Foundation Grants Support Good Health Across the Western Slope

GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado – Rocky Mountain Health Foundation (RMHF) has awarded $500,000 in grants to organizations across the Western Slope that support health in the broadest sense. RMHF believes that the conditions and culture in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age shape their quality of life.  Good health can be defined as a state of physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

In the 2024 Simple Gifts Fund cycle, the Foundation considered 104 requests across 19 Western Slope counties. Grants for general operating support were awarded to 82 organizations, all located within and primarily serving Western Slope communities. The funding will support health and well-being in these categories:

Coalitions/alliances (local organizations collaborating in a RMHF focus area such as Basic Needs, Behavioral or Physical Healthcare): $26,000 / 5 grants

Community gardens (garden space for community use that includes nutrition education and supplies fresh produce to local food pantries): $10,000 / 4 grants

Language justice/integration (organizations working to dismantle language barriers, equalize power dynamics, and build strong communities for social and racial justice): $30,000 / 5 grants

Peer support groups (behavioral health support in a peer-group setting): $38,000 / 4 grants

Positive youth development (multi-faceted, youth-serving organizations that offer mentoring (1:1/peer/group), case management, life-skills training, or suicide/substance use prevention education): $108,000 / 18 grants

Respite care/in-home supports (caregiver respite and non-clinical, in-home assistance to create social connections, alleviate isolation, and help keep seniors and people living with disabilities in their homes): $20,000 / 4 grants

Focus area (small or off-cycle requests for organizations providing Basic Needs or Physical/Behavioral Healthcare) $268,000 / 42 grants

Agnieszka Przeszlowska, Development and Grants Manager of Voyager Youth Program, writes “Your trust in our work and belief in our mission inspires us to innovate programming for Ouray County youth – programs that are enriching, skill-building, and empowering. Thank you for helping us to inspire youth to lead healthy lives.

Rocky Mountain Health Foundation was established in 2017 to improve the health of Coloradans living on the Western Slope by investing in community assets and by acting as a catalyst for new approaches.  To learn more about Rocky Mountain Health Foundation and to see a detailed list of funded projects, visit our website HERE.    

Contact: Michaelle Smith, 970.644.8126, michaelle@RMHealth.org