Fort Collins tops national rankings for best places to live. Locals even nicknamed it “the Choice City.” But many local organizations know that it is not a choice city for everyone.
- The most recent U.S. census data showed 16% of Fort Collins residents living below the poverty line, above the state level of 9%. The census data comes from the 2019 American Community Survey, five-year estimates.
- Nearly 60% of students experiencing homelessness in Poudre School District do not graduate in four years, according to the district’s graduation statistics (page 6).
- Sixty percent of renters in Fort Collins are cost-burdened, meaning that the household spends more than 30% of their income on housing, according to the City of Fort Collins Housing Strategic Plan (page 30).
Local nonprofits, schools and government units are using new grants to act on these issues and more.
Bohemian Fund grants support organizations in their work to make Fort Collins a more equitable place. Each organization can apply to receive a grant up to $30,000.
Last month 36 organizations received grants totaling $587,000. Some highlights include:
- Beats By Girlz gives women, girls and gender-expansive individuals access to technical tools to make music. The organization will use a grant to challenge longstanding sexism, racism and classism in the music industry.
- Homeward Alliance will use a grant to support their Family Housing Program. Homeward Alliance uses data to understand community needs. Numbers from Poudre School District show 1,387 students did not have safe and stable housing during the 2019-2020 school year. Data from across the state shows 68% of students experiencing homelessness are students of color.
- La Cocina is an organization that relies on the expertise of Latinx individuals and families it works with to design solutions. La Cocina will use a Bohemian Fund grant for La Cocina’s ¡Las Favas! program. It works with Latinx women who care for children in their homes and Latinx families with young children.
See a complete list of organizations that received grants last month