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Commissioners approve $350K in community grants, earmark $50K for countywide childcare plan
Summary
The board approved the Grama Foundation's Fall 2025 Community Priorities Fund awards—about $350,000 in grants prioritized for childcare, housing and visitor experience—and agreed to set aside $50,000 for an implementation piece of a countywide childcare plan.
The Grand County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 7 approved the Grama Foundation's recommendations for the Fall 2025 Community Priorities Fund, awarding roughly $350,000 to 11 applicants focused mainly on childcare, housing and visitor‑experience projects. The motion included a $50,000 earmark intended to jump‑start implementation of a future countywide childcare plan.
Megan Ladin, executive director of the Grama Foundation, said the committee had intentionally prioritized childcare, housing and visitor experience in this first round and recommended holding back a portion of the fund as a reserve. "Applications were due September 5. We received 15 applications," Ladin told commissioners, adding the panel chose stabilization grants for childcare providers and targeted awards for housing projects with urgent deadlines.
Commissioners debated timing for the $50,000 earmark and whether it should be disbursed before the main spring cycle or held until next year. The board moved to approve the Fall 2025 Block Grant package "as presented" and to include the $50,000 for childcare in this cycle; the motion passed on a unanimous voice vote. Sherry Locke, a Grama Foundation board member and committee chair, praised the committee's deliberations: "We really dug into every single grant that was presented to us," she said.
Award highlights included roughly $16,500 to Colorado AeroLab for childcare support and preschool planning in Grand Lake, awards to multiple childcare centers for stabilization, targeted funding for Mountain Family Center's low‑income housing assistance, a local Habitat for Humanity tap‑fee award, and a timing‑sensitive match to help Town of Winter Park secure a 20% local match for a transportation grant. The board also accepted a recommendation to hold back 20% of the fund in case lodging‑tax revenues fluctuate.
The Grama Foundation committed to return to the commissioners with process refinements and follow‑up reporting; the board asked staff to draft a formal resolution documenting the awards and restrictions.
