Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The Yampa Valley Community Foundation has given out its first round of community grants for the year, and the biggest chunk of change went to a partnership between Yampatika and Storm Peak Laboratory.

The foundation gave $16,100 to the program, which teaches fifth-graders about climate science. They have classroom lessons and go up to the lab on Mount Werner to collect data for analysis. Students love the lessons, Yampatika Executive Director Sonja Macys said.

"It's a pretty amazing program, and last year we were able to deliver it to every Steamboat Springs fifth-grader and some from Hayden," Macys said.

Yampatika and Storm Peak eventually want to provide the program to all Routt County and Craig schools, she said. Last year was the program's first organized year, she said. It will cost $68,000 annually. The groups have about 25 percent of that funding, Macys said.

The program is popular with donors, Community Foundation Program Manager Lisa Brown said.

"It's a very compelling program that they've actually grown over the years and hopefully will continue to do so," she said.

Yampatika and Storm Peak Lab have partnered in the past but started pursuing an ongoing valleywide program last year, Macys said.

The children learn about the importance of the climate, which could make them better stewards of the environment in the future, she said. Students who participate also show marked improvement on science tests, Macys said.

"One of the reasons people want to support the program is it's shown results both qualitatively and quantitatively, and it's something that should continue," she said.

The Yampa Valley Community Foundation gave more than $88,000 to 25 programs and groups in this round of grants. The foundation also provides funding through community grants in the winter.

Brown said this was a solid round of funding for the grants. The foundation gave out $84,000 total in two rounds of community grants in 2006, she said. Last year, the total was $124,000.

More than $60,000 of the funding came from donor-advised funds, through which people donate money and make recommendations about where it should go.

"A lot of people who are charitable are charitable because of really wanting to support their community and wanting to give back," Brown said. "That doesn't change when the economy isn't doing as well. Sometimes it increases because the needs are more visible."

To get grants, nonprofit groups request funding from the Community Foundation. The next community grant applications are due Sept. 15, Brown said.

"This is an opportunity for all the nonprofits to showcase and highlight what they're working on this year and in the immediate future," she said.

-To reach Blythe Terrell, call 871-4234 or e-mail bterrell@steamboatpilot.com