Meet Your Match with the Payroll Department

The Payroll Department strategically designates a portion of its nonprofit giving in La Plata County through matching grants managed by the Community Foundation. The Payroll Department is offering three grants of $7,000 for three La Plata County organizations that support efforts in one of these areas:

• Youth
• Environment
• Human Services

This is not a general operations grant, but rather, the Payroll Department is especially interested in supporting programs or collaborations that further a nonprofit’s mission and may need a boost while the organization secures sustainable funding. This could be a new program or an expansion of services.

The Payroll Department focuses this funding opportunity on established nonprofits. Ideal applicants are seeking long-term funding for an expansion of program services that will support Southwest Colorado in a meaningful way.

2023 Timeline

• Grant application will open Tuesday, May 9, 2023
• Grant application will close Tuesday, June 6, 2023
• Grantees will be announced at the end of June
• Match period will run July – November 15, 2023

Grant Requirements

• Your organization must be a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization or be a project or organization under the fiscal agency of a 501(c)(3) organization.
• Your organization must support La Plata County efforts in youth, environment, or human services.
• This grant requires a full match. For organizations to apply, they must be ready with a feasible, creative matching plan. The Payroll Department defines qualifying matching funds as new donors, grants, corporate sponsors, etc. directly related to the match. These funds are not solicited prior to the grant award. The ultimate goal of the match is to provide a reason for the grant recipients to reach out to new donors that they can hopefully convert to long-term donors.
• Matching funds are to be solicited after the grant award and prior to the match deadline six months later.
• You do not have to be a client of the Payroll Department to be considered for the grant.
• Past grantees from 2020, 2021 and 2022 are not eligible to apply again. Grantees from 2019 and earlier are eligible.

New this year — Professional Coaching Commitment

• The three selected grantees will agree to meet with a professional fundraising coach five times during the matching grant period.
• Mark Holdt with Mountain Sage Consulting will host an initial presentation to all three grantees over Zoom at a mutually agreed upon date in July.
• Each grantee will have three 45-minute coaching calls (or Zoom meetings) individually with Mark, July through October.
• A final wrap-up Zoom session will be facilitated with all three grantees in November to share experiences and learn from one another.

The application period has closed.

Past Recipients

• CEAC, 2015
• Garden Project of SW CO, 2015
• Trails 2000, 2016
• Alternative Horizons, 2016
• Bear Smart’s Fruit Gleaning Program, 2017
• 4 The Children, 2017
• La Plata Youth Services, 2018
• La Plata Family Centers Coalition, 2018
• Be Frank Foundation, 2019
• Sexual Assault Awareness Organization, 2019
• San Juan Mountains Association, 2020
• Manna, 2020
• The Grief Center of SW CO, 2020
• Boys & Girls Club of La Plata County, 2021
• Four Corners Rainbow Youth Center, 2021
• VFW #4031, 2021
• Durango Education Foundation, 2022
• Oak Tree Youth Resources, 2022
• Southwest Conservation Corps, 2022