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Foundation ContactCounties ServedArchuleta County
La Plata County Montezuma County Program UpdatesThe Southwest Region funding cycle will begin on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. We will be awarding eight (8), $12,000 grants, and one (1), $15,000 grant.
We will not be hosting Pitch Days in 2026. Applicants will complete and submit a funding request as required in previous years. Then, in May, staff will complete an initial internal review, narrowing the pool of applicants for the second phase. The Southwest Committee, comprised of active board members, and Moniker staff will then make grant selections from the group of finalists. Continuing in 2026, we are not setting specific grant quotas for each of the four primary focus areas. This means that in a given year, we may elect to only fund organizations from two or three of the four primary focus areas. These decisions will be based on perceived community needs, the applications received, and the quality of competition in a given year, or lack thereof. It will not be a decision that can be easily forecasted prior to the review period, so we cannot provide insight before or during the April application period. Also continuing this year, we have implemented the sub-focus funding priorities outlined below (in no particular order) to create further transparency in our decision-making process. These priorities represent the current interests of our regional committee. We will continue to accept applications that do not directly align with these outlined priorities, as long they fit within one of the four primary focus areas. That being said, if you still choose to apply, it is important to understand that the probability of success may be much lower than in previous years. Additionally, it's worth noting that we expect several organizations to fit within the various sub-focus funding priorities, so please understand that this is still a competitive process and there are no guarantees, even if you feel your application makes a strong case. We also recognize and accept that these priorities often overlap and may be applicable in more than one focus area. Although we encourage you to highlight these connections in your application, we ask that you select one primary focus area when you apply and discuss the connections in your case for support. 2026 Sub-Focus Funding Priorities: • Early childhood care, education and development (0-6yrs) • Afterschool, weekend, summer and experiential youth programming (K-12) • Food programs & security, agriculture and nutrition • Environmental education • Outdoor access for at-risk populations • Mental & behavioral health programming • Arts programming for disadvantaged youth • Immigrant Services • Emergency financial assistance for working families Lastly, we would like to note that we do not currently have a funding frequency policy in place, but we will consider past funding frequency as a part of the decision-making process. This does not mean that your application will be declined automatically if you received funding in the previous year, rather it will be a consideration, and it may impact your probability of success. If you represent an organization that received a grant in 2025, we leave the decision to apply in 2026 up to you. |
2025 Grants
Arts & Culture
Durango Arts Center - $10,000
Stillwater Music - $10,000
Stillwater Music - $10,000
Education
Maria's Literary Foundation - $10,000
Fundamental Needs, Inc. - $1,000
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative - $1,000
Fundamental Needs, Inc. - $1,000
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative - $1,000
Environment
Mountain Studies Institute - $10,000
Montezuma Land Conservancy - $1,000
Montezuma Land Conservancy - $1,000
Health & Human Services
Compañeros - $10,000
Pine River Shares - $10,000
Sexual Assault Services Organization (SASO) - $10,000
The Community Treehouse - $10,000
The Hive DGO - $10,000
Pine River Shares - $10,000
Sexual Assault Services Organization (SASO) - $10,000
The Community Treehouse - $10,000
The Hive DGO - $10,000