DENVER (June 10, 2024) — Next50, a Colorado-based national foundation that works toward a society that values aging, today announced over $3 million in grants through its Colorado Organizational Resiliency (COR) grant program. COR grants support Colorado nonprofits working with older adults in historically marginalized or geographically diverse communities and provide flexible funding, allowing nonprofits to meet their missions.
The 27 nonprofits, located throughout Colorado, will use the grant money to improve the services and support they offer to older adults. From digital literacy training classes and affordable housing to transportation and the delivery of healthy food, the funds offered through this grant will help Colorado nonprofits serve one of Colorado’s fastest growing population groups.
“It’s very expensive to age in Colorado,” said Peter Kaldes, President and CEO, Next50. “It’s also expensive for Colorado nonprofits to serve an increasing aging population with decreasing public funding. We’re excited to support the continued resilience of these 27 COR grantees who are all providing impactful support to older adults throughout Colorado.”
The organizations that received funding include:
Alamosa Senior Citizens, Inc. ($30,000): Serving older adults in the San Luis Valley by providing essential services and a social outlet to its clients. The center will use the funding to upgrade and repair their HVAC system to avoid unsustainable summer energy bills.
Boulder County AIDS Project ($85,000): BCAP is the only service in Boulder County that serves people living with or those at risk of contracting HIV through numerous services, such as meal delivery, case management and access to housing. This grant will ensure livable wages for staff, improvement of digital infrastructure, and working toward a strategic plan to center older adults in their services and programming.
Boulder Food Rescue ($180,000 over two years): With a focus on creating a more just and less wasteful food system, this community-led nonprofit focuses on providing food directly to low-income housing sites that serve older adults. COR funding will support the development of a new, cooperatively owned volunteer logistics software, Rootable, which supports the coordination of food distribution to older adult housing sites across six Colorado counties.
Brothers Redevelopment, Inc (BRI) ($260,000 over two years): BRI provides housing solutions for low-income community members, older adults and people living with disabilities across Colorado. Funding from Next50 will enable BRI to upgrade the software they use to manage their financial system and hire a compliance official.
Catholic Charities and Community Services of the Archdiocese of Denver ($300,000 over two years): This organization provides many services for older adults such as outreach, case management, advocacy and representation and homelessness prevention. This grant will support Catholic Charities of Northern Colorado, a regional office serving Larimer and Weld counties. Funds will be used to sustain their case management program for older adults and to restart case management services in Loveland after they were discontinued in 2020 due to lack of funding.
Center for People with Disabilities (CPWD) ($125,000): The CPWD provides services for people with disabilities and older adults, to help individuals live independently and remain in their homes. Next50 funding will allow this organization to hire a program manager to expand services to disabled veterans and people with vision impairment, with a particular focus on housing issues.
Coal Creek Meals on Wheels (MOW) ($100,000 over two years): This Lafayette-based nonprofit provides clients who are experiencing food insecurity, primarily older adults, with nutrient-dense meals through its food delivery program and congregate lunch service. This grant will allow Coal Creek MOW to upgrade their fundraising operations to be more inclusive of older adults and allow them to explore options for expanding their space that will enable them to meet an increasing demand for services.
Community Connections, Inc. ($150,000 over two years): Community Connections works with older adults in the Durango area to find alternatives to nursing facility care, empowering them to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. Funding will help them separate their case management and direct service programs to comply with state mandates.
Delta Health ($85,000): This organization serves rural Delta County with a 49-bed hospital and 11 other service locations, providing a wide range of medical services. The COR grant will help them purchase an accessible van to kickstart the relaunch of their Swing Bed Program, which provides hospital beds for older adults recovering from acute surgery.
Dementia-Friendly Communities of Northern Colorado ($60,000 over two years): This organization is dedicated to serving older adults living with dementia and their caregivers by providing social connection, memory cafes and support for care partners. The grant will provide them with the resources to seek more funding, evaluate and prioritize their programs and pay for staff to complete this work.
Denver Indian Center (DICI) ($300,000 over two years): DICI is the only direct community service organization serving the urban Native American community in the Denver metro area, with a focus on addressing ageism and Native community development. Funding will enable this organization to create an Elders Department that will focus on workforce development, housing assistance and educational opportunities.
