“School’s out for summer” resounds from the lips of students, teachers and parents alike. Children are delighted with less structured time, while parents fret about how to keep their youngsters engaged in healthy activities. Parents and kids can both rest easy.
Our community is full of enriching opportunities for youths to stay engaged through the summer months. If you are out and about, you’ll see groups of local youths rafting on the river, biking on our trails and performing on local stages. Many of these activities are planned, staffed and carried out by our local nonprofits.
The Community Foundation serving Southwest Colorado is proud to support a wide range of youth-serving nonprofits across our five-county region through a variety of funding and capacity building opportunities, helping our young people thrive.
One example is our SPUR Fund – Special Projects Uniquely Responsive – which is designed to capitalize on unique opportunities, such as providing essential grants to make sure programs can offer a sliding scale or invest in the equipment needed for hands-on activities. In celebration of our 25th anniversary, the Community Foundation has raised $100,000 for the SPUR Fund to provide unsolicited grants to local nonprofits for each quarter of the year. Second-quarter funding focuses on supporting nonprofits that provide enrichment opportunities and mental health support for middle and high school students in all five counties and two sovereign nations.
Also, the Community Foundation has supported youth-focused nonprofits through our programmatic grants in 2025. The Durango Wine Experience granted more than $25,000 to Southwest Colorado nonprofits and featured youth organizations such as Durango Youth Baseball & Softball and iAM MUSIC, as well as nonprofits that include youth programming like San Juan Symphony and Chimney Rock Interpretive Association.
Another program supported by the Community Foundation is the CAUSE Youth Internship, which matches 10 high school students with 10 local nonprofits registered with SW CO Gives. This provides both students and nonprofits the opportunity to benefit from the experience, as interns help create a social media campaign for their nonprofit’s SW CO Gives Day campaign. Interns are paid for the monthlong internship, and the participating nonprofits receive a $2,500 grant. Youth-serving and youth-friendly nonprofits participating in this year’s CAUSE internship include Adaptive Sports Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Stillwater Music and The Powerhouse.
While this offers just a small glimpse into the many nonprofits enriching the lives of our young people, these partnerships are an integral part of nurturing a community that takes care of its youths. The Community Foundation provides regular professional development and capacity building opportunities for nonprofits. Other sectors supported through our funding and capacity building efforts include animal protection, arts and culture, environment, education and human services.
To find out more about how the Community Foundation supports local nonprofits or ways to get involved yourself, visit our website at swcommunityfoundation.org.
Martha Tinsley Minot is a board member of the Community Foundation, an organization that works tirelessly to support the nonprofit sector and channel local philanthropists to support our community through grants.
