The Golden Civic Foundation has announced $228,010 in grants to deserving community organizations and projects.

Divided into the four major categories of community grants, special grants, a BIG Ideas in Golden (B.I.G.) grant and long-term critical needs support, the grants were awarded to 29 different Golden-based non-profit organizations offering social, civic, cultural and education-based services to Golden residents.

“The Golden Civic Foundation is very proud to have funded nearly a quarter-million dollars to so many organizations that make a positive impact on our Golden community,” Golden Foundation President Greg Poulos said. “We’d especially like to thank our many event sponsors/partners, donors, volunteers and board members for their role in investing in Golden’s economic and cultural vitality. With their support, the Foundation has been able to help Golden thrive and affect many important community projects that might not have happened otherwise.”

The 2021-2022 awardees are as follows:

Community grants

Bell Middle School – Purchase new books for the school library

BGoldN – Study of food insecurity during the summer months

Buffalo Bill Days – Support event costs to organize 2022 Buffalo Bills Days

CASA of Jefferson and Gilpin Counties – Supports youth in the CASA Youth Alliance Program with housing needs after they exit foster care

Colorado Cowboy Gathering – Support school outreach program by producing a video of the artists for use in local schools

Colorado 14ers Initiative – Purchase 13 Garmin InReach Mini devices to assist volunteer & staff communications

Colorado Mountain Club – Support hiring of up to five Golden high school “alumni” for Youth Education Program

Continental Divide Trail Coalition – Support strategic planning efforts in Golden

Foothills Art Center – Fund campaign to rebrand and re-connect FAC to the community of Golden

Friends of Dinosaur Ridge – Fund mural painting on the Triceratops Trail trailhead shelter

GoFarm – Supports a series of educational programs to connect Golden residents with resources, support and value for the local food system

Golden Bicycle eXperience (GBX) – Partnership with Bell Middle School and Golden High School to provide 10 needs-based scholarships for kids to cover tuition

Golden Community Center – Support community health and wellness by funding a free admission day in the fall

Golden Concert Choir – Enable the choir to enhance amateur musical performances with professional soloists and instrumentalists 

Golden History Museum – Purchase a new scanner for the museum’s photo digitization program

Golden Landmarks Association – Add 40 photographic images to the historic online photo collection and funding support to produce a territorial guide

Golden Police Department – Support for the Golden Police Department’s annual National Night Out event in August

Golden View Classical Academy – Support an infrastructure  and landscaping project that will increase safety and minimize the impact of noise and odor from I-70

Hands of the Carpenter – Provide affordable automotive services for working single mothers

Jefferson County Library Foundation – Support costs associated with the Golden Library’s Summer Reading Program for kids

Kyffin Elementary School – Funding support to build an outdoor classroom/amphitheater and garden for students

Mitchell Elementary School – Fund the purchase and installation of two Mimeo boards for the 4th-grade classrooms

Neighborhood Rehab Project – Create an educational guide for Golden’s homeowners to learn how to maintain their homes in an effort to preserve affordable housing in Golden

Outdoor Lab Foundation – Build a community outreach strategy so teachers feel more supported, parents are better informed, and students feel welcomed and prepared for their week at camp

Red Rocks Community College Foundation – Fund two RRCC scholarships for Golden residents to pursue their higher education goals

Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum – Fund the servicing/repair of sewing machines used in the RMQM Youth Education and Summer Camp programming as well as to purchase supplies needed for the Golden History Camp educational projects for youth

Welchester Elementary School – Purchase texts for Kinder Discovery time, replace toys and items and technology

Special Grant

A $30,000 special award was presented to the Colorado Railroad Museum to cover renovation costs of its outdoor pavilion event space which sustained significant wind damage.

BIG Ideas Grant (B.I.G)

The Citizen Advisory Committee, along with the Foundation's Board of Directors selected the Golden Volunteer Firefighter Art Tribute Project as the recipient of the B.I.G. Grant. As the November 2021 Gala & Auction Paddle Raise beneficiary, the project received $60,349 of the needed $157,000.

Long-Term Critical Needs Support

By special direction from its founding members, the Golden Civic Foundation will continue its annual financial support of the Christian Action Guild (CAG), a Golden-based, non-denominational, non-profit food bank and thrift store, run solely by volunteers. Donations for CAG’s ongoing operations totaled $18,200.

“In 2021 we were frequently partnering and connecting local organizations, businesses and city entities in an effort to maximize positive impact,” Golden Civic Foundation Executive Director Heather Schneider said. “As we move forward, we believe that collaboration with our citizens and community partners will continue to be key. The mission of our Foundation is to protect the special character that Golden is known for, and, as with the past, we will continue to rely on important volunteers and business partnerships to help us keep Golden thriving.”

Since 1970, the Golden Civic Foundation has invested more than $6.7 million for the betterment of the Golden community.

To learn more, visit https://www.goldencivicfoundation.org/