12/9/2009

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TELLURIDE – The Telluride Foundation, in partnership with JVA Consulting, and the National Center for Social Entrepreneurs, invites nonprofits, faith-based organizations, community leaders, regional development agencies and the interested public to attend an informational and brainstorming meeting of potential participants and partners for its recently received, two-year, Paradox Community Trust: Strengthening Communities Fund, Nonprofit Building Capacity Program grant received by the Telluride Foundation.

These meetings will be conducted in Dove Creek in Naturita as follows:

Dove Creek, Monday, Dec. 14 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Dove Creek Community Center (403 W. 7th St.)

Naturita, Monday, Dec.14 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Naturita Elementary School (141 W. Main St.)

These meetings will provide the basics on how the grants process will work and how people and organization can participate and/or collaborate with other organizations and agencies. These meeting are designed to be highly interactive and to stimulate ideas about sharing resources and maximizing local opportunities within the two-year grant period.

The Telluride Foundation received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Stimulus funding from the Department of Health and Human Services Strengthening Communities Fund for the west ends of San Miguel, Dolores, Montrose and Montezuma counties. The purpose of the Strengthening Communities Fund is to improve the ability of nonprofit and faith-based organizations and community groups to promote the economic recovery of their communities. Over $600,000 in grant funding as well as technical assistance and training will be available to nonprofits and faith-based organizations to build the capacity of their organizations in order to address the broad economic recovery issues present in these rural communities, including helping individuals secure and retain employment, earn higher wages, obtain better-quality jobs, and gain greater access to state and Federal benefits and tax credits.

The primary focus of the grant will be the western and rural portions of San Miguel, Montrose, Dolores and Montezuma counties, including the communities of Norwood, Redvale, Egnar, Naturita, Nucla, Paradox, Dove Creek, and Rico.

A two-track training and technical assistance approach (social enterprise/new business and operational effectiveness), complemented by two competitive financial assistance grant cycles, will build the nonprofit organization’s operational capacity, as well as their capacity to run and to partner with effective social enterprises, establishing a new model for supporting economic recovery and renewal in rural America.

“Strengthening the local economy starts from the ground up,” said Kerry Lupher, vice president of growth and impact at JVA Consulting. “We look forward to working one-on-one with local partners to create a strong, sustainable future for rural southwest Colorado.”

Join the Telluride Foundation and JVA Consulting for this open meeting to discuss and share ideas on how we can use this grant opportunity to create new economic and community opportunities for these west-end communities.

“We will work to make this a breakthrough opportunity for our rural counties to create new and sustainable enterprises, products, services and jobs,” said Paul Major, president and CEO of the Telluride Foundation.

For further information go to www.telluridefoundation.org and click on the Funds and Initiatives tab or call the Telluride Foundation at 970/728-8717.

JVA Consulting, a Colorado-based consulting firm, will provide much of the training and technical assistance to west-end grantees. JVA has a 22-year track record working to advance the effectiveness and sustainability of social service secular and faith-based nonprofit organizations in Colorado and across the country. JVA serves as the Colorado chapter of the National Center for Social Entrepreneurs which has an over 25-year history of providing training, consulting and technical assistance to nonprofits for the purpose of creating mission-driven new business ventures. As a 501c(3) nonprofit organization, NCSE has helped nonprofit organizations launch hundreds of successful social enterprises in urban, suburban and rural communities across the country. For more information on JVA Consulting and NCSE, visit www.jvaconsulting.com.