PRESS RELEASE
Aspen City Council awards over $1.4 million in grant support
The City of Aspen’s grant program provides support to 95 local nonprofits
Aspen, Colo. – Thursday, April 14, 2022 – This week, Aspen City Council approved the distribution of $1,455,832 to 95 local nonprofits that provide essential support to the community. This amount includes an additional allocation of $200,000 made available through the City’s Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) collections to enhance funding for the Arts and Culture grants category.
The average award size for each nonprofit was $15,324. The grants program continues to experience consistent growth in both the participating organizations and the total amount of funds requested. This year’s awards represent a significant increase in local nonprofit support, with cash requests increasing over 24% since 2021, rising to $2,123,605 from $1,667,550. Additionally, 14 organizations were first-time participants in the grants program for 2022, representing a 15% growth in applicants over the previous year.
“Through the City’s new grant process, and thanks to the hard work of our volunteer review committees, we are all excited to provide needed funds directly into the hands of our local nonprofit partners,” said City of Aspen’s Mayor Torre. “All of these community organizations play a huge role in supporting our arts, culture, essential services, and community building that are vital in shaping our City.”
The City restructured the grants program for the 2022 cycle after a consultant identified several ways to improve the application and review process and foster transparent, equitable access to funding. Additionally, new grant application review criteria were created and shared as part of the process. Nonprofit organizations could apply for support through three distinct grant programs: Arts and Culture, Community Nonprofit, and Health and Human Services. New Grant Review Committees reviewed each program area and consisted of five volunteers who contributed significant time to review applicants and make funding recommendations.
The volunteer review committees’ assessments directed funding decisions using standardized review criteria and reconciling requests with the amount of funding available. While funding requests exceeded the total available funding for the grants program, all eligible organizations that applied for funding in 2022 received at least partial support. Health and Human Services area funding exceeded the amount requested this year due to collections related to the tobacco sales tax; the City is exploring options to ensure this additional funding is distributed appropriately. The amounts awarded in each program area included:
Arts & Culture:
- Eligible Applications: 26
- Funded Applications: 26
- Cash Requests: $980,706
- In Kind Requests: $57,577
- Program Budget: $600,000
- Funds Awarded: $600,000
Health and Human Services:
- Eligible Applications: 30
- Funded Applications: 30
- Cash Requests: $411,050
- In Kind Requests: $25,000
- Program Budget: $520,750
- Funds Awarded: $335,082
Community Nonprofit:
- Eligible Applications: 36
- Funded Applications: 36
- Cash Requests: $731,750
- In Kind Requests: $141,468
- Program Budget: $520,670
- Funds Awarded: $520,670
A variety of City funds are dedicated to the grants, which contributes to the diversity, vibrancy, and social capital of our community.
Organizations interested in participating in the City’s grants program in the future can learn more at aspen.gov/383/Grants or by emailing grants@cityofaspen.com.
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Contacts:
- John Barker, Management Analyst, john.barker@cityofaspen.com, 970.920.5716
- Alissa Farrell, Administrative Services Director, alissa.farrell@cityofaspen.com, 970.920.5743