Apr. 17, 2025

Gary Community Ventures Announces 2025 Request for Grant Proposal Recipients

$720,000 in grant funding distributed to expand 9th grade success and improve family benefit access in Colorado

By Department of Communications, Gary Community Ventures

Gary Community Ventures is pleased to announce the grant recipients of its 2025 Request for Proposals process.

Our 2025 Request for Proposals focused on two critical outcomes: helping more 9th grade students succeed in school, and ensuring more families can access the public benefits they’re entitled to.

We’re honored to partner with the following organizations to move this important work forward.

Grant Proposal Recipients

After a competitive selection process, we’ve awarded $720,000 in funding to support innovative efforts aimed at reshaping the arc of opportunity for Colorado students and families to the following recipients:

Scaling Systems to Expand 9th Grade Success though a 9th Grade Success Champion

Selected Grantee: Stand for Children Colorado

Ninth grade is a pivotal year in a student’s academic journey. Research shows that students who pass their core classes in 9th grade are far more likely to graduate on time. Colorado already has the building blocks for success—supportive legislation, technical assistance providers, and statewide momentum.

What’s missing is coordination. That’s why we’re investing in Stand for Children Colorado to serve as a 9th Grade Success Champion for the state. This funding will help them expand proven systems of support for 9th graders across school districts and communities.

Improving Family Benefit Utilization

Selected Grantees: Pueblo County, Lake County, Gunnison County

Every year, over $500 million in public benefits go unclaimed by Colorado families. These are essential resources—food, healthcare, childcare, and more—that could change lives if they reached the people they’re meant for.

Through our new County Public Benefits Innovation Cohort, Pueblo, Lake, and Gunnison Counties will pilot bold new strategies to help families successfully access and use these benefits. We’ve also invited Denver, Arapahoe, Jefferson, and Adams Counties to join as an Acceleration Cohort to further scale what works.

Together, we’re building systems that ensure no family is left behind.