Ballantine Family Fund awards $310,100 in grants to nonprofits

2022 will mark the fund’s 65th year supporting Southwest Colorado organizations

Kelsey Percival

Editorial Assistant

Wednesday, Jan 26, 2022 6:10 PM MT

Updated Thursday, Jan 27, 2022 5:12 PM MT

The Ballantine Family Fund awarded $310,000 in grants to 128 nonprofits across Southwest Colorado in 2019.Durango Herald file illustration

In 2021, trustees of the Ballantine Family Fund donated $310,100 to nonprofits in Southwest Colorado through a quarterly grant application process and Core Value grants.

Through their quarterly grant cycles, trustees awarded $270,100 to 113 nonprofits across many sectors. The counties served include Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma and San Juan. The average grant size was $2,390.

By sector, the Ballantine Family Fund awarded:

$10,000 to animal protection (4% of total grants).

$59,000 to arts and culture (22% of total grants).

$56,100 to education (21% of total grants).

$20,000 to environment (7% of total grants).

$97,000 to human services (36% of total grants).

$15,000 to youth (6% of total grants).

$13,000 to other (5% of total grants).

By county, the Ballantine Family Fund awarded:

$23,500 to Archuleta (9% of total grants).

$10,000 to Dolores (4% of total grants).

$153,500 to La Plata (57% of total grants).

$61,600 to Montezuma (23% of total grants).

$10,000 to San Juan (4% of total grants).

$11,500 to other counties that support Southwest Colorado, but are not physically located in our geographic region (4% of total grants).

In addition to the quarterly grants, the Ballantine Family Trustees awarded an unsolicited $40,000 in Core Value grants. These grants support projects across the region, including the Imagination Library in Cortez, a childhood literacy program; the Community Emergency Assistance Coalition, a housing security project; regional holiday giving programs for seniors and low-income families; and Good Food Collective’s new Regional Food Incubation Enterprise for people of color.

The Ballantine Family Fund was established in 1957 by Morley C. Ballantine and Arthur A. Ballantine Jr., former owners of The Durango Herald, to provide financial assistance to nonprofits that benefit Southwest Colorado. Richard G. Ballantine is president of the fund and chairman of the board of Ballantine Communications Inc., the parent company of The Durango Herald.

2022 will mark the 65th year the fund has supported Southwest Colorado through grants to nonprofits.

“The Ballantine family legacy demonstrates both longevity and ingenuity through a deep-rooted commitment to Southwest Colorado,” said Briggen Wrinkle, executive director of the Community Foundation and grants manager for the Ballantine Family Fund. “The trustees continue to examine new opportunities to support our region, particularly as we respond to and recover from the pandemic.”

To be considered for funding, nonprofits may submit grant applications at BallantineFamilyFund.com.

[email protected]