LCF grants $50K to local nonprofits

The Lyons Community Foundation (LCF) is thrilled to announce the 2022 Community Support Grant Awards.  Each fall, Lyons-area nonprofit organizations apply for grants that will support the work they plan to do in the year to come.  As a community foundation, LCF’s work consists of raising money to support a diverse range of projects and populations in the greater Lyons area.  By offering a centralized source for fundraising, nonprofits can focus on their projects. The grant review committee, a nominated group of area citizens, meets to analyze grant applications and award those whose intent aligns with LCF’s mission to improve the quality of life, build a culture of giving and encourage positive change in the greater Lyons area.

Since LCF’s inception in 2008, over half a million dollars has been raised to support local initiatives that either build Community Connectivity, provide Human Services, invest in our Youth or support Local Ecology initiatives. This year, the LCF Advisory Board approved more than $50,000 in grants to 17 separate projects representing these four different focus areas. 52% of all grants awarded will help to connect the community while 39% of all grants awarded will help to provide human services in Lyons. The following is a brief description of the projects awarded this year.

The Lyons Community Foundation has invested in Human Services since 2008. Even before the creation of the Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund (LEAF) in 2014, LCF supported the food pantry and the Basic Needs and Emergency Fund when they were ministries of the Lyons Community Church. For the fourth year in a row, LEAF is the biggest recipient of grant funding with a total of $18,500 awarded for all five of their programs: Lyons Community Food Pantry, Basic Needs and Resource Matching, Meals on Wheels, Mental Wellness & Addiction Recovery and Lyons Volunteers. The Town of Lyons was also awarded $1,100 for Senior Programming.

As a community foundation, LCF has sought to connect the community in more ways than one. Since 2013, LCF has funded many popular programs that the town of Lyons organizes yearly such as the Parade of Lights and the Sandstone Concert Series. Next year, the Town of Lyons will be bringing back the Winter Wonderland Series, which takes place in January/February in Lavern Johnson Park. LCF has awarded over $10,000 for this community programming. In total, the Town of Lyons will receive $17,262 in grant funding from LCF.

The Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission (LAHC) has been a Community Grant recipient since 2009. In all, LCF has awarded close to $48,000 to support public art in the streets of Lyons. The Creative Outlets program began in 2019 when the LAHC launched Lyons’ first utility box-painting program  To date, the LAHC has completed four utility boxes through this program. You might have noticed the new one in Bohn Park this past summer. For each box, commissioned artists receive a $1,000 stipend for their work and supplies. What a great way to bring beauty to unexpected places, by adding color and interesting designs to utility boxes throughout town. The heARTS Outdoor Art program began in 2017. Leased pieces are on a two-year display period schedule and include a $750 honorarium for artists. Residents and tourists can tour 31 works of art, set up around Lyons, by downloading the Clio App at https://theclio.com/tour/1091.

The Lyons Community Foundation is excited to support a newly formed non-profit organization in Lyons, called Lyons Creates. By awarding funding for staffing, LCF is supporting the development of a Creative District in Lyons. 

As for local ecology efforts, LCF has awarded $1,500 to Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens Books for the publication of an educational and informational brochure. Finally, LCF continues to invest in our youth, not only through the scholarship program but also through its community support grant program. A $500 grant has been awarded to the Lyons High School After Prom program (for the sixth year in a row) in order to support a safe, sober, supervised activity for high school students. The St.Vrain Valley Schools Education Foundation has also been awarded a grant of $2,350 for local teachers who would like to apply to their Teacher Innovation Grant Program.

Grant applications received totaled $57,838. While LCF would like to provide funding for many more projects and scholarships, increased investment by local individuals is necessary. We are asking all residents to consider LCF in their year-end giving by making an online donation to the foundation at www.lyonscf.org. If you prefer to send a check, please watch for our annual appeal holiday card that should arrive in your mailbox anytime.

LCF's 2022 Grant Recipients (from left to right):

Front row: Lory Barton, Executive Director of LEAF, Crystal DeCoster and Betsy Burton (Lyons Creates), Monique Sawyer-Lang and Baiba Lennard (Lyons Redstone Museum)

Back row: Michelle Phelan (St.Vrain Valley Schools Education Foundation), Audra Felt (Lions Booster Club), Regan Bullers (SEED Seminar Project), Jessie and Garima Fairfax (Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens), Mayor Hollie Rogin (Town of Lyons), Melinda Wunder (LAHC), Janaki Jane (Wide Spaces Community Initiative), Lisa Ramsey (Town of Lyons)