Community Foundation distributes $285,864 in flood recovery funding to date

The Community Foundation of Northern Colorado’s flood relief grant process is well underway with $354,538 in awards already approved, and $285,864 of that amount already distributed to area nonprofits. Over $1 million in additional grant requests are currently being reviewed by local committees in Estes Park and Loveland.

The Community Foundation created three charitable funds to address intermediate and long-term flood relief and recovery needs within Larimer County in response to the devastating September flood. The funds support the following areas:
• Estes Park and its canyon communities (Drake and above)
• Loveland and its canyon communities (below Drake), including Little Thompson River area
• Poudre River communities

Approximately $1.725 million was donated by individuals and organizations from across the country in response to Bohemian Foundation’s match challenge and in support of the Community Foundation’s efforts. The Community Foundation is not charging an administrative fee on donations made to these flood relief funds; 100% of every dollar donated goes to flood relief.

“We are moving very quickly to get these funds into the hands of the nonprofit organizations that are most effectively serving the needs of those impacted by the flood,” said Ray Caraway, the Foundation’s president. “These funds were raised for intermediate and long-term needs, so we are responsible for carefully evaluating each request to determine how it fits into the big picture. Some of the requests are for projects that can’t get underway until the spring; other requests are designed to provide immediate support to displaced families. Agencies helping these families have the daunting task of conducting a case management process to determine which individuals are most in need,” said Caraway.

In early October, before Bohemian Foundation’s match challenge deadline, the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado released guidelines for grant requests to assist in flood relief and recovery efforts in Larimer County, and asked nonprofit and governmental entities to submit applications. To date, 27 requests for funding have been submitted.

Funding recommendations are being made by committees in the impacted communities. “These committee members live and work in the affected areas and are submitting recommendations based on their knowledge of their own community,” explained Caraway. “We are seeing local nonprofits stepping up to do the best they can to meet the challenge. Although disaster response is not something our local nonprofits have a great deal of experience with, some excellent work is being done.”

The Community Foundation’s committees are now reviewing applications representing $1,066,013 in funding requests that were submitted for the second grant cycle, which had a deadline of Nov. 12. The large increase in funding requests from October to November indicates that local organizations leading these recovery efforts required time to both evaluate the scope of present and future needs, and prepare thoughtful solutions that will ensure an efficient and equitable process for affected individuals. The
Community Foundation’s Regional Grantmaking Committee anticipates that awards related to the second grant cycle will be distributed before the end of the month.

As part of the Community Foundation’s commitment to financial transparency, its website will include reports to the community to detail how the charitable donations to these funds were distributed. In addition, the Community Foundation is requiring that all grant recipients provide detailed reports on use of the grant awards within 10 months of receiving the funds.

To date, grants totaling $285,864 have been distributed:
• Serve 6.8 received $137,147 to support its Disaster Recovery Coordination Program, organizing volunteer efforts for debris removal and rebuilding and recovery activities to assist households facing long-term hardship.
• United Way of Larimer County received $100,000 to support the Long-Term Recovery Group
Larimer County Floods case management process that is providing long-term assistance to individuals directly impacted by the flood.
• House of Neighborly Service received $30,000 to support its case management process with
flood survivors.
• Estes Valley Victim Advocates received $12,717 to support necessary repairs and rehabilitation of My Sister’s Place Safehouse, which provides a safe refuge for victims of domestic abuse and their families. The organization’s facility was directly impacted by the flood.
• Estes Valley Investment in Childhood Success received $6,000 to support its childcare scholarship fund, which is providing assistance to families with increased and unmet needs associated with the disaster.

An additional $68,674 in recovery funding has been approved and will be mailed to the recipient agencies next week.

Nonprofit organizations and governmental entities seeking funding should visit the Community Foundation’s website to review the grantmaking guidelines and submit an application. The next application deadline is Tues., Dec. 17 at 5 p.m. Additional funding cycles may be added based on availability of funds.