New Colorado Collaboration Award will Offer $50,000 to Nonprofit Organizations for Excellence and Innovation
A group of diverse Colorado funders have made a commitment to award $50,000 to a nonprofit collaborative that exemplifies excellence and impact.
Denver, CO (Vocus/PRWEB) January 20, 2011
Collaboration is hard -- it takes time, money, trust, and work. But when two or more organizations effectively join forces, their combined impact can be incredible. That’s why a group of diverse Colorado funders have made a commitment to award $50,000 to a nonprofit collaborative that exemplifies excellence and impact. "While foundations each have an individual approach to giving, they increasingly work together to tackle the biggest challenges facing our state," said Joanne Kelley, executive director of the Colorado Association of Funders. "The nonprofit organizations that foundations support also recognize the value of working together. This award will help identify some of the most successful examples of collaboration already under way."
Based on the national “Collaboration Prize,” created by the Lodestar Foundation, the Colorado award will recognize the collaborative efforts based on a lens of nonprofit best practices, as well as through a funder’s lens of examining community impact. The goal of the Colorado Collaboration Award is also to build a platform for ongoing dialogue about best practices, challenges, and opportunities. “When nonprofits work together, we can serve the community more effectively than when we work alone,” said Renny Fagan, president & CEO of the Colorado Nonprofit Association. “The Colorado Collaboration Award will recognize great collaborations and we hope it will encourage nonprofits to work together more often and more effectively.” Every group who will apply has a story, and that story can be a jumping off point for discussion with others who have similar goals.
The collaborations will be evaluated by a team of nonprofit, foundation, business and government representatives based on the following criteria:
the depth of collaboration demonstrated and significant impact innovation in addressing a specific challenge or opportunity serving as a model others can replicate effective community engagement as part of the process operating in accordance with nonprofit best practices
Applications are available at http://www. ColoradoCollaboration. org]. The deadline for submission is April 15th, 2011. The selection committee will choose the winning collaboration in August with the award presentation taking place at the Colorado Nonprofit Association’s Fall Conference in October, 2011.
About the Collaboration Partners:
Housed with the Colorado Nonprofit Association and in collaboration with the Colorado Association of Funders, the following partners have made commitments to the award: Anschutz Family Foundation, Boettcher Foundation, The Colorado Health Foundation, Community Shares of Colorado, Daniels Fund, The Denver Foundation, Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships, El Pomar, Gill Foundation, Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado, Kaiser Permanente, Kenneth King Foundation, The LARRK Foundation, The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, and Xcel Energy Foundation.
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