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FORT COLLINS, Colo., Jan. 17, 2023 – Local nonprofits, schools and government units are using Bohemian Fund grants to build a more equitable community. Each organization can apply to receive grants of up to $30,000 twice annually. The next chance to request a grant is coming up. The application opens Jan. 31 and closes March 2.
Bohemian Fund makes grants to organizations that build equity into their work in three areas:
The fund supports organizations that value diversity and inclusion, foster belonging and strive to advance equity. Since 2021, Bohemian Fund has awarded nearly $2 million to organizations working within the Poudre School District boundary. Last month, more than 40 organizations received Bohemian Fund grants totaling $620,000. Highlights of grantees’ work include:
Nonprofits can attend a workshop to learn more about how to make a grant request. Workshops will take place Jan. 25, 26 and 31. Register at bohemianfoundation.org/bohemian-fund/workshops-applicant-support. A group of community reviewers and Bohemian Foundation staff selects applicants for awards.
Click here to view the full list of 2020-2021 Give Next grant recipients.
Bohemian Foundation is a private family foundation established in 2001. Based in Fort Collins, Colorado, Bohemian Foundation supports local, national and global efforts to build strong communities.
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FORT COLLINS, Colo., Dec. 5, 2022 - Pianos About Town, an interactive public art program in Fort Collins, announced today that it is seeking artists or artist teams to paint or artistically decorate pianos in 2023.
The program is looking for diversity in artwork styles and concepts, with a preference for emerging artists and new and exciting ideas. Selected artists will receive an honorarium of $1,000. To apply, artists must submit a letter of intent and concept rendering. The 2023 application deadline is Feb. 28 before 4 p.m. MST. A City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places committee selects artists each year. For further information and to apply, visit fcgov.com/art-calls.
The program will offer two virtual sessions to provide resources for potential applicants. During the first session, potential applicants will hear a presentation about the application process and will have opportunities to ask questions. The second set of virtual sessions are one-on-one meetings during which program staff will work with artists to review their applications and answer questions. Neither session is required in order to apply.
Pianos About Town is a public art initiative that provides paid work to local visual artists, gives the public the opportunity to observe these artists work in real time, showcases the work of artists throughout town, and brings opportunities for spontaneous musical expression to the streets of Fort Collins.
The original inspiration for Pianos About Town comes from British artist Luke Jerram, who created a 60-piano installation that toured the world, stopping in New York City in June 2010. Pianos About Town also was inspired by a similar project on Denver’s 16th Street Mall. The first pianos were placed in Downtown Fort Collins in 2010.
Pianos come from donations made by community members looking for a new home for their used instruments. Pianos are picked up, free of charge, from their previous homes and brought to a storage area where they are cleaned, tuned, prepped for painting, and readied for the outside elements. After that, the painting begins. Each selected local artist spends approximately two weeks painting their piano in downtown Fort Collins, outdoors in a public location when weather permits. Once painted, each finished piano enters into rotation at Pianos About Town locations throughout Fort Collins. Area businesses play a key role in the success of the project by “adopting” the painted pianos and covering them during inclement weather.
Pianos About Town is a collaboration among the City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places Program, the Downtown Development Authority and Bohemian Foundation.
Follow Pianos About Town on Facebook, Instagram, and new this year, TikTok.
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FORT COLLINS, Colo., July 26, 2022 – Local nonprofits, schools and government units are using new grants to make Fort Collins a more equitable place. Each organization can apply to receive a grant of up to $30,000 from Bohemian Foundation’s Bohemian Fund. The next chance to request a grant is coming up. The application opens Aug. 9 and closes Sept. 8.
This spring, 39 organizations received grants totaling $600,000. Highlights include:
Find out how to make a grant request during a workshop Aug 10, 16, and 18. Register at BohemianFoundation.org/bohemian-fund/workshops-applicant-support. A group of community reviewers and Bohemian Foundation staff selects applicants for awards.
Click here to view the full list of organizations that received grants this spring.
Bohemian Foundation is a private family foundation established in 2001. Based in Fort Collins, Colorado, Bohemian Foundation supports local, national and global efforts to build strong communities.
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FORT COLLINS, Colo., June 6, 2022 – Students from 26 middle and high schools in Estes, Poudre and Thompson school districts recently celebrated the end of their school year by awarding $151,725 to Larimer County nonprofits. The award celebrations marked the culmination of a year spent designing and managing their own grantmaking programs through Give Next.
Give Next is a school-based program that uses grantmaking as a tool to shift power to youth, build understanding of complex social issues and connect youth to each other and their community. Through the program, local businesses, foundations and individuals become classroom donors by providing each school with $5,000 to award to Larimer County nonprofits. Students work together to identify community needs, choose a focus area, create a mission statement, research nonprofits, review grant applications and make funding decisions. In addition, they organize their own fundraisers to increase their grantmaking capacity. In celebration of Give Next’s 10th anniversary this year, Alpine Bank sponsored a $10,000 student fundraising match. Students surpassed the challenge, raising a record $11,725—bringing total student fundraising to $21,725.
Dozens of Larimer County nonprofits will benefit from the funds. The Alliance for Suicide Prevention received grants from six classrooms, totaling more than $12,000. In part, the funds will support their Youth Advisory Council. The council is comprised of youth volunteers who review the nonprofit’s peer-focused activities. They provide feedback and guidance to ensure programs are tailored for and well received by youth in the community. This resonated with Give Next students, who recognize the importance of amplifying youth voices to prevent suicides.
“Mental health is a very pressing issue that we face every day with the suicide rates amongst teens growing,” said Cooper McGrew, Give Next participant from Boltz Middle School. “Even though there are support groups out there, kids still struggle reaching out and feeling heard. We need to create a society in which [youth] voices are raised up and truly listened to before it is too late.” Boltz Middle School donated $3,600 of their grant money to the Alliance for Suicide Prevention.
Since 2012, students have awarded over three quarters of a million dollars to more than 100 nonprofits in the community through Give Next. More than $100,000 of that has come directly from student-led fundraising efforts.
For more information about Give Next, visit givenextnoco.org.
Click here to view the full list of 2021-2022 Give Next grant recipients.
Bohemian Foundation provides management support for Give Next. Bohemian Foundation is a private family foundation established in 2001. Based in Fort Collins, Colorado, Bohemian Foundation supports local, national and global efforts to build strong communities.
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