Telluride Foundation

Telluride Foundation is a non-profit organization which functions in the Telluride region, including three counties in southwest Colorado. The Foundation was established in 2000, and operates initiatives, makes grants, and invests in communities.[5]

Telluride Foundation
FoundedJune 2000[1]
FounderRon Allred
Hideo "Joe" Morita[2]
Location
Key people
Paul Major (President and CEO)[3][4]
Websitetelluridefoundation.org

History

Telluride Foundation was started in June 2000 by owners of Telluride Ski Resort, Ron Allred and Hideo "Joe" Morita, with US$100,000 contributions from 13 individual contributors. Some of the areas the foundation provides funding include education, early childhood development, environment, healthcare, arts and culture, sports, and human services.[2] Paul Major has served as the President and CEO of the organization since its establishment.[1]

Initiatives

Telluride Foundation awards college scholarships and support to high school students in the Telluride region under programs such as the Chang Chavkin Scholars Program.[6] The program is supported by and named after Laura Chang and Arnie Chavkin, and provides a four-year scholarship package of up to US$60,000 to the recipient students, as well as guidance and mentoring before and during college.[7][8][9] The foundation also supports the Neil Armstrong Scholarship, which was started by friends and family members of Neil Armstrong in his honor and awarded to a Telluride regional high school student studying STEM in college. Armstrong was a board member of the foundation.[10]

Telluride Foundation and Markle Foundation provides funding to regional businesses under Skillful Colorado initiative. In October 2018, the Economic Development Administration awarded a three-year grant to the Telluride Foundation to develop rural economies in Montrose County and San Miguel County, in partnership with Telluride Foundation.[11]

In 2019, Telluride Foundation started a US$2 million working capital loan fund, called Telluride Regional Loan Fund, to support rural businesses in southwest Colorado. The fund provides loans of US$25,000 to 100,000 for companies based out of the counties of Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel, Dolores and San Juan.[12]

As of 2019, the Telluride Foundation Grants Committee has funded around US$500,000 in grants for successful capital projects which were leveraged with US$6.5 million in additional grants and fundraising.[13][14]

The foundation has co-ordinated the project of providing high-speed broadband connection to rural parts of San Miguel County.[15][16]

The foundation's Telluride Venture Accelerator initiative aims at developing new businesses in the domains of outdoor recreation, tourism, natural products, health, energy, water and education.[17][18] The foundation started a healthcare initiative called Tri-County Health Network (TCHNetwork) in 2010, which is now a supporting non-profit organization of Telluride Foundation.[19]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Telluride Foundation started the Coronavirus Regional Response Fund in order to provide funding for emergency situations.[20]

Awards and recognition
  • 2018 Colorado Governor's Citizenship Medal (Growth & Innovation category) - Paul Major[1]
  • 2019 Inclusiveness and Racial Equity Award at the Colorado Nonprofit Week Awards - TCHNetwork[19]

In 2015, the foundation claimed that the 2016 Summer Olympics logo was copied from the foundation's trademarked logo which had been in use since 2000. The foundation's logo had earlier been copied for promoting Carnaval 2004 in Salvador, Brazil.[3]

References
  1. Singer, Katie (10 October 2018). "Telluride Foundation: Gov. Hickenlooper Honors Paul Major". Telluride Inside. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  2. "Telluride Foundation: Grants for Colorado". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  3. Blevins, Jason (16 July 2015). "Telluride Foundation says Brazil stole its logo for Olympics". The Denver Post. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  4. "Board of Directors and Staff". Telluride Foundation. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  5. "History and MIssion". Telluride Foundation. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  6. Peters, Amy M. (10 March 2019). "Two Telluride seniors earn scholarships". Telluride News. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  7. Clary, Sheela (24 January 2019). "Profile of a first-generation college-bound student: Stone Murphy". The Berkshire Edge. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  8. Tubbs, Justin (19 November 2019). "Scholars program that awards $60K adds Montrose High School to list of schools, juniors can apply in December". Montrose Press. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  9. Peters, Amy M. (15 April 2020). "Expanding horizons". Telluride News. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  10. "Telluride Foundation: $135K In Scholarships In 2019". Telluride Inside. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  11. Peters, Amy M. (28 February 2019). "Local nonprofit fosters West End growth". Telluride News. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  12. "Telluride Regional Loan Fund to help rural businesses". Montrose Press. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  13. "Telluride Foundation Leverages Millions with its Capital Grants: New Ah Haa School Latest Recipient of Foundation Funding". Telluride Foundation. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  14. "Telluride Foundation announces Community Grants". Telluride News. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  15. Cheavens, Suzanne (21 September 2018). "Broadband internet makes its way to San Miguel County". Telluride News. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  16. "Rural Coloradans Have Done Strange Things To Get Internet. For Some, Those Days Are Almost Over". KUNC. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  17. "Telluride launches accelerator to push entrepreneurs higher". Denver Post. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  18. Tice, Carol (21 March 2013). "7 New Niche Incubators To Help Your Startup Grow". Forbes. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  19. "Tri-County Health Network to receive Inclusiveness and Racial Equity Award". Telluride News. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  20. Singer, Katie (9 April 2020). "Telluride Foundation: Regional Response Fund, Update!". Telluride Inside. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
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