Telluride Foundation Explained

Telluride Foundation should not be confused with Telluride Association.

Founded Date:June 2000
Founder:Ron Allred
Hideo "Joe" Morita[1]
Key People:Jason Corzine (President and CEO)[2]
Location:220 E. Colorado Avenue, Suite 106, PO Box 4222, Telluride, Colorado, 81435
Homepage:telluridefoundation.org

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.[3]

History

Telluride Foundation was started in June 2000 by owners of Telluride Ski Resort, Ron Allred and Hideo "Joe" Morita, with 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.[1] Paul Major served as the President and CEO of the organization since its establishment. Jason Corzine was named as the new President and CEO in 2022.[4]

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.[5] The program is supported by and named after Laura Chang and Arnie Chavkin, and provides a four-year scholarship package of up to 60,000 to the recipient students, as well as guidance and mentoring before and during college.[6] [7] [8] 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.[9]

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.[10]

In 2019, Telluride Foundation started a 2 million working capital loan fund, called Telluride Regional Loan Fund, to support rural businesses in southwest Colorado. The fund provides loans of 25,000 to 100,000 for companies based out of the counties of Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel, Dolores and San Juan.[11]

The Telluride Foundation Grants Committee in 2019 funded around 500,000 in grants for capital projects, which were leveraged with 6.5 million in additional grants and fundraising.[12] [13] Their 2022 Community Grants, awarded $1,000,000 to regional nonprofits. These grants will be distributed to organizations working daily to improve the quality of life in the communities of Nucla/Naturita, Norwood, Telluride, Rico, Ridgway, Ouray, and everywhere in between.[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

Logo

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.[22]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Telluride Foundation: Grants for Colorado . 2 December 2019 . Inside Philanthropy.
  2. News: Board of Directors and Staff . 2 December 2019 . Telluride Foundation.
  3. News: History and Mission . 2 December 2019 . Telluride Foundation.
  4. News: History and Mission . 23 February 2023 . Telluride Foundation.
  5. News: Peters . Amy M. . Two Telluride seniors earn scholarships . 1 December 2019 . Telluride News . 10 March 2019.
  6. News: Clary . Sheela . Profile of a first-generation college-bound student: Stone Murphy. 1 December 2019 . The Berkshire Edge . 24 January 2019.
  7. News: Tubbs . Justin . Scholars program that awards $60K adds Montrose High School to list of schools, juniors can apply in December . 1 December 2019 . Montrose Press . 19 November 2019.
  8. News: Peters . Amy M. . Expanding horizons . 30 April 2020 . Telluride News . 15 April 2020.
  9. News: Telluride Foundation: $135K In Scholarships In 2019 . 10 December 2019 . Telluride Inside . 23 June 2019.
  10. News: Peters . Amy M. . Local nonprofit fosters West End growth . 1 December 2019 . Telluride News . 28 February 2019.
  11. News: Telluride Regional Loan Fund to help rural businesses . 1 December 2019 . Montrose Press . 3 July 2019.
  12. News: Telluride Foundation Leverages Millions with its Capital Grants: New Ah Haa School Latest Recipient of Foundation Funding . 2 December 2019 . Telluride Foundation . 25 January 2019.
  13. News: Telluride Foundation announces Community Grants . 30 April 2020 . Telluride News . 30 December 2019.
  14. News: telluride foundation awards annual community grants 75 regional organizations benefit from generosity of foundation donors/ . 23 February 2023.
  15. News: Cheavens . Suzanne . Broadband internet makes its way to San Miguel County . 1 December 2019 . Telluride News . 21 September 2018.
  16. News: Rural Coloradans Have Done Strange Things To Get Internet. For Some, Those Days Are Almost Over . 1 December 2019 . KUNC . 3 September 2019.
  17. News: Telluride launches accelerator to push entrepreneurs higher . 10 December 2019 . Denver Post . 19 November 2012.
  18. News: Tice . Carol . 7 New Niche Incubators To Help Your Startup Grow . 30 April 2020 . Forbes . 21 March 2013.
  19. News: Tri-County Health Network to receive Inclusiveness and Racial Equity Award . 10 December 2019 . Telluride News . 12 March 2019.
  20. News: Singer . Katie . Telluride Foundation: Regional Response Fund, Update! . 30 April 2020 . Telluride Inside . 9 April 2020.
  21. News: Katie. Singer. Telluride Foundation: Gov. Hickenlooper Honors Paul Major. Telluride Inside. 3 December 2019. 10 October 2018.
  22. News: Blevins . Jason . Telluride Foundation says Brazil stole its logo for Olympics . 1 December 2019 . The Denver Post . 16 July 2015.