LAKE COUNTY COMMUNITY FUND AWARDS $77,350 TO 20 COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Community and Copper Mountain Resort Grants Announced
Printable Version: 2025 LCCF Grant Recipients
We are excited to report that the Lake County Community Fund Board of Directors met April 10 to determine two significant 2025 grant awards—the Lake County Community Grant and the Copper Mountain Resort Award.
The Board awarded $52,094 to 16 Lake County nonprofit organizations as part of the Community Grants and $25,256 to four nonprofits under the Copper Mountain Resort grant program.
Thirty-five applications totaling $216,778 were received in this 2025 grant cycle.
In addition to the generous grant from POWDR and Copper Mountain Resort, substantial support from the Lake County Board of County Commissioners, the City of Leadville, and more than 103 corporate, foundation, and individual donors have made these grant awards possible.
Since 2017, the Lake County Community Fund has awarded 167 grants totaling more than $523,350 to Lake County nonprofit organizations.
Recipients were selected from a tremendously qualified and deserving pool of applicants through a robust and competitive grant review process.
Lake County Community Grant
The Lake County Community Grant supports projects that fit within the following areas:
- Arts and Culture
- Community and Economic Development
- Education and Training
- Environmental Initiatives
- Health and Wellness
Copper Mountain Resort Grant
In 2020, thanks to an eight-year $400,000 gift from Copper Mountain Resort and POWDR, a $25,000 annual grant-making program was initiated to fund projects that include the following criteria:
- Outdoor adventure education
- Development of lifetime sports skills and
- Environmental causes
The objective of this grant is to inspire a healthy adventure lifestyle among Lake County youth, promote lifetime sports, and to support environmental causes.
Since 2020, the Lake County Community Fund has awarded 32 Copper/POWDR grants to local nonprofits, totaling $120,000.
The Board of Directors is pleased and honored to announce the recipients of the Lake County Community Fund’s 2025 Grant Awards:
Lake County Community Awards
Advocates of Lake County: Funds will be used for the operations budget to keep the facilities up to date, clean, and comfortable for clients.
Bright Start Learning Center: The award will be used to Invest in current staff, supporting professional development, and providing continuing education opportunities. In addition, opening more childcare spots will provide support for young teachers who are interested in finding a career in this field and open up job opportunities.
CASA of the Continental Divide (Court Appointed Special Advocate): Funds will be used to serve child victims of abuse and neglect in the Dependency and Neglect Program and students who are experiencing barriers to their education in the Truancy Program.
Cloud City High School: For the 2025-26 school year, Workforce Boot Camp will continue to be a vital part of the student experience at Cloud City High School, required for all students. Career Tours will be held once a month, providing students with direct exposure to industry professionals and real-world workplaces. Cloud City High School remains committed to preparing students for success in both higher education and the workforce.
Cloud City Mountain Sports: Funds will be used to purchase timing equipment to host alpine ski races at Ski Cooper. This will provide alpine ski and snowboard athletes the opportunity to compete at “home,” which will offset the cost of race-entry and lift ticket fees for the high school and middle school teams.
Cloud City Wheelers: With reduced government funding in 2025, the Leadville Ranger District of the United States Forest Service will not hire a seasonal trail crew as they have in previous years to maintain our area’s busy trail system. The Leadville Ranger District will rely on the Cloud City Wheelers to perform necessary maintenance on over 180 miles of system trails. The Cloud City Wheelers will maintain trails that attract over 100,000 visitors a year.
Heather’s Fund: Funding supports the creation of a world-class sanctuary to serve and protect youth needing mental and behavioral support by providing a healing and secure therapeutic environment in a beautiful indoor/outdoor space.
Lake County Build a Generation: The third annual Pride celebration in Lake County will include a parade, drag show, and wellness festival. The celebration is being planned by more than 13 different organizations, businesses, and government agencies that make up the Pride Planning Committee.
Lake County Early Care & Education Fund: Grant funding will support licensed childcare providers in Lake County with tuition assistance for families. This funding will help bridge the critical need for tuition assistance for our neediest families.
Lake County Search and Rescue: Together with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Lake County Search and Rescue will co-host a free Avalanche Aware (formerly “Know Before You Go”) educational event open to the public. This presentation will inform residents of Lake County about traveling safely in avalanche terrain.
Lake County Volleyball Club: Funding will provide tuition assistance and a safe place for Lake County youth to participate in a team sport. Being a member of this club provides young athletes the opportunity to learn and improve their volleyball skills while learning how to work and communicate as a team.
Lideres Latinx: “Posada 2025,” is a community-driven cultural celebration that honors the rich traditions of the holiday season while fostering inclusivity and togetherness. Through music, traditional food, and interactive activities, Posada 2025 will bring families and individuals of all backgrounds together to experience the warmth and joy of this cherished festivity.
Planned Pethood Assistance: Planned Pethood provides animal welfare assistance aimed at mitigating economic euthanasia through the prevention of unwanted pet overpopulation, promoting a healthy animal community, managing lost or stray animals, and supporting financially disadvantaged Lake County community members for pet care.
Smart Bellies: Smart Bellies provides weekend food for 50 weeks out of the year to school students by providing them with their very own bag of nutritious food to eat over the weekend. Each bag contains two breakfast items, two entrees, two pieces of produce, and three snacks.
St. George Episcopal Mission: The mobile food pantry visits Mountain View Village on a weekly basis to provide easy access to healthy, culturally relevant food for those who are unable to come to our onsite food pantry. The mobile food pantry is a critical component of St. George’s response to the food insecurity crisis and rising cost of living in Leadville and Lake County.
St. Vincent General Hospital District: St. Vincent Health has committed to a new ambulance for Lake County. A critical component of the project is the communications equipment that allows the crews to speak with 911, law enforcement, first responders, and the hospital emergency room. The grant award will go towards the purchase of radio equipment for the new ambulance.
Copper Mountain Resort Awards
Cloud City Conservation Center: The Nature-Based Learning programming provides all students with hands-on outdoor education that promotes academic success and environmental stewardship. Through field lessons, classroom extensions, afterschool programs, and career exploration, Cloud City Conservation Center removes barriers to access and delivers inclusive, lifelong connections to the outdoors.
Colorado Outward Bound School: Grant will fund the purchase of equipment improvements for the high ropes course, ensuring a safe, efficient and transformative experience for Lake County School District students and Get Outdoors Leadville! youth.
Get Outdoors Leadville!: Funding supports 2025 Summer Camp Program. Focused on Positive Youth Development through outdoor activities, the camp serves youth of all identities, backgrounds, and abilities, aged 5 to 18. Participants participate in unique opportunities to develop essential life skills, strengthen their self-identity, and deepen their connection to nature.
Project Dream: Funding supports the operations of after school outdoor clubs for kindergarten through sixth grade. Outdoor Clubs provide students with the opportunity to explore their interests, engage in physical activity, and grow in their social-emotional development.
