Adams County Commissioners Award $800,000 in Community Enrichment Grants

On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the Adams County Board of Commissioners (BoCC) awarded $800,000 in Community Enrichment Grants to 31 nonprofit organizations working in the county. These grants support programs to assist county residents with their basic needs and to help them become self-sufficient.

“Partnering with and funding these nonprofit organizations allows us to reach deeper into the community to address specific needs in their areas of expertise,” said Emma Pinter, BoCC Chair. “These collaborations amplify our impact, ensuring vital resources and services are available to those who need them most. By funding these important and innovative programs, we are building up a strong nonprofit bench in Adams County and giving these organizations the tools to do what they’re best at, all while working to improve the lives of countless families in Adams County.”

The Community Enrichment Grant Advisory Committee, which is comprised of Adams County residents, reviews the applications and makes a recommendation to the BoCC on distributing the funds. The committee members this year are Frederick Alfred, Ken Ciancio, RJ Delaney, Jodie Schenck, Marty Sos, JoAnn Vondracek, and Abel Wurmnest. The funding for these grants comes from Adams County’s general fund.

The recipients of the 2024 Community Enrichment Grants are:

1. A Precious Child is receiving a $50,000 grant to provide families with children who are struggling financially with resource navigation, support, and essentials such as clothing, diapers, hygiene items, school supplies, and home goods.
2. Adams County Emergency Food Bank is receiving a grant of $40,000 for the costs to package and distribute more than three million pounds of food for Adams County residents.
3. Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver is receiving a $40,000 grant to support afterschool and summer programming at their nine locations in Adams County. The Boys & Girls Club seeks to develop school-aged youth in the areas of academic success, character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles.
4. CASA of Adams & Broomfield Counties is receiving a grant of $30,000 to support their new truancy program. The funding will be used to screen and train advocates to support youth struggling with chronic absenteeism who find themselves in truancy court.
5. The Center for People with Disabilities helps people with any disability achieve self-sufficiency and independent living. Adams County is awarding the Center for People with Disabilities $20,000 to assist with various services, including training in adaptive technology, understanding transportation systems, and employment services.
6. The Construction Education Foundation is receiving a $30,000 grant to provide materials for the Careers in Construction program. This is a vocational education program offered in high schools in all school districts in Adams County.
7. Every Child Pediatrics is receiving a $30,000 grant to provide medical care, behavioral health counseling, nutritional services, and preventive dental health services for low-income children living in Adams County.
8. Family Tree promotes safety, healing, and stability of children and families and prevention of abuse, violence, and homelessness. Family Tree is receiving a $30,000 grant to fund a nationally recognized, evidence-based training program for parents and caregivers on child safety, health, and development.
9. Food Bank of the Rockies is receiving a $30,000 grant for the costs related to providing food through the Food Bank of the Rockies’ four mobile pantries in Adams County.
10. Foster Source is receiving a $30,000 grant to support a service for foster and kinship families that provides access to trauma-informed parenting education, relief services, essential items such as home goods, and critical need support.
11. Gateway Domestic Violence Services is receiving a $10,000 grant for the cost to operate, repair, and maintain their emergency shelter.
12. Hands of the Carpenter is receiving $25,000 to provide automotive services for working single mothers. The services include vehicle assessment, repairs, maintenance, and related car care education.
13. Home Builders Foundation is receiving a $30,000 grant to modify the homes of residents with physical disabilities and other mobility challenges, making their homes more accessible and livable.
14. Junior Achievement is receiving a $30,000 grant to provide programs on financial literacy, as well as career discovery and exploration to school-aged youth. These programs are free to the students attending the 45 elementary, middle, and high schools located in Adams County that host a Junior Achievement program.
15. Kids First Health Care is receiving a $50,000 grant to provide pediatric primary care for children of low-income families. The healthcare sites are located in schools as well as at community-based offices.
16. Kids in Need of Dentistry is awarded a grant for $40,000 for their work on eliminating dental disease for children. This organization provides oral healthcare services for youth from low-income families living in Adams County in schools and at their Commerce City clinic.
17. Latina Safehouse Initiative is receiving a $15,000 grant to address the immediate needs of Latinx survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Adams County, particularly among monolingual Latinx survivors.
18. Little Giants Learning Center is receiving a $10,000 grant to supplement childcare tuition for low-income families who are struggling financially and do not meet the qualifications of other childcare assistance programs.
19. Project Angel Heart is receiving $30,000 to support the home-delivered, medically tailored meal program in Adams County for people living with severe illness.
20. Ray of Hope Cancer Foundation is receiving $10,000 to provide support to people with cancer and improve health outcomes amidst cancer diagnoses. This support aims to preserve vital aspects of daily life by covering non-medical expenses such as mortgage or rent payments, utilities, groceries, transportation, and mental health services for patients, family members, and caregivers.
21. Reach Out and Read is a collaborative effort between doctors and early childhood educators to improve the literacy of low-income children. This organization is receiving a $20,000 grant to distribute books, perform developmental assessments, and provide caregivers with guidance on teaching literacy to children during child check-ups at 27 clinics across Adams County.
22. Reaching Hope is awarded a $10,000 grant to provide therapy sessions to Adams County residents and crime victims. The agency aims to achieve 95% of clients demonstrating improvement in safety and stability, family connection, and trauma symptom reduction following treatment.
23. Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center provides programs for adults with severe neurological disabilities resulting from multiple sclerosis, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. This organization is receiving a $10,000 grant to support the costs for Adams County residents to participate in the day program and receive clinical and direct support services.
24. Save Our Youth will provide one-on-one mentoring for under-resourced teens during out-of-school time with a grant of $7,500. Mentoring is supplemented by targeted academic interventions and social and emotional supports intended to set youth on a path toward success.
25. Seniors Resource Center is receiving a $30,000 grant to support ongoing services to residents of Adams County, ages 60 and older.
26. Special Olympics is receiving a $20,000 grant to support team sports and health and wellness education for athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities and unified partners in Adams County.
27. The Colorado Center for the Blind is receiving a $10,000 grant to provide skills training, support groups, and peer mentoring for older adults with progressive or full vision loss. This organization’s mission is to support and empower blind individuals in gaining the confidence and skills necessary to lead independent lives as productive and contributing members of society.
28. We Don’t Waste recovers unused foods from restaurants, caterers, producers, and distributers and redistributes the food to people through food pantry programs. This organization is receiving a grant in the amount of $40,000 for the costs to recover, track, and provide the food to Adams County food pantries and mobile food markets.
29. Westminster Public Schools Foundation is receiving a $30,000 grant to provide financial support for basic living and health needs to low-income students and their families experiencing financial hardships.
30. Young Americans Center for Financial Education is receiving a $30,000 grant to provide financial literacy programs for youth in fifth, sixth, and seventh grades attending Adams County schools.
31. YMCA of Northern Colorado is receiving a $12,500 grant to fund transportation to camp, gear, equipment, and subsidies for camp costs to under-resourced Adams County children and youth attending the YMCA overnight camp in Bailey.