underserved communities. Committed to equity in the arts, 40 West Arts is free-of-charge and open-to-all. They work closely with the City of Lakewood to address issues of equity, need and the changing demographics in the municipality and are a cornerstone in the community. They are expanding efforts by infusing art into the areas of education, volunteerism, community engagement and creating a sense of belonging while improving neighborhood resilience and health.
Center for the Arts Evergreen – $25,000
With a focus on equitable access to arts in rural mountain communities, Center for the Arts Evergreen is attracting new audiences and taking services off-site to where the need is greatest. Like many mountain organizations, they are the only community art center serving the rural mountain areas of Jeffco. They value the importance of meeting the community where they live with free programming for children and adults on themes like Arts and Mental Health, SafeZone LGBTQ+ allyship training, and Diversity in the Arts.
Friends of Dinosaur Ridge – $40,000
Dinosaur Ridge educates and inspires wonder in visitors of all backgrounds about the science and history of the fossils and natural resources found at Dinosaur Ridge, Triceratops Trail, and related paleontology sites. With a strong commitment and urgency to preserve the fossils and natural resources for future generations, they offer programming, tours and outreach for an increasing number of visitors. To support these efforts and a growing visitor rates, they’ll be adding replica fossil casts and making improvements to the visitor center and grounds. Dinosaur Ridge is also incorporating Language Justice in the accessibility of their facilities, using art, culture and science to steward a sense of belonging for all their visitors and volunteers.
Growing Home Inc. – $35,000
Growing Home works to advance equity in food, housing and parenting education to create lifelong stability. Their food pantry distributes nutritious and culturally-relevant food to residents with limited access to reliable food sources or transportation. And, they provide Jefferson County residents with immediate rent, mortgage, and utilities support while working with individuals and families to develop personalized success plans to keep them stably housed.
Hope House of Colorado – $75,000
Empowering teen moms through educational and economic self-sufficiency for teen moms is Hope House of Colorado’s mission. With educational assistance and High School, GED, and College & Career Programs, their support nurtures healthy relationships with personal growth classes, licensed counseling, legal advocacy and financial literacy. Their Early Learning & School Age Program focuses on literacy and social-emotional development, early intervention services, and school-age support for the children, including a Parenting Program.
Jeffco DeAngelis Foundation – $15,000
The DeAngelis Foundation supports school and community safety through experienced-based training focused on prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery while maintaining a positive climate and culture. They are working to expand services by adding suicide prevention, community education trainings, corporate safety programs, self-defense/sexual assault prevention programs for students leaving for college, and threat assessment services.
Kaizen Food Rescue – $50,000
At Kaizen, community is at the heart of developing community-based solutions for food justice and health equity. By promoting dietary decolonization and providing culturally responsive food, they strive to ensure that everyone has access to healthy and culturally relevant food. With community collaboration and by uplifting impacted voices they foster a more equitable and just food system through community gardens, food shares and distribution, workshops permaculture training and food advocacy programs.
Light of The World Catholic Church Food Pantry – $15,000
The Light of the World Food Pantry provides food for an ever-increasing community. As a community gathering spot for guests and volunteers, they also nurture social connections through and emotional support.
Mountain Resource Center – $100,000
Mountain Resource Center believes that strong families start with thriving individuals. Founded in 1990, they strive to promote self-sufficiency and improve the quality of life for individuals and families living in the foothills west of Denver. Mountain Resource Center provides multi-generational services for individuals and families that need support for both short and long-term needs through food, rental assistance and mental health services. With their services, Jeffco residents are truly able to live fulfilled lives.
The Alpine Chorale – $8,500
Amateur and professional musicians come together to share the joy of music with The Alpine Chorale. They’re growing and meeting the needs of singers and musicians through performance, training, and scholarship.
Seniors Resource Center, Inc. – $70,000
Seniors’ Resource Center enhances the independence, dignity and quality of life for seniors in Jeffco and surrounding communities by providing services that enable older adults to remain in their homes and thrive. Services such as in home care and adult daytime programs provide life enriching activities and support both older adults and their caregivers to help older adults remain independent and engaged.
A Precious Child, Inc. – $30,000
A Precious Child serves children challenged by poverty, abuse, neglect or crises, providing food, clothes, toiletries, school supplies, educational opportunities and access to extracurricular activities. Through their Cradle-to-Career initiatives, families receive support and assistance with finding childcare, affordable housing/rent assistance and mental health support referrals.
Arvada Community Food Bank Inc – $30,000
The Arvada Food Bank distributes food to hungry families through a Client Choice Pantry. Their hunger-relief efforts include home delivery for home-bound seniors, mobile pantry sites and weekend food for schoolchildren through the Feeding the Future program (FTF). They are increasing the capacity to repair and maintain the fleet of vehicles used to transport food from distributors and to community distribution.
City of Wheat Ridge – $25,000
The City of Wheat Ridge Homeless Navigation Program is part of a Jeffco-wide collaborative effort to address homelessness in our communities. They work to make contact, build rapport, and provide basic need support to people experiencing homelessness. For some, the pathway to housing is fairly straightforward, requiring minimal logistical or financial help from our program. For others, the process is much longer and more winding. They help people navigate the system of services through a single point of entry.
