Community Grant Program

SDCEA’s Community Grant program is administered by The Chaffee County Community Foundation (CCCF). Non-profit organizations from Chaffee, Custer, Lake, or Fremont counties are eligible to apply to CCCF for funding during an annual grant cycle.

Applications for Community Grants will be taken online through CCCF’s grant portal beginning Sept. 1 with a Sept. 30 deadline. Grants are evaluated by members of CCCF’s grants committee, bringing years of combined grants experience to the review and evaluation process.

SDCEA’s Community Grant Program funding is made possible by allocating capital credits donated-back to the cooperative for charitable giving. Added to the total are the generous contributions of SDCEA consumers who participate in the Power of Change (formerly Operation RoundUp) program. Power of Change funds are added to the Community Grant Program fund allocation.

Power of Change participants round their bill up each month to the nearest dollar. For example, a monthly bill of $52.74 would be rounded-up to $53. The extra 26 cents are then pooled with other consumers’ donations and placed in the Power of Change program. Power of Change donations may be tax-deductible. To learn more about the Power of Change program, please click here.

2021 grant recipients included: Guidestone, ElevateHer, Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative, Colorado Farm to Table, Boys and Girls Club of Chaffee County, West Central Mental Health, Chaffee Early Childhood Council, Chaffee County Childcare Initiative, Southwest Conservation Corps, Howard Volunteer Fire Department, Achieve, Colorado Theater in Non Traditional Spaces, Ark Valley Helping Hands, The Alliance, The Foodshed Alliance,The Congregational United Church of Christ/Backpack Food Program.

For information about the CCCF, please click here. To access the community grants portal to apply for a grant, please click here.