The Chaffee County Community Foundation (CCCF) is launching its 2025 Impact Grant cycle, offering two distinct grant opportunities: the Housing Solutions Grant and the Environmental Innovation Grant. Both initiatives align with the foundation's mission to foster a thriving Chaffee County by addressing critical community needs. The overall goal of these grants is to support projects and programs that facilitate measurable and sustainable change within the county, encouraging public/private partnerships among eligible 501c3 organizations.
The Housing Solutions Grant, providing $12,000, targets projects and programs focused on affordable housing solutions, aiming to make long-term, sustainable housing accessible to Chaffee County residents. The primary beneficiaries are residents seeking affordable housing. The impact goal is to increase housing accessibility, with expected outcomes including documented approaches that lead to measurable change. Strong applications will clearly articulate the needs being addressed, the proposed approach, activities, outputs, and outcomes. Applicants should also demonstrate how the grant will enhance the impact of existing projects.
Conversely, the Environmental Innovation Grant, offering $13,000, is dedicated to innovative projects and programs promoting clean water, environmental stewardship, recycling, and waste reduction efforts. This grant prioritizes initiatives that will lead to measurable change in the environment across Chaffee County. The beneficiaries are the environment and, by extension, the residents of Chaffee County who benefit from improved environmental conditions. Expected outcomes include documented approaches that facilitate measurable change, with a clear description of needs, approaches, activities, outputs, and outcomes. Similar to the Housing Solutions Grant, applicants should explain how the innovation grant will amplify their project's impact.
Both grant programs emphasize a strategic approach, seeking applications that detail the needs being addressed, the methodology for doing so, specific activities planned, expected outputs, and measurable outcomes. The CCCF's theory of change appears to be rooted in supporting targeted, community-driven initiatives that demonstrate a clear path to significant and lasting positive change within Chaffee County, whether in social well-being through housing or environmental health. The foundation encourages applications for both new and existing projects, provided there is a clear articulation of how the grant funds will enhance their impact.
