Chaffee County Community Foundation

About Chaffee County Community Foundation

A $729,286 grant to Chaffee Housing Authority for the Jane’s Place pre-construction phase stands out as the largest recent award in Chaffee County Community Foundation’s grant history on file. That single project points to the foundation’s role in backing major community infrastructure in Chaffee County, alongside smaller ongoing awards to local nonprofits and public entities. Recent grants also show support for housing, early childhood, recreation, domestic violence services, and environmental work, with several awards tied to Chaffee County-based organizations in Salida, Buena Vista, and Poncha Springs. The foundation’s grantmaking is highly local, and its recent record includes both operating support and restricted project funding. Across the grants list, Chaffee County Community Foundation appears to work through community funds, donor-supported programs, and partner-driven awards. It has backed Chaffee Housing Trust, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chaffee County, Greater Arkansas River Nature Association, and Chaffee County Early Childhood Council, showing a mix of social services, youth development, and place-based civic investment. Its active programs also point to broad local priorities, including forest health, wildfire resilience, food access, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and childcare expansion.

What Chaffee County Community Foundation Funds

Housing and homelessness-related work is one of the clearest themes in the recent grant record. In 2023, the foundation gave $45,500 to Chaffee Housing Trust, and in 2024 it followed with another $26,504 to the same organization. A much larger award went to Chaffee Housing Authority for Jane’s Place pre-construction, showing support for housing development as well as local housing service organizations. Childcare and early learning are another visible area. The foundation gave $42,392 to Chaffee County Early Childhood Council in 2025, after prior grants of $12,000 and $10,000 to the same group in 2024 and 2023. It also funded Chaffee Childcare Initiative twice in the recent record, including $15,000 to Ark Valley Preschool in 2025 and $13,000 in 2024. Community well-being and inclusion appear in several other grants. Chaffee County Hospitality Inc received $39,550 for the 2024 CCCF LGBTQ+ Fund Grant, while The Alliance Against Domestic Abuse received $18,280 for Empowering Individuals Beyond Violence.

How Chaffee County Community Foundation Gives