Feel the Beat Corp – $15,000
Feel the Beat is a dance studio for ALL. We have developed a curriculum that incorporates sign language, visual tactile integration, drumsticks and our revolutionary vibrational dance floor that uses bone conduction technology to assist the Deaf or Hard of Hearing in feeling musical vibrations. Vibrotactile flooring combined with a specialized curriculum, including American Sign Language and other visual and tactile cues, allows participants to experience music’s beat, bass, texture, and dynamics through physical sensation while receiving dance instruction.
Fresh Food Connect – $25,000
Fresh Food Connect works to build a more equitable, healthy, and resilient food system by connecting gardeners with their communities. Their innovative and unique approach uses technology to mobilize gardeners and redirect an untapped resource– homegrown food, to support hunger relief efforts and reduce food waste. On a mission to make homegrown food within reach, they’re growing partnerships with local gardeners with food distribution organizations to provide more healthy food assistance.
GoFarm – $50,000
GoFarm uses a system approach to strengthen our local food system (the process of how food gets from Colorado farms to our plates, and everything in between). They focus on how food is grown by supporting local farmers, mentoring beginning farmers, increasing the supply of sustainably grown food. They influence how food is distributed by connecting community members, institutions, and food pantries to local agriculture. They increase access and affordability of food by making sustainably-grown food more accessible and affordable in our community. They build community by bringing people together through events, storytelling, education, workshops, markets, and more.
Hands of the Carpenter – $30,000
Hands of The Carpenter offers hope to working single women with dependent children, while providing automobile services, partnering in their efforts to remain employed and work toward economic self-sufficiency. Through services that include vehicle evaluations, repairs, placement of donated vehicles, and on-going maintenance they help women and their children thrive because reliable transportation gives them the ability to take children to school or childcare, access vital services such as grocery shopping and medical appointments and stay safe from abuse.
Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain – $20,000
Junior Achievement’s (JA) mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed. They empower volunteers to implement proven programs teaching young people how to become adults who are career ready, financially responsible, and entrepreneurial. Teaching young people what to expect in the real-world and how to overcome challenges is known to increase employability, job satisfaction, and earning potential, which gives young people in Jeffco the opportunity to live “Choice-Filled Lives.” They are increasing programming in Jeffco to support our future workforce with early financial education specific to K-12, post-secondary and adult life skills.
Localworks – $35,000
Localworks partners with the city, local businesses, and residents to advance Wheat Ridge as a vibrant and sustainable community. Their programs and events help people connect, volunteer, and create by providing equitable access to arts, culture and workforce development opportunities for Jeffco residents. They are expanding the Clear Creek Makerspace (CCM) with more tools to reduce a barrier to access and education, increasing the ability of individuals to pursue work in various arts and trade skills (like woodworking and welding classes).
Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado – $50,000
Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado is one of the first mental health counseling centers in the nation to use teams of professional therapists and their therapy animals to facilitate the counseling process. Having just opened a new six-room counseling wing, they are expanding to serve more clients and reduce waitlists by providing quality care and opportunity for success.
Bondadosa – $30,000
Bondadosa believes everyone has a right to fresh, healthy food. They partner with non-profits to drive innovation, create job opportunities, and build a food system that serves everyone, making nutritious food an option for everyone. Their delivery system brings fresh food to neighborhoods and reduce food waste by donating surplus food to food banks, schools, and local charities. To support increasing need, they are building internal capacity in their warehouse and adding technology to improve processes.
Catholic Charities and Community Services of the Archdiocese – $50,000
Catholic Charities operates Marisol Homes in Jefferson County to deliver trauma-informed, evidence-based programs and comprehensive support services to pregnant and single mothers, and their children. Through their efforts, single moms and their children are connected to permanent housing to provide the stability they need and to break their cycle of homelessness and create economic security, health and well-being that can pass from one generation to the next. Residents receive culturally and linguistically relevant services including mental health and case management, resources/referrals, and enrichment classes that provide life skills to empower these mothers as they address the root causes of homelessness, establish an income, and transition into stable housing.
Centennial Community Church/Waterstone Food Pantry – $2,500
The Waterstone Food Pantry exists so those in our community who are hungry have access to free, healthy and nutritious food. Their aim is that every shopper who visits the food pantry leaves with the food they need and the dignity they deserve. They are working to meet increasing demands in Jeffco.
Intervention, Inc./C3 – $50,000
Intervention, Inc. provided in-home Detention monitoring for criminal justice agencies in Jeffco and throughout Colorado. Through their C3 program (Community Connections Center), they make it easier for clients in Jefferson County to access the resources and services they need in one place and foster sufficiency by creating accessible pathways to success. Services include a Victim Service Program that helps victims of crime with advocacy and navigation through the post-conviction phase of the criminal justice system.
Miners Alley Playhouse – $75,000
Miners Alley Playhouse provides opportunities for actors, directors, writers, designers, and technicians to gain valuable experience in a positive and supportive environment while giving the community exceptional theatrical experiences. With record-breaking attendance and demand, they are looking forward to opening the new Miners Alley Performing Arts Center (slated for December 2023) to serve Jeffco. The new building will provide spaces for expanded educational programming, community events, receptions, recitals, staged readings of local playwrights, and even community theater shows in addition to professional offerings.
