County decides on grants for community-based organizations

Nearly $160,000 in grants awarded this year

There were some big winners and some organizations that will have to look for funding elsewhere after nearly $160,000 in funding for community-based organizations (CBOs) was divvied up by Gunnison County Tuesday, November 24.

Despite the financial belt-tightening in other parts of the budget, the county was actually able to increase the amount granted nearly $10,000 over last year.
In deciding how to grant the money from next year’s budget, the Board of County Commissioners knew they had tough choices to make, and in July chose to put a limit on the amount CBOs could request at $12,500.
And just as commissioner Jim Starr predicted then, there were eight more requests this year compared to last year; 15 of the 45 requests were for $10,000 or more. But only a few of the organizations got all that they were asking for.
Several of the CBOs that the county has a close connection with, like Cattlemen’s Days, got the maximum $12,500. The Office for Resource Efficiency, with which the county has a partnership, was granted $12,499.
A few other requests were granted for amounts near the maximum. Habitat for Humanity asked for $10,000 and got it. Six Points Evaluation and Training and the Midwestern Colorado Mental Health Center each were granted  $12,000.
The majority of requests were partially granted, with the Coal Creek Watershed Coalition getting $3,500 of more than $6,000 requested; $2,000 of $2,500 requested by Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory was granted; and the Crested Butte Nordic Council got $2,500 of the $6,250 they were hoping for.
Despite being denied for a grant of $1,000 last year, the Crested Butte Music Festival asked the county for $2,000 this year and was turned down again. The county also rejected a request for $5,000 to help with the cost of the Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce fireworks display, and requests from High Country Citizens’ Alliance and the Crested Butte Mountain Theatre.
This was also the first year that the county asked organizations that applied for funding to document other funding sources and the amount of the organization’s total revenue the request would constitute.
The added information showed most organizations applying for grants that would make up only a small fraction of their total revenue, but there were seven that applied for grants that would have made up 20 percent or more of their annual revenues.
The amount of funding each organization gets will be finalized when the budget is adopted on December 15.