WFCO Grants $50,000 to Greater Vail Valley Organizations
First Grants Made from the Greater Vail Valley Women’s Fund
To advance the mission of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado in the Greater Vail Valley, in April 2019, WFCO awarded more than $50,000 in grants to seven local organizations that advance opportunities for women and girls.
The grants were the first made from The Greater Vail Valley Women’s Fund – a collaborative, philanthropic fund launched by WFCO in 2018 to give diverse community members the opportunity to enrich their region through informed, strategic, community-based grantmaking.
The grants are separate from WFCO’s larger statewide grantmaking process, called WAGES (Women Achieving Greater Economic Security), and are controlled locally by members of the Greater Vail Valley Women’s Fund Grantmaking Committee. Meet our 2019 Greater Vail Valley Women’s Fund grantees!
Bright Future Foundation for Eagle County
Bright Future Foundation (BFF) provides holistic services for women and children impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault. BFF is the only community-based victims services agency serving Eagle County. This grant will support the Ensuring Freedom Program, which provides housing security for victims of domestic violence and their families, flexible financial assistance, and survivor-driven mobile advocacy and supportive services. The Colorado Office for Victim Services provides 80% of the funding for the program and this grant will help to meet the 20% match requirement. With continued funding, an additional 100 survivors will be served.
Colorado Mountain College Foundation
Colorado Mountain College offers an innovative on-site free evening child care center for students at the Vail Valley Campus, Kids’ College. A valuable two-generation program, Kids’ College addresses a key barrier to post-secondary education completion for parents, while providing highly enriching experiences for children. The child care services are available when parents are in class or accessing student services on campus, such as tutoring or counseling. Kids’ College was designed to meet the needs of women with families to help them remain on track for on-time completion and attain sustainable-wage employment.
Literacy Project
With a previous grant from WFCO, as part of the Vail Valley grantmaking process, The Literacy Project began offering financial literacy classes for women enrolled in their English as a Second Language program. In the pilot year, 80 women were served and this grant would help The Literacy Project reach an additional 80 women and girls with financial literacy programming in 2019. By gaining literacy and financial literacy skills, Eagle County women can improve their economic outcomes.
Red Ribbon Project
¡CUÍDATE! (Take Care of Yourself) Program is designed to teach Latino youth culturally accepted ways to prevent pregnancy, STIs, and HIV. The primary benefit to young women participating in ¡CUÍDATE! is that they will have the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors to delay pregnancy and childbirth until they have completed high school. Red Ribbon Project provides pregnancy prevention and sexual health education within public high schools in Eagle County. In ten years of offering the ¡CUÍDATE! program, there was a 79% decline in teen births in Eagle County. The grant will help to meet program costs, including those for bilingual instructors with medical and counseling experience.
The Cycle Effect
The Cycle Effect empowers young women through mountain biking, keeps girls on a healthy path, and helps girls enter the local workforce and secure funding for college, all with a focus on a balanced lifestyle. In 2019, The Cycle Effect plans to grow by 40% in Eagle County, to serve at least 110 participants. The year-round programming focuses on physical wellness, community involvement, and building brighter futures. Since its inception, 100% of participants have gone to college and 75% were the first generation in their family to attend college. This grant will sponsor comprehensive programming for four participants.
United Way of Eagle River Valley (fiscal sponsor for Neighborhood Navigators of Eagle County)
The mission of Neighborhood Navigators of Eagle County (NNOEC) is to improve the well-being of individuals and families based on community-driven needs. NNOEC envisions an inclusive community where all Eagle County residents are empowered. They connect people to existing services and resources and collaborate to build better solutions for the future, creating connections for underserved populations by creating links across sectors. This grant will support their community education programs, which primarily serve women and teach residents life skills, recognize vocational skills, and address educational and health needs.
Walking Mountains
With support from WFCO, Walking Mountains Science Center developed several programs to engage girls and young women in STEM fields. This grant will support their STEM Pipeline Programs, which include after-school, summer, and family-focused programs to keep students involved in STEM from grades 3-12, building interest and confidence in STEM and deepening their skills.