Focus Points Family Resource Center ($200,000 over two years): Located in the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods of Denver, this organization employs a multigenerational approach to breaking the cycle of poverty. They will use the funds to hire a coordinator to expand and coordinate services for the older adults they serve, primarily those from Spanish-speaking immigrant communities.
Hospice of Montezuma ($25,000): This agency provides end-of-life care and related therapeutic services to the rural areas of Montezuma and Dolores counties. The COR grant will support the purchase of laptops and software that will help the Hospice of Montezuma comply with data collection requirements from Medicare and other funders.
Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Center ($250,000 over two years): This organization provides no-cost legal assistance to low-income and underrepresented older adults in Colorado through their Older Adult Legal Program. Funds will be used to develop staff capacity, such as hiring a bilingual paralegal and a navigator, which will extend aid to more than 400 older adults over two years.
Life/Art Dance ($5,500): Life/Art Dance brings dance classes and performances to subsidized housing facilities for older adults with the intention of providing cultural and social experiences. To diversify funding sources and reach more older adults, this grant will be used to hire a part-time grant writer.
Mi Casa Resource Center ($150,000 over two years): This organization identifies and responds to the needs of low-income people and families to create pathways to opportunity, specifically nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit of low-income, female and minority business owners. This Next50 funding will expand the bilingual digital training classes for older adults to a new location on East Colfax.
Mountain Resource Center ($120,179 over two years): After the closure of the Seniors Resource Center, this rural organization took on older adult clients to provide access to basic and necessary resources. COR funding will support hiring counselors to work specifically with older adults and developing a new strategic plan focused on serving older adults.
Northwest Colorado Health ($35,500): This rural health agency runs a 20-room facility called The Haven, the only assisted living community in the region that accepts Medicaid. Funding will be used to replace an outdated call system and the facility’s stove, allowing The Haven to continue operating into the future.
Parkinson Association of the Rockies ($100,000 over two years): This organization supports people with Parkinson’s disease, their families and the Colorado community through education, awareness and research. The awarded grant will pay for a community outreach specialist on the Western Slope to build trust and connections in the local communities.
Pikes Peak Elder Justice Center (PPEJC) ($59,000): The PPEJC currently operates four programs for low-income and disabled elder abuse victims. These programs include shelter, behavioral health, multidisciplinary and fiduciary services. Funds will be used to support a full financial audit, community outreach, guardianship trainings and real estate fees to acquire property for transitional and permanent housing.
Places to Age ($75,000): This is a start-up nonprofit organization whose inaugural project is to create the first and only assisted living and memory care facility in Chaffee County. Having already secured a 10-acre land donation, the Next50 grant funding will cover associated costs that will help with the initial development phase of the facility.
Sister Carmen Community Center ($100,000 over two years): This nonprofit center runs a Bridging Digital Divides program, which offers digital literacy classes and personalized digital navigation support to older, primarily low-income Latino immigrants. In the wake of budget cuts from Boulder County, this funding will bridge the gap to sustain this program while they secure more sustainable, multi-year funding.
Small Town Project ($30,000): This southeast Colorado organization is dedicated to serving older adults living in rural areas with limited access to transportation and food resources. Funding will allow Small Town Project to purchase a 14-passenger van to deliver healthy, no-cost food boxes to older adults and provide rides for clients to the organization’s food pantry.
Southwest Center for Independence (SWCI) ($50,000): SWCI provides housing, transportation, job development and social inclusion programming to older adults and people with disabilities in southern Colorado. COR funding will be used to purchase a new van dedicated to bringing older adults to social and community functions in their area.
Southwest Improvement Council ($20,000): This nonprofit works with marginalized older adults in the Denver metro area, providing services that address a range of areas, including affordable housing, nutrition, socialization and aging-in-place for older adults. This grant will be used for onsite technology upgrades to update their cybersecurity.
Two Peaks Fitness ($29,000): Located in La Veta, Two Peaks Fitness recently expanded to Walsenburg and is the only full-service fitness center in rural Huerfano County. COR funding will enable the organization to get an audit, acquire safer equipment and complete technology and infrastructure upgrades.
ViVe Wellness ($100,000): ViVe is an organization that addresses the health equity, physical wellness, and mental wellness needs primarily among the Spanish-speaking communities of Denver. Funding will be used to support newcomers arriving from other countries by providing education on their rights and available resources, food assistance through healthy produce baskets and social opportunities.
English 
Español de México