Southwest Region

Grant Highlight

Montelores Nonprofit Council ($50,000)

The seeds for the Montolores Non-Profit Council (MNPC) were laid in 2009 when nonprofit leaders in Montezuma and Dolores Counties came together to prepare for Southwest Colorado Rural Philanthropy Days. Through monthly planning sessions, these local nonprofit leaders started to build new relationships and establish fresh lines of communication. These forums also helped identify a collective need and an opportunity for these community members to gather with intention on a regular basis and start learning how to better collaborate for maximum impact.

With the help of a $50,000 grant from El Pomar’s Southwest Regional Council, the MNPC was born and started to tackle its deceptively simple goal: to create a culture of collaboration among nonprofits in southwest Colorado. Through trainings, meetings, and projects that encourage leaders to work together, the MNPC has started, over the past 15 months, to lay the basic groundwork for future collaborative efforts.

The MNPC has also already become more than a venue for professional development. Through the relationships the group has created, the City of Cortez recently received an exciting grant that has the potential to shape the future development in the city for years to come. In December, the Orton Family Foundation announced that Cortez was one of five communities selected for the second phase of its $10 million, five-year Heart & Soul Community Planning Initiative. The MNPC played an essential role in both creating a compelling proposal and building momentum behind the project.

Learn more about the Southwest Region

Learn more about El Pomar's Regional Partnerships