Summit Foundation Grant

The Summit Foundation provides grant funding to local nonprofit organizations serving Summit County, Colorado, and neighboring communities. The Foundation describes its grantmaking as an investment in community partners and supports work within four priority impact areas: Healthy and Safe Communities, Youth Development and Education, Arts and Culture, and Environmental Stewardship. Eligible neighboring communities specifically identified in the guidelines include Alma, Fairplay, Kremmling, and Leadville. The Fall 2026 grant application is currently open and closes on September 24, 2026. Applicants must be tax exempt 501(c)(3) organizations as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. Organizations must be located within Summit County, Colorado, or have active programming there, although organizations serving the neighboring communities of Alma, Fairplay, Kremmling, and Leadville may also apply within any of the four priority impact areas. For neighboring communities, the Foundation states that requests addressing basic needs are prioritized and that the maximum request is $10,000. Nonprofits may submit only one application per year. For the current structure, organizations apply in either the spring or fall cycle, subject to the Foundation's announced transition to a single annual fall cycle beginning in Fall 2027. The Foundation excludes several types of requests. Political campaigns on behalf of an issue or candidate are not eligible. Religious programs are ineligible when they require membership in a particular religion or advance a particular religious faith. Faith based organizations may nevertheless qualify when they welcome and serve community members regardless of religious faith and do not require participation in specifically religious activities. Programs or projects that have already been completed are not eligible. The Foundation also excludes programs and staff salaries that cannot be sustained without The Summit Foundation's investment. No general matching or cost share requirement is stated in the provided grant information. Applications are submitted through The Summit Foundation's online grant application portal. Past grantees are instructed not to create a new account and should contact the Foundation if they need assistance accessing an existing account. Organizations applying to The Summit Foundation for the first time must contact Kathryn Califf, Community Impact Officer, Grants and Nonprofits, and arrange a discussion about their organization and proposed grant request before creating a new account in the portal and before submitting a request. The source also provides separate general operating, program, and capital request guidelines, but the specific application questions and required uploads contained in those guidelines are not reproduced in the provided material. The source does not provide a formal scoring rubric or detailed evaluation criteria. It does, however, identify the four priority impact areas that frame the Foundation's grantmaking and states that basic needs requests receive priority in neighboring communities. The Foundation explains that its transition to a single annual cycle is intended to allow all applications to be reviewed together within the four Impact Areas, reduce duplication, improve consistency through dedicated Impact Area subcommittees, identify partnerships among organizations serving similar needs, allocate the grant budget more strategically, and allow more community voice in grantmaking. These statements provide applicants with evidence of the considerations shaping the Foundation's review process, but no numerical scoring system is stated. The Fall 2026 application closes September 24, 2026. Spring 2026 was the final spring grant cycle, and beginning in Fall 2027 all grant applications will be reviewed through one annual fall cycle. Organizations that previously applied in spring will move to the fall cycle in 2027. The Foundation acknowledges that this change may create an approximately six month funding timeline shift and invites affected organizations to contact the Foundation to discuss challenges and possible solutions. No award notification date or grant performance period is stated in the supplied information. Grant questions and first time applicant discussions may be directed to Kathryn Califf, Community Impact Officer, Grants and Nonprofits, at kathryn@summitfoundation.org or 970-852-4931.

Align the request with Healthy and Safe Communities, Youth Development and Education, Arts and Culture, or Environmental Stewardship. For neighboring communities, basic needs requests are prioritized and requests may not exceed $10,000. First time applicants should arrange the required Foundation meeting before submitting. Avoid political campaigns, disallowed sectarian religious programs, completed projects, and programs or staff salaries that cannot be sustained without Foundation investment